Outtakes 32

The Perfect Host

Moving to Amarillo, Texas, meant a third high school in three years. I had issues with the high school in Bossier City, Louisiana, because they threatened to withhold my fall semester credits from Maine as I had not taken mid-term exams. My Air Force seargent father had received emergency orders to Thailand after the TET Offensive, and we were forced to make a quick move.  There was no opportunity to take the tests. I had all A’s and some of the classes I took in Maine as a freshman were senior classes in Louisiana. Fear I would face the same issues in Amarillo dampened my outlook concerning the move. Fortunately, my concerns never materialized. As a student at Amarillo High School, I found acceptance and a quality education. Two and a half years later, I graduated in the top ten percent of a class of over 500 students. I looked forward to college.

I enrolled at Amarillo College in the Spring of 1970. Founded on July 16, 1929, Amarillo College was the first junior college district in the state organized independent of a school district. The first classes were held in September 1929. The college moved to its present location in 1937.  Originally, the college offered primarily arts and sciences programs. In 1942, the offerings expanded to include vocational courses. Allied health, occupational and technical programs were added in the 1960’s. AC serves the Panhandle through four campuses in Amarillo, and locations in Hereford and Dumas. The college continues to grow under the leadership of the Board of Regents and a dedicated staff and faculty.

I am a proud graduate of Amarillo College. AC provided me with the skills I needed to begin a 30-year broadcasting career. I directed, ran audio, produced, ran cameras, hauled cable for broadcasting basketball games. I even did some announcing and campus newscasts. Toward the end of my time at Amarillo College, AC became the home for KACV radio, and KACV-TV, the PBS station for the Texas Panhandle. The college also provided employment through the student work program. I worked approximately twenty hours per week split between the TV station and the college library. I graduated with an Associate in Arts Degree, with an emphasis in communications. I am a member of Delta Psi Omega, an honorary acting fraternity.

Over the years, I continued my relationship with Amarillo College by attending continuing education classes in computer programs, interior decorating, and creative writing. More recently, my association has been through Frontiers in Writing, an annual writers’ weekend sponsored by Panhandle Professional Writers, and hosted by Amarillo College. This will be the fourth year AC has opened the College Union Building to FiW attendees. The English Department serves as a sponsor for FiW as part of their efforts to support education in the written word.

We could not ask for a better host. When registrants arrive for the conference, they will find a parking lot close to the CUB reserved for attendees. Audio/video needs are provided by the staff. A member of the physical plant staff is available throughout the two-day event to ensure the facility is open, clean, and comfortable. The meeting rooms are spacious and provide a quality learning environment. The Commons offers a place for attendees to relax, visit, or write. This year’s conference promises to be an exciting event. Friday the focus will center on the business of writing.  Saturday we write. We look forward to seeing old friends and making new friends June 29-30, 2012 at the Frontiers in Writing Let’s Write Weekend on the Amarillo College Washington Street Campus.

Cait Collins