The June 10, 1977 Stanly News & Press carried a front page article about the upcoming formal dedication of the facilities on the new Stanly Technical Institute campus. The school, which had been formed out of the South Albemarle based Stanly Adult Education Center, officially became Stanly Technical Institute in late 1971. On Sept. 29, 1974, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new campus buildings. These buildings were later opened for use by the school in late 1975. The formal dedication, which was finally held on June 12, 1977, had been delayed until a parking area could be completed. Additional buildings have since been added to the campus of what we now know as Stanly Community College. An important side note about the June 10, 1977 article in the SNAP, the picture, that accompanied the article, was the first color photo to ever appear in the Stanly News & Press. {Lewis Bramlett – Stanly County Historical Society}