Carol Lewis was no stranger to Pratt Community College when she stepped into her first class in fall of 1976. Her sister, Nora Doubek, graduated in 1973. Her brother, Bob Doubek, attended during the 1972-1973 school year on a basketball scholarship. It was the actions of their mother, however that began the family tradition back when the college opened its doors 80 years ago in 1938.

Pratt Community College Board of Trustees member Michele Hamm was recently elected as the president of the Kansas Association of Community College Trustees (KACCT). This is Hamm’s fifth year serving on the executive committee, after serving as treasurer and vice president in past years, as well as president for the 2015-2016 term.

On May 16, farmers, agronomists, and more gathered at a wheat plot planted south of the baseball field at Pratt Community College to learn more about different varieties of wheat. Approximately 50 people attended the event hosted by the Pratt County K-State Research and Extension office.

“I think I made a mistake.”

The first words Don Schwartz remembers telling his mother after he arrived in Pratt during the summer of 1966 were less than enthusiastic. Little did he know at the time, his upcoming journey through Pratt and Pratt Community College, known as Pratt Junior College at the time, would be one that would change his life forever.

Before serving as a Pratt Community College business instructor in 1974 then subsequently Vice President of Instruction until 2013, Jim Stratford was a student between the years of 1966 to 1968. During his 38 years as an employee and two as a student, Stratford has seen a lot of different changes with the college.

Stratford’s memories begin with the move to the current campus.