COSTA MESA : Dean to Retire After 35 Years on Faculty

Richard A. Chard, administrative dean of vocational education, will retire this month after 35 years as a member of Orange Coast College’s faculty.

Chard, 61, who worked as a computer drafting instructor before being named the first dean of vocational education in 1989, has been responsible for managing the college’s 100 vocational programs. Most recently, he was instrumental in helping in the development of the $14-million Vocational Technology Building, which is slated to open in 1994.

“We are going to miss Dick tremendously,” said Orange Coast College President David Grant. “He’s been a mainstay on this campus for nearly four decades. His commitment to Orange Coast College has been phenomenal.”

The Huntington Beach resident taught industrial arts in the Long Beach Unified School District for 24 years. He became a part-time drafting instructor in 1957 and taught evening classes for 23 years before joining the college’s faculty full time in 1980.