Welcome! Established in 2013, TJC Archive and Special Collections is responsible for identifying, maintaining and making available all records of enduring value that document the history and development of TJC.
The Archive also collects materials of interest and significance from alumni and others that reflect TJC's interaction with the community.
Explore our Digital Collections
Our digital collections represent a small portion of our holdings related to all aspects of the history of Tyler Junior College.
TJC Historical Photo Collection
The TJC Historical Photo Collections documents the history and activities of the college through photographs supplied by various sources. The archive currently has over 9,000 pictures, with over 7,000 digitized. For a brief overview of the types of photographs in this collection, visit Finding Aid.
The Apache Magazine
The Apache was initiated in 1983 as the official newsletter of the Tyler Junior College Alumni Association. By 1986 it had quickly evolved into the Apache Magazine, the official magazine of the college. Its purpose has always been the same: to keep employees, alumni, and friends of TJC informed about the college's activities.
Yearbooks and the Bell Tower
As Tyler Junior College was initially housed in Tyler High School until moving to its own campus in 1948, the first few years the yearbook, the Alcalde, was a combined yearbook for the two schools. In 1934, the college began publishing its own yearbook, the Apache. The Alcalde was not published in 1933, and the Apache was not published in 1940, 1943, 1944, or 1945. The Apache ceased publication in 1981. The Bell Tower consists of art and poetry created by TJC students.
TJC Catalog
The Tyler Junior College Catalog has been published annually since 1926. Beginning with the 2016-2017 academic year, the catalog ceased to be available in print form and became an online-only publication, with mid-year updates every January. Past-year catalogs are also available online. Contact the Archive if you need a catalog not yet available online.
Student Newspapers
In 1948, TJC students began producing a column titled “Junior College News” for the Sunday edition of the Tyler Daily Courier-Times newspaper. This column was briefly titled “The Tyler Teepee” and finally “The Apache Pow-Wow”. In December of 1930, the first independent issue of The Apache Pow-Wow was published by the students, although the publication of a column in the Tyler newspaper continued. In the 1931-1932 academic year, a combined high school/college newspaper, The Apache-Lion Pow-Wow was produced. After that year, the college ceased producing a student newspaper until 1937 when publication of The Apache Pow-Wow recommenced. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes: The Pow-Wow, The TJC Pow Wow, Tyler Junior College News, The Apache Pow Wow, and finally to its current name, The DrumBeat.
Archive Info
- For information about our collections, instructions for transferring college records to the archive, or details about what types of materials we take as donations, please review the Acceptance Guidelines.
- The Archive provides digitization services for those who need copies of photos in our collections and those who request digitization of personal photos. Please note when we digitize photos provided from personal collections, the Archive reserves the right to keep a copy and to use it in projects that detail the history of TJC.
- Most items housed in the Archive may be viewed on-site. Nothing may be checked out of the Archive, but a digitized version may be available upon request for some items. Copies are not to be used for commercial purposes without the written consent of TJC.