Have you ever wondered what Evergreen would be like if it wasn’t called “Evergreen”? What if you told people you graduated from The Totem State College? The Washington State Capitol College? The Cascade State College?

These had all been possibilities. That is, until one Board of Trustees meeting exactly fifty years ago, on January 24, 1968, decided our fate. Until then, our school was referenced to as “The New Four Year College” by the Board of Trustees, at least in their meeting minutes. Also written in the minutes were all the potential names for Evergreen:

The first order of business was the choice of a name for the college. In addition to the four names reserved at the last meeting (Olympia State, Evergreen State, Washington State at Olympia and Capital State), eight new names were presented:

Crosby State College
Cascade State College
Olympia-Cascade State College
Timberland State College
North Pacific State College
Washington State Capital College
Stevens State College
Totem State College

Mr. Saunders moved, seconded by Mr. Halvorson, that “The
Evergreen State College” be the name. Carried.

People gather to discuss the future of Evergreen in its early days.