TACOMA – The Evergreen State College Tacoma will hold its annual Founder’s Day celebration on Tuesday, March 4 from 1-4 p.m. at 1210 6th Avenue in Tacoma. All current Evergreen Tacoma students and alumni are invited to gather to share art and poetry and hear speeches from graduating seniors. The program will open with a keynote address by faculty emeritus Dr. Joye Hardiman and close with remarks by Dr. Dexter Gordon, Executive Vice President for Evergreen.
Over the years, this event has doubled as a birthday celebration for Evergreen Tacoma founder Dr. Maxine Mimms, who was born on March 4, 1928. The late Dr. Mimms, a longtime Tacoma resident and Evergreen faculty member, founded the Tacoma program in her home in the Hilltop neighborhood in 1972, teaching working adults college-level coursework at her kitchen table. Dr. Mimms developed the Tacoma program with a deliberate mission to provide a college education to working and adult learners, especially those living in the inner city. The program was formally established at 12th and MLK in 1982. In 2001 it moved to its current location on 6th Avenue. Dr. Mimms passed away peacefully last fall on October 8, 2024.
"This is the first time we will celebrate Dr. Maxine Mimms as our founder at a time when we are still mourning her passing,” shared Dr. Marcia Tate Arunga, Dean of Evergreen Tacoma. “We are grateful for the clear instructions that she left about how to move forward as a higher educational institution. What an honor to have been chosen as the leader that steps into her shoes.” “Founder’s Day pays tribute to the early group of educators and leaders whose initiative, creativity, resourcefulness, and drive built the college we know today: Maxine Mimms, Betsy Diffendal, Joye Hardiman, and others,” added Dr. Gordon. “To celebrate Founder’s Day is to celebrate the life and work of Maxine Mimms.”
Continuing Dr. Mimms’ legacy, Evergreen Tacoma offers a dynamic and inclusive learning environment that celebrates diversity, innovation, and community engagement. To learn more about Evergreen Tacoma’s history and programs, visit its website.
Photo of the late Dr. Maxine Mimms with Dr. Joye Hardiman from 2019