S C T E CHN I CA L CO L L E G E S Y S T EM ’ S
F I R S T 5 0 Y EAR S
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The 1970s
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M O D E L F O R T H E N A T I O N E M E R G E S
him to step down. Stan Smith took a year of leave from his busi-
ness and worked for free as the executive director to get things
moving forward again.”
Bortolazzo stayed just long enough to see TEC’s tenth anni-
versary arrive. When asked about his blue fame, he responded,
“We can’t rest on our laurels. We’ve got a lot of work to do.” Well,
somebody did, but it wasn’t Bortolazzo. It was Stan Smith.
Leadership that could work with opposing views was crucial
because the system faced a negative perception. Parents didn’t
think it was good enough for their children, and many legislators
agreed.
OVERCOMING PERCEPTIONS
Dr. Jim Hudgins, system president from 1999 to 2005, recalls
that “the tech schools were perceived as something other than
the best choice for students,” and Dr. Lex Walters hasn’t forgot-
ten how “the system was viewed as a glorified vocational system.
‘Oh, you’re just a technical school system, and you really don’t
offer college work.’ The response was, ‘We’re accredited by the
Southern Association, the same association that accredits the
four-year colleges and universities.’”
It was a huge problem. The tech system struggled to gain
acceptance among the people it needed most: parents and leg-
islators. Ever since World War II, the country had exalted the
four-year college degree. According to a State Committee for
Education appointee, “Technical education prevents dropouts,
avoids illiterates, and prepares students for industry.” Hardly
the message parents wanted to hear. And when the TEC system
absorbed “manual training schools” in Beaufort, Denmark and
West Columbia, it further boosted the vocational school percep-
tion.
Ed Zobel represented the system in the legislature for 31
years. “Parents thought that all we taught was welding, auto me-
chanics, plumbing, and things like that. Legislators, too, had the
assumption, we were just vocational. Back in those days many
Pictured from left to right
–
Governor John C. West with
Executive Director Dr. Julio Bortolazzo
(1971)
1973 1974
1973:
O. Stanley Smith, Jr. resigned to return to private business.
Charles E. Palmer was appointed TEC’s executive director.
1974:
State Board felt “TEC” no longer described its
mission and changed all remaining centers to “colleges.”
(This process would be completed in 1980.)
