CSM at 75
Semisesquicentennial sees history book, parade float and computer-science
When College of San Mateo celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1997, alumni from each of its 75 classes were still alive—and helped to celebrate.
U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos kicked off the festivities January 9 by reading birthday greetings into the Congressional Record.
“The College of San Mateo [has] never stopped serving the community,” Lantos said.
History Prof. Michael Svanevik and his wife, Shirley Burgett, signed copies of their celebratory book, Class Act: College of San Mateo, A History, around town.
At the age of 90, Jean Cloud ’26 helped put on the anniversary celebrations and staffed CSM information tables at events in the community.
Cloud, a history buff who was instrumental in saving Redwood City’s Lathrop House and Union Cemetery, was among many old-time alums interviewed for the book. She recalled with pleasure that male students in her day outnumbered females 3 to 1.
The San Mateo County History Museum, housed in 1997 on campus, mounted an anniversary exhibition of CSM photos, artifacts and sports memorabilia. It was the museum’s last exhibition at CSM before moving to its current home in the Old County Courthouse in Redwood City.
Thousands cheered CSM’s entry in the Peninsula Celebration Association’s Fourth of July parade in downtown Redwood City. College President Peter Landsberger and CSM cheerleaders walked the parade route, escorted by a ferocious CSM Bulldog float.
Perhaps the most forward-thinking event, though, was the opening that year of the CSM Library’s open-access computer center, which made state-of-the-art PCs, printers and software available to all students.
