History
Prior to 1929, Amarillo was the largest Texas city without a public college. George Ordway and James Guleke helped to introduce a house bill that would establish junior college districts in the Amarillo area. On July 16, 1929, AC became the first Texas junior college district to be organized independent of a school district. The first classes were held later that year in September. The college moved to its main campus on Washington Street in 1937.
In 1951, AC became one of the first three publicly supported Texas college to admit blacks to undergraduate classes. The others were Texas Southmost College in Brownsville and Howard County Junior College in Big Spring. (The AC Story: Journal of a College, Joe F. Taylor, 1979)
For years, AC was one of the few community colleges in Texas without an athletic program. However, that changed in 1999 with the inception of Amarillo College's Fencing Team, and the Amarillo College Fencing Association. Both clubs are sanctioned by the United States Fencing Association. Juleah Nusz, an Amarillo College fencer, is a national United States Fencing Association Champion, and under the guidance of Coach Chuck Slaughter.
Read more about this topic: Amarillo College
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