I attended Dr. Dianne Van Hook’s career tribute this past Sunday afternoon. Much has been written about Van Hook’s departure from College of the Canyons, but that’s not this column’s topic. Honoring Dr. Van Hook’s contribution is.

Having arrived at the college way back 36 years ago, Dianne landed on a large, mostly dirt lot. Some 15 years old, the college consisted of four tilt-up buildings serving roughly 6,000 students. Back then, the school was jokingly referred to as, “College of the Crayons.” That didn’t last for long under Dr. Van Hook’s determined leadership.

Dianne started out in the Santa Clarita Valley breaking through glass ceilings. That an assertive, stunningly young blonde female could run a college in a town ran by conservative men was something completely new under the sun. It took years for the old Chamber of Commerce guys to come to grips with Dianne. Women, it turns out, could do almost anything men could, and often better. Dianne wasn’t interested in being told to stay put in her place. She had visions and goals to achieve and barriers to overcome. And Dianne’s example and success helped break down barriers for women throughout California.

Thirty-six years later, as Dianne Van Hook drove her red Ford F-150 from the COC parking lot for the last time, what she left in her rear-view mirror looked nothing like what she saw ahead in the windshield when she arrived. In Dianne’s rear-view mirror........

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