Williams Campus: History
In March of 1941, the citizens of Mesa offered to lease approximately 4 square miles of land to the federal government for use as a military airfield at the cost of $1 per year. The Army Air Corp officially broke ground for Higley Field on July 16, 1941. In the following weeks and months, the field was referenced by several different names. The confusion was resolved when the facility was named for Charles Linton Williams, an Arizona-born Army Air Corp pilot who died in a flying accident in Oahu, Hawaii in 1927. In time, the site of the base was sold to the federal government. Williams graduated more student pilots and instructors than any other base in the country, supplying 25 percent of the Air Force's pilots annually. In total, over 26,500 pilots were trained at Williams Air Force Base. That tradition of flight instruction continues through CGCC and others at Williams Gateway Airport today. The Department of Defense released the Base Closure and Realignment Report in April 1991 recommending the closure of Williams Air Force Base. Immediately, a large number of local, state, and federal organizations began planning potential uses for the base property. Maricopa Community Colleges and Arizona State University, among other educational organizations, envisioned tremendous potential based on the location, anticipated growth, airport facilities, and the opportunity to create a unique partnership. For a period of over three years, dreaming and planning took place. Even before the official "Record of Decision" was announced, leases were arranged with the Air Force to allow access to the facilities and some classes to begin. The first classes offered at the Williams facility were Aviation Maintenance subjects offered in the ATC building in the spring of 1995. General Studies classes were first offered starting with the Fall semester, 1996. Maricopa Community College District was granted two parcels of land totaling slightly over 55 acres along with the associated structures. In 1996, Chancellor Paul Elsner made CGCC the responsible college for the operation of the Williams Campus. From the initial conceptualization, the Williams Campus reflected collaboration among several institutions. Intertwined with the Chandler-Gilbert facilities and grounds is the Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus. CGCC and ASU have cooperative agreements detailing shared use of various facilities and services. In addition to the long list of agreements and arrangements with ASU, CGCC's Williams Campus hosts two Mesa Community College programs - Mortuary Science and Fire Science - and has an agreement with the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation for the provision of flight instruction for CGCC flight students. The majority of housing facilities were deeded to CGCC and ASU. Maricopa entered into an agreement with ASU calling for joint operation of the housing resources, managed by a third party. Housing is available to both CGCC and ASU students regardless of program or majors. While it is the newest of the buildings transferred during conversion, the ATC building has several historically significant murals. Dean Peterson is our acknowledged Williams historian and would be happy to give campus tours or assist with classroom projects related to Williams history.
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