Former SWCC instructor reflects on time at college 50 years ago

When Gordon Bills helped launch the automotive program at Southwestern Community College (SWCC), there were no tools and no location on campus specifically for the program.

“The college opened in ‘66, and I started the program for the auto body class in January ‘67, the first year we started vocational programs,” said the 81-year-old Bills. “The state (eventually) bought us some tools, but we didn’t have any when we first started.”

Before helping establish the SWCC program, Bills had experience at General Motors and Ford Motor. He was a high school graduate with some college credits and a teacher certification from Iowa State University.

Bills moved from Red Oak to Creston upon accepting the job as an instructor at SWCC.

“We started out in the old Ford Motor building out by the courthouse, and that’s where we had classes,” Bills said. “Auto mechanics were in there with me.”

In about 1970, the automotive program moved into its own department on the newly built SWCC campus on West Townline Street – the current location.

In October 1995, Bills retired.

“I had a lot of great students and a lot of great parents,” he said. “The most students I ever had was 20 students back-to-back for two years, and that was a lot of students for a vocational program.”

This year, SWCC celebrates its 50th anniversary. SWCC began operation as part of Iowa’s community college system in July 1966. The college inherited the facilities and instructional programs of Creston Community College, which had previously been operated by the Creston Community School District since 1926.

Because the automotive program began with SWCC rather than Creston Community College, it’s also been about 50 years since Bills started the program.

When he started it, it was only a one-year program. Now, Bills said it has grown substantially and students can earn a two-year degree in the program.

“I’m really glad to have started the program,” Bills said. “I think a lot of Southwestern Community College, and there’s always a demand for auto body people. As long as there’s that demand, the program will keep going.”

Bills and his wife, Barbara, reside in Afton. They have four grown children – Shelley, Cindy, Kim and Kevin. Kim is a SWCC graduate.

“I like working on small engines, and we’ve got seven acres, so I’ve got a lot of grass to mow,” Bills said.

Frank Gunsolley

When Frank Gunsolley started college in Creston, it was still Creston Community College. He was a second-year student when it became SWCC in the 1966-67 academic year.

“(The college) put me in the pre-engineering program, and I took some calculus and drafting and things like that,” said Gunsolley, 69. “It just solidified my decision to do what I had chosen to do.”

Gunsolley started at SWCC immediately after graduating high school in Diagonal, and for him, SWCC was “comfortable.” It was a good first step before moving on to Iowa State to earn his bachelor’s of arts and architecture.

From his time at SWCC, Gunsolley said two instructors stick out in his mind: Mrs. Lischer, who taught English, and Mr. Butler, who was his drafting instructor.

“(Southwestern) wasn’t overwhelming like Iowa State was when I first went there,” Gunsolley said. “I think graduating from Diagonal and then going to SWCC was not quite as big a step as it would have been going directly to Iowa State. My kids all went immediately to Iowa State, and they got through it fine, but there were some different things going on at that time in my life – the war was one thing.”

After one semester at Iowa State, Gunsolley was drafted into the Army and was deployed to Vietnam. After serving, he re-enrolled at Iowa State. It was a challenging few years for him with serving and then completing a demanding degree at Iowa State.

“They claimed the architecture program was the toughest of the engineering programs at that time,” Gunsolley said. “It was a culture shock for me in that classes were big enough that if you didn’t get it, the professors were going to go on anyway without you. At SWCC, there was a lot more individual attention, so it was a little easier to grasp things.”

Once he graduated from Iowa State, Gunsolley took a job at an architectural firm in Des Moines, where he worked for seven years.

“I got married in 1977 ... and we chose to move back (to Diagonal) to raise our kids, and the only thing that was even semi-related to architecture was there was a guy who owned the lumber yard here,” Gunsolley said.

In 1980, Gunsolley bought that lumber yard and opened Diagonal Building Products.

“That was when the farm crisis was going on, so it was a little tough,” he said. “My wife was an RN, so she was working nights and trying to raise our kids, and I was working days.”

Gunsolley and his wife, Joan, have three grown children – Zach, Brian and Gina. Zach went on to become a Ringgold County engineer and also serves as a SWCC board member.

Recently, Gunsolley sold Diagonal Building Products to Gina.

“I actually still help out,” Gunsolley said. “I’m still around and still a resource, but I’m ready to be on the golf course more.”

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SWCC plans open house

As this year is Southwestern Community College's 50th anniversary, the college will host a public open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday in the student center on the Creston campus, 1501 W. Townline St.

The event will feature a historical college video and display, live music by the professional music department, refreshments, tours of the nursing simulation lab, drawings with prizes, a photo booth and tours of the campus and residence halls. Former students and alumni are encouraged to visit to see the changes that have taken place since they attended.

Also on Saturday, the college’s nursing department will hold an alumni gathering from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Allied Health & Science Center. All nursing alumni are invited to attend.

Southwestern began operation as part of Iowa’s community college system on July 1, 1966. The college inherited the facilities and instructional programs of Creston Community College, which had previously been operated by the Creston Community School District since 1926.