Delgado History
The College is named after its founder, the philanthropist Isaac Delgado, a 19th century immigrant from Jamaica, who became a wealthy New Orleans businessman and sugar planter. In 1909, in a codicil to his will, Delgado bequeathed the remainder of his estate to the City of New Orleans to establish a manual trade school for boys. Land was purchased for the 57-acre (230,000 m2) City Park Campus. The original building on City Park Avenue was constructed and furnished by funding from the Delgado estate.
Delgado Central Trades School opened in 1921 with 1,300 boys and young men enrolled. The institution thrived in the 1920s but languished during the Great Depression, when there was inadequate funding. It was revived during World War II because of the need for technically-skilled workers in aircraft construction and maintenance and in the metal and woodworking trades. The school again fell on hard times in the 1950s.
Under the leadership of its director, Marvin E. Thames, Sr., the mission of the college changed. In 1956-1957, Tulane University made a survey of Delgado’s potential role in a changing economy. Tulane proposed that Delgado be expanded to a technical institute at the junior college level and that its main function be to provide technical training. The recommendation was adopted by the Delgado Board of Managers and the New Orleans City Council. As a result, the name of the institution was changed to Delgado Trades and Technical Institute, and a technical two-year college program was implemented. In 1960, the first graduates of Delgado Institute received their college degrees.
In 1966, the state legislature and the city council renamed Delgado Institute as "Isaac Delgado College" and, then, "Delgado Vocational-Technical Junior College". Dr. Thames became the founding president. In 1970, the state transferred Delgado from control by the city to the Louisiana State Board of Education. In 1971, Delgado was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1980, the name was again changed to the current Delgado Community College. In 1982 the central administration moved to new facilities at 501 City Park Avenue, adjacent to the City Park Campus. With state funding, the original campus expanded, and other campuses were thereafter established throughout the metropolitan region.
In 2001, Delgado joined its sister institution, Bossier Parish Community College in Bossier City to implement a collaborative Pharmacy Technician program through the use of interactive video. The innovative program was inspired by new certification requirements instituted by the state in 1997. BPCC and DCC both determined that the certification requirements established a need for such a program in higher education.
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