COSTA MESA : Colleges : Campus scene : 700 Bid Farewell as OCC President Retires

More than 700 people stopped by to bid farewell last week to David A. Grant, president of Orange Coast College, who is retiring after 33 years with the school.

Among the guests were Norman E. Watson, retired Coast Community College District chancellor; Nancy A. Pollard, president of the college district’s trustees; and Orange County Supervisor Marian Bergeson.

During Grant’s six years as president, the college has generated $6.9 million for building projects, including the remodeling of the Robert B. Moore Theatre and the Student Center, and construction of a children’s center.

The college also received funds from the state during Grant’s tenure to build an $11-million technology center, which opened in 1994.

At the reception in his honor, Grant expressed gratitude to founding college President Basil H. Peterson, who he said hired him in 1962 as a one-year replacement for a professor on leave.

“That one year turned into 33 of the most wonderful years I could ever imagine,” he said. “I feel truly fortunate to have had an opportunity to spend my career at Orange Coast College.”