Basil Peterson Scholarship

Basil Peterson was the founding president of Orange Coast College. He was hired in July of 1947 and several months later helped secure a portion of the abandoned Santa Ana Army Air Base from the War Assets Administration to establish Orange Coast College. He then set about converting the dilapidated army barracks and tumbleweed-strewn base into a college that opened to 533 students on September 13, 1948. Over the next 17 years until his retirement on December 31, 1964, Dr. Peterson’s leadership and vision helped create one of the nation’s premier community colleges.

On the occasion of Orange Coast College’s 50th Anniversary in 1998, an Orange-Tie Gala was held to celebrate the college’s legacy of excellence. Over $100,000 was raised at the event to endow a series of scholarships to honor Dr. Peterson’s legacy as Orange Coast College’s founding president.