Macomb Community College (South Campus)

01 / The story of this place

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Macomb Community College started small in 1954 as South Macomb Community College: 84 students taking after-hours classes inside Lincoln High School in Warren, with courses planned with help from the University of Michigan, Michigan State and Wayne State. It grew as fast as the postwar suburbs around it. By 1962 more than 3,000 students were enrolled and county voters created a college district, and in 1965 the South Campus opened on 12 Mile Road in Warren as the college's own home. More campuses followed in Clinton Township, and today Macomb is one of Michigan's biggest community colleges. Horror writer Thomas Ligotti, born in Detroit in 1953, took classes here from 1971 to 1973 before moving on to Wayne State. His dark, dreamlike stories later earned him a place in the Penguin Classics series, and his philosophy book influenced the first season of HBO's True Detective. Actress Cynthia Watros and big-league ballplayers Steve McCatty and Ernie Whitt are also Macomb alumni.

1. Began in 1954 with 84 students inside Lincoln High School
2. South Campus on 12 Mile Road opened in 1965
3. Thomas Ligotti studied here from 1971 to 1973
4. Alumni include Cynthia Watros, Steve McCatty and Ernie Whitt
5. One of the largest community colleges in Michigan