Bakersfield College stands on bluffs overlooking the Kern River Oil
Fields, the fifth largest producer of oil in the United
States. Since 1899,
when oil was discovered, these fields have yielded an estimated two
billion
barrels of crude.
The city of Bakersfield--and by extension Bakersfield College--owes a
great debt to the determination and ingenuity of the men and women of
the oil industry. In recognition
of their contribution, this
journal is named
for that category of oil field worker who
provided the muscle, blood, and
sweat of the endeavor: the
roughneck. Without these
strong, persevering
American workers, Bakersfield College would not exist.
