Thanks to our partners at Forsyth Tech Community College, a large collection of materials from the college are now on DigitalNC! These records stretch as far back as the 1960s, when Forsyth Tech was officially established as a center of technical education and career training, to as recently as 2019. They run the gamut of records, from newspaper clippings and scrapbooks, to official reports and course catalogs. The entire collection stretches across both time and medium, encompassing Forsyth Tech’s history from its inception to its contemporary operation.

A great way to learn more about the history of Forsyth Tech is by combing through the newspaper clippings included in the collection. Arranged by decade, they meticulously record each story, article, or advertisement featuring the college. The clippings from 1960 chronicle the foundation of the institute and its initial programs, while more recent decades feature articles on Forsyth Tech’s involvement in the national scene!

Visits from both President Bush and President Obama are recorded in the paper, reflecting the institution’s important involvement in training biomedical professionals. President Obama even invited Kathy Proctor, a biomedical student at Forsyth, to his State of the Union address, and mentioned her in his speech! She was also included in a White House Reception, interviewed by D.C. outlets, and eventually lampooned in The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Reading through these newspaper clippings is an amazing way to see how Forsyth Tech grew and developed over decades to become a key player in American education and industry.

You can read through all four decades of newspaper clippings online at DigitalNC here. You can also find the scrapbooks, publications, course catalogs, and more from Forsyth Tech online at their partner page on DigitalNC here. Interested in learning more about the community college? You can find their website here. Thanks again to our partners at Forsyth Tech Community College for making these records available!