Photographs

Dr. and Mrs. Jack Taylor greet students at a college event. Dr. Taylor, the dean of students, served as acting president until Dr. Blee arrived at JCBC. He and Dr. E.P. Lauderdale were the choices of many of the faculty and staff to succeed Dr. Rushing. After Dr. Blee arrived on campus, Dr. Taylor returned to his post, but Dr. Lauderdale resigned.

A system of junior colleges serving African-American students was established by the state in 1949. In Broward County, JCBC offered courses for its African-American students at a branch campus of Dillard High School, which opened in August of 1961. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 mandated desegregation of all publicly supported educational institutions. By the 1966-1967 school year, the "Magnificent 12" black junior colleges in Florida had ceased operations or had folded into formerly all-white junior colleges.

The contentious, unsettled conditions at the college prompted Emil Buehler, a German-born aviator, architect, inventor, and philanthropist, to threaten to withdraw his support from the aviation program for which he had provided the planes and classroom space for at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. "He never did, though," said trustee John H. Payne. "He never would have done anything to hurt the college."

The Buehler Planetarium, dedicated in 1966, remains a favorite for South Florida school children, who learn about the heavens from the planetarium's extensive educational programs.

Dr. Blee was all smiles at commencement ceremonies, but his brief presidency resulted in hard feelings and strained relations for many. Blee sued the college after the school board refused to offer him a new contract. The parties eventually settled out of court. Dr. Myron Ashmore served as acting president while a search to replace Dr. Blee was underway.

Upperside bright orange with black markings; 3 black-encircled white dots on forewing leading edge. Underside brown; forewing with orange at base; both wings with elongated, iridescent silver spots.

This is a Songye mask. The Songye people live in Democratic Republic of Congo. They are a relatively small tribe with a central chief and many secret societies. This mask or kifewebe, as masks are called in the Songye language, is of a male figure. This is determined by the center crest on its head. It represents a spirit and bears striations which is one of the chief differentiators of Songye masks. A mask like this would have been used by the kifewebe society to ward off evil, avert disaster and heal the sick. When worn in dances, it serves the dancer for its connotation of aggression to help the chief maintain order and control. This mask is believed to embody supernatural forces and the magic it carries is decided by the size of its crest. The white color of the striations symbolizes peace and purity while the red could mean any of danger, fire, blood, evil, courage or fortitude. Songye masks are easily identified by their striations and their shapes. The eyes, noses and mouths are carved in high relief. Often, the lips form star-shaped puckers to give the masks the impression of whistling or pouting.

Foot binding (also known as "Lotus feet") is the custom of applying painfully tight binding to the feet of young girls to prevent further growth. The practice possibly originated among upper-class court dancers during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Imperial China (10th or 11th century). Foot binding became popular as a means of displaying status (women from wealthy families who did not need them to work could afford to have their feet bound) and was correspondingly adopted as a symbol of beauty in Chinese culture. Shoe for bound foot. Cloth, with black edging, purple cloth tape; embroidered floral/swastika design; pink tapes for securing shoe; broad cloth piece sewn to inside heel; reinforced arched sole with blue/white/red stripes and floral painted design.

Carved antler bone, possibly Tequesta Indian, found at the Margate-Blount archaeological dig area.  It is a small piece of unidentified bone that has been intricately carved.  Prominent carvings include dual four leaf clover designs and a zoomorphic hook. Margate-Blount was discovered in 1959 by former Pompano Beach Mayor Bruce Blount, who found a wooden crypt filled with skeletons after engineers bulldozed the area he was leasing. Archaeologists began to study the site north of Northwest 72nd Street and west of University Drive. Subsequent digs were conducted through 2002. Items pulled over the years include ceramics, shells, antlers, carved animal bones, shark teeth and a shark vertebrae. It's one of about 500 Indian archaeological sites scattered everywhere from along the beach in Fort Lauderdale all the way out to Weston and the Everglades.

This vessel is an example of a jaguar effigy vessel from the Nicoya culture from Costa Rica. It is appropriate to find an effigy vessel of a jaguar, displaying how the Costa Rican people worshipped this animal for its power and beauty. A perfect example of the strength of color use is seen on the head of the jaguar. The colors accentuate the most important aspects of the jaguar such as the big eyes, sharp teeth, and powerful muscles. Within the mouth of the jaguar there is a clay ball, transforming this vessel into a rattle most probably used in ritualistic ceremonies. The mouth of the jaguar exemplifies the power of the animal because, the jaguar shows us his sharp teeth, and at the same time gives us a jovial grin. Around the jaguar's head there is a very vibrant pattern of smaller jaguar heads. These patterns are seen around the extremities as well, suggesting the symbolic importance of the revered jaguar. This large pear-shaped jar stands on hollow rattle tripod legs, two of which are modeled to represent a jaguar's hind legs. A third leg in the form of a tail is at the rear. Two short hollow forelegs loop out from the sides with paws resting on the hind legs.