‘Open Door’ shares history of troubled times at GRJC

Arthur Andrews

Jesse Buttrick Davis

Did you know that GRJC came close to closing down on numerous occasions in its first 40 years? During World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II, both the mayor of Grand Rapids and the Grand Rapids Board of Education attempted to shut the doors of the college in an effort to save money. It was only through extraordinary efforts on the part of Presidents Davis and Andrews that the college survived.

Read about this and much more in Open Door, the newly published 100-year history of GRJC/GRCC. Written by retired English professor Walter Lockwood, it is a wealth of information on the college and its people. It can be purchased at Schuler Books, the GRCC Library, or online here.