Cuyamaca College dedicates Wendell Cutting Center in honor of East County humanitarian

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this
From left: nephew L.G. Wayne Cutting; Cuyamaca Interim
President Cristina Chiriboga; brothers Larry and Wayne Cutting; sister
Ruth Anne Cutting; GCCCD Governing Board Trustee Deanna Weeks; TRUSTEE
Bill Garrett; and student trustee Chuck Taylor.

December 12, 2008 (El Cajon)   Former governing board member Wendell
Cutting was remembered Friday for his generosity of spirit and caring for humanity
during a dedication ceremony for a Cuyamaca College science and technology
building that now bears his name.

The naming of Wendell Cutting Center, which houses labs for the life and physical
sciences programs, as well as computer information science, recognizes not
only the depth of his caring for students,  but also the value he placed
on learning. A middle-school teacher and administrator during the 70s and
a governing board trustee from 2002 until his death in 2006, Cutting was a
proponent of advancing science and technology education at Cuyamaca College.

The indoor ceremony included the unveiling by his brothers, Larry and Wayne,
of a bronze plaque bearing a likeness of Cutting. Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community
College District Governing Board Trustee Deanna Weeks, one of the speakers
at the event, looked out at the audience of some 200 and remarked that it felt
like a family reunion.

"Wendell has brought us all together again", said Weeks, who noted that like
so many who had gotten to know Cutting, she regarded her respected colleague
as a best friend. "Wendell had a gift of making each of us feel as if we were
the special one", she said. "Wendell was easily the most popular guy in East
County. There were so many ways he could, and did, serve."

Governing Board President Bill Garrett told the audience that seated among
them were representatives of just a few of the many civic, philanthropic and
business organizations to which Cutting volunteered his time and effort: El
Cajon Rotarians; Rescue Task Force, an East County-based international relief
organization; Salvation Army; San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce; and
East County Economic Development Council. Through Rescue Task Force, Cutting
traveled to disaster sites around the world, helping victims of Hurricane Katrina
and the Asian tsunami.

"Wendell was a multifaceted person who enjoyed working with people from many
walks of life in order to improve the human condition", said Chancellor Omero
Suarez. "One of those areas where he committed time, effort and resources was
to teaching and learning. He believed very strongly that education was the
foundation for developing a healthy and prosperous community. It was through
education that lives could experience wondrous transformations; therefore,
education was a keystone in his philosophical outlook on life."

Dr. Cristina Chiriboga, interim college president, described Cutting as a
tireless advocate of students, noting that thanks in great part to his efforts,
Cuyamaca has blossomed into a college in high demand. Now in its 30th year,
Cuyamaca boasts a record enrollment of more than 9,000, and the opening of
three new facilities since 2007, with a fourth currently under construction.
Those, and others at Grossmont College are the fruit borne of Proposition R,
the $207 million facilities bond approved by East County voters in 2002.

"I want to share with you that although the science and technology center
is not yet two years old, it is already filled to capacity with classes and
students, and the biological science disciplines housed in this building have
helped Cuyamaca College become the gateway to the health professions by providing
the necessary academic preparatory courses for these careers", Chiriboga said.
"As well, we have been able to provide cutting edge, no pun intended, learning
environments in the computer information science and graphic design programs."

 "This building is a testament to Wendell's belief in the power of the
human spirit to work together to make the world a better place", said science
and engineering department chair Dr. Kathryn Nette

"For those of you who are not familiar with the concept, the Cuyamaca way
describes the attitudes, feelings and motivations that are at the root of the
college. The words that describe it are inscribed in the walkways outside of
this building", said Michael Wangler, president of the academic senate, referring
to the words, "friendly,integrity, vision, innovative, excellence, student-centered",and "beautiful."

Also slated to speak today was Rep. Duncan Hunter, but with the unresolved
auto industry bailout keeping him in Washington, D.C., Deputy Chief of Staff  Michael
Harrison spoke on his behalf. Harrison, who worked with Cutting as the congressman's
former district chief of staff -- since 1994, remembered the kindness that
Cutting showed him from the start, offering words of reassurance to a fresh-out-of-college
political aide.

"He said, do your job, do it professionally, do it slowly, and everything
will be fine because, remember, things could be a lot worse", said Harrison.

In closing, Harrison shared a quote of Martin Luther King Jr. that he described
as befitting Cutting.

"The biggest difference you can make is making a difference in your community."


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

Comments

Tribute to Wendell Cutting

We should always remember these kind of special people in our life. These are the person who always inspire the new generation to put their step forward for humanity. These are people who have love for all the living beings. My tribute to Wndell Cutting.