Harold Goldstein
Elise Clifford, first director secretary and one of the founding members of Pierce College, has died. She was 92.
Before it became what it is today, Pierce started off in 1947 as an agricultural school specified only for boys.
Even though some modern necessities were missing, the students and staff started off on the right foot and were eager to begin their first days at the new college.
The students, consisting of many World War II veterans, worked hard and learned much from their teachers as they plowed fields, dug trenches, laid down pipes and built fences and corrals.
Born Nov. 9, 1914 in Los Angeles, Clifford started her new secretarial job at Pierce in the fall of 1947.
When Clifford arrived at Pierce, she had no idea what she was getting herself into; yet it didn’t take long for her to fit right in.
Thanks to her lovable up-beat personality and great sense of humor, she became a quick favorite with the students and faculty.
“She was an amazing, articulate, loving, funny and capable woman,” said Diane Ali, former presidential secretary at Pierce.
Starting to work for Ed Angiers, the first director of Pierce, she did her best to make sure that whatever the director did, he did smoothly: having everything organized for the faculty meetings, getting his paperwork in order, making sure he got his messages and arrived at his appointments on time.
With her working so hard and diligently, it seemed as though the college didn’t need the presidents at all.
“She ran the show for the presidents,” said Margaret Phillips, a friend of Clifford. “[Ultimately] she was the president’s guardian.”
As time passed, she became the senior secretary for John Shepard, the second president of Pierce, and Marie Martin, the third president.
“[She] outlived most of the presidents of Pierce,” said Ali.
After working for many years at Pierce, she transferred to the Los Angeles Community College District to work as the secretary for Chancellor Leslie Koltai.
During her stay at Pierce, she helped anyone who crossed her way that had a problem.
Herbert Ravetch, former teacher and sixth president of Pierce, came to her whenever he needed help with something.
“When you had a problem, you would go to Elise and she’ll help you solve it,” said Ravetch. “She was a wonderful lady… [that] helped give the college a reputation of warmth, openness and cooperation.”
Whenever she wasn’t working, she enjoyed “borrowing” horses from the college to ride up in the hills, above what is known today as Tarzana or ride with a friend around the fields between Corbin and Winnetka Avenues.
After working at Pierce and the LACCD for more than 52 years, Clifford died Dec. 17 of natural causes at the Ember Care Maclay Nursing Center in Sylmar, said her daughter-in-law, Linda Suarez.