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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.
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.
While it is the newest of the buildings transferred during conversion, the ATC building has several historically significant murals. Dean Peterson is the acknowledged Williams historian and would be happy to give campus tours or assist with classroom projects related to Williams history.
Williams Campus
7360 East Tahoe Avenue
Mesa, Arizona 85212
Telephone: 480-988-8000
Williams Campus Website
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