HISTORY OF ACCAS

TACAS was founded in 1961 by the following Directors:
David Bjork Colegio Nueva Granada, Bogota
Dale Swall Colegio Bolivar, Cali
Nancy Davidson Columbus School, Medellin
Walter Jarvis, Colegio Karl C. Parrish, Barranquilla
Helen Wallace Colegio Jorge Washington, Cartagena
At this stage of its history, the Caribbean region was not included in the Association.

In 1963 Colegio Panamericana was founded in Bucaramanga and joined the Association soon thereafter.

The early list of Presidents of ACAS includes:

1961 David Bjork Colegio Nueva Granada, Bogota
1963 Raymond Mosley Columbus School, Medellin
1965 James Baker Colegio Nueva Granada, Bogota
1967 Burton Fox Colegio Karl C. Parrish, Barranquilla

Principal activities in early days included student interchanges in athletics, speech and similar extra curricular programs, all within the boundaries of Colombia. Frequently inexpensive travel via Avianca Airlines was greatly beneficial in this period.

In 1966 a contract was initiated with the University of Alabama, the Office of Overseas Schools and ACCAS. The objective was to deliver Masters and Doctorate degrees for faculty and administrators employed in the ACAS schools.
 
 


Over the next seven years a large number of M.A.’s and Ph.D.’s came out of this program. The signators to the agreement were: Dr. Ernest N. Mannino, Director, A/OS; Dr. Merlin Duncan, REO, A/OS; Dean Robert Bills, The University of Alabama; Dr. Burton Fox, V.P. for ACAS.

In 1967, A/OS requested Dr. Fox to visit the Priory School, Kingston, Jamaica; Union School, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and the Carol Morgan School, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and explore ways to include these three schools in regional activities. This and subsequent visits resulted in the Union School, (Director, Marie Bogat) and the Carol Morgan School (Director, Roscoe Crowell) joining the Association. The Priory School under Founder and Headmaster, Henry Fowler, joined the following year.

At this time, the name of the Association was changed to the ASSOCIATION OF COLOMBIA-CARIBBEAN AMERICAN SCHOOLS. Soon afterward the first dues were charged: $25 per school per year.