Jefferson College on Aug. 5 renamed one of its classroom buildings in honor of the college’s first president and founder.
The former “Arts and Science II” building was renamed “Charles McClain Hall” at a ceremony on campus.
A plaque was placed inside the building, highlighting the former president’s time at the college.
McClain served as the first Jefferson College president from 1963-1970.
Jefferson College President Dena McCaffrey said the renaming was a part of the college’s facilities master plan.
She said the building name change not only will benefit students but also honor McClain’s dedication to the college.
“We are in the process of a facilities master plan for the campus, and the things we are looking at is feedback we’ve gotten over the years from students,” she said. “And there have always been challenges on our campus because we have Arts and Sciences One and Arts and Sciences Two.
“As a student and a new person on campus, it never made sense. So when we started talking about new names for our building, we went through a lot of different discussions and kept coming back to Dr. McClain because his leadership and dedication to Jefferson College and community colleges is really the basis for everything that has happened here at the college.”
At the ceremony, Ann Covington, former wife of Charles McClain, spoke about the honor of the renaming of the building.
Covington said she felt great joy and gratitude when she was told about the college honoring her late husband.
“Charles invested so much of himself in the creation of Jefferson College and was so proud of it,” she said. “To think now that he is going to be remembered in this particular way, (it) would mean the world to him.”
Also at the ceremony, Jefferson College history teacher and host of the Jefferson County History Minute Podcast, Joseph Thurman, spoke about Charles McClain and his legacy with Jefferson College.