Georgia Perimeter cheerleader Briana Gray joins Jaggy plus a blast from the past–the DeKalb College Patriot mascot (aka GPC student Emily Lipsey)—to enjoy the festivities during the 50th anniversary kickoff. (Photo by Bill Roa)

by Rebecca Rakoczy

It’s pretty nifty, when you’re turning 50.

That was the spirit when Georgia Perimeter College faculty and staff kicked off the college’s “Celebrate 50 Years” anniversary with a special convocation and picnic in September.

Pat Young, left, and Angela Head display the 50th anniversary goodie bags distributed at convocation. (Photo by Bill Roa)

Conducted in the Clarkston Campus gymnasium, the event featured music of the past five decades; a gigantic beach ball bounce across the gymnasium floor and some spirited dancers who jumped up to boogie during a flash mob. Special speakers included Barbara Disney and Franklin Shumake, former employees of the college who reminisced about the early days.

The celebration kicked off a two-year observance of the college anniversary, which will include the 50^th anniversary of the college’s first graduating class.

Upcoming events include a Feb. 16-20 college-wide symposium of the art, history, film, science and music of the 1960s and an event noting the dedication of the college, which was May 23, 1965.

Opened Sept. 28, 1964 by the DeKalb County Board of Education, DeKalb College was the first and only public two-year college in Georgia to be controlled by a local school district, with 763 students enrolled. Twenty-two years later, DeKalb College joined the University System of Georgia; and in 1997, the USG Board of Regents changed the name of the college to Georgia Perimeter College to reflect its expanding mission and its service throughout the metro Atlanta area. The GPC moniker became official in the fall of 1998.

Associate Professor of Physics Martin Okafor tries out the Jaggy photo op at the celebration. (Photo by Bill Roa)

Today Georgia Perimeter has five campuses — Alpharetta, Clarkston, Decatur, Dunwoody and Newton County — plus the state university system’s largest online program.

To keep up with anniversary activities, visit www.gpc.edu/celebrate50