On July 29, 1884, Belle Cooledge was born in Sutter Creek, California. After graduating from Sacramento High School, located at 18th and K Streets, in 1900, Cooledge attended University of California, Berkeley where she graduated with a Master of Arts degree in education. After graduation, she started teaching and by 1912 she was teaching mathematics at Sacramento High School. Four years later, on the upper floors of the high school, Sacramento Junior College was founded. As the administrator of the college, she was the first de facto president. In 1918, Sacramento Junior College closed when the United States entered the First World War. Cooledge took a sabbatical from teaching and worked as an Army nurse during the war. In 1920, she reopened Sacramento Junior College in its own wing at the Sacramento High School’s new location at 34th and Y Streets. Sacramento Junior College, now known as Sacramento City College, relocated to its permanent location at the corner of Sutterville Road a...