Pepperdine University in the 1970s
Pepperdine College was founded in 1937 by George Pepperdine, a Christian businessman, but its history did not truly begin until the addition of the Malibu campus (Pepperdine University, “About Pepperdine”). It all started in October 1968 when Pepperdine received a huge donation of 138 acres of land in Malibu, California. This undeveloped ranch land was family-land inherited by Merritt H. Adamson, Sylvia Rindge Adamson Neville, and Rhoda-May Adamson Dallas, siblings from Malibu (Nelson). This donation was widely celebrated as William S. Banowsky became the chancellor of the soon-to-be Malibu Campus, who would later succeed in becoming president (Pepperdine University, “The First 50 Years”). This was a major turning point for Pepperdine, as the college grew from a single campus in Los Angeles to expand into Heidelberg, Orange County, and Malibu (Baird 199).
On January 1, 1971 Pepperdine College finally became Pepperdine University (Baird 199). History was made on January 13, 1969 when the Strecker Construction Company began to move its equipment to Malibu with the goal of finishing construction by September 6, 1972 (Banowsky 241, 245). By March 1971, the final plans for the founding of Seaver College were established with building names that we still see today, such as the Huntsinger Academic Center, Pendleton Learning Center, Payson Library, Tyler Campus Center, Murchison Science Center, and Elkins Auditorium. Along with the main campus, the founders also established plans for sixteen resident buildings for 800 students (Banowsky 248). With the construction of the Malibu campus underway, it became time for the faculty of the new Malibu campus to be established. Although this move to Malibu excited some faculty, for the most part the faculty that had been serving the Los Angeles campus felt excluded and estranged from the administration. This estrangement combined with the low salaries led to Seaver College faculty going on strike on February 1, 1974 in protest of these conditions (Banowsky 259, 262).
Despite all of the controversy regarding the Malibu faculty, the campus opening proceeded as planned. Construction was completed on Wednesday, September 6, 1972, and the campus opened precisely at 8:00 a.m.. The first class that attended Pepperdine had 475 freshmen, 120 sophomores, and advanced transfer students that pushed the undergraduate population to a total of 867 students (Banowsky 270). Around the same time, the Theme Tower controversy began over the potential construction of a massive cross on Pepperdine’s campus. The building of the Malibu campus had already caused an extreme amount of frustration for neighboring communities as they were forced to endure the chaos that comes with heavy construction (Banowsky 275). On “April 1, 1972, the Malibu Homeowners’ Association filed for a temporary restraining order in the California state court. If successful it would delay or even derail the Theme Tower'' (Banowsky 275). In order to push forward the construction of the tower, Banowsky agreed to “not light the cross at night during my presidency,” a claim that was later fabricated by the Los Angeles Times to convey that “the cross would never shine as originally planned” (Banowsky 276, 279). Banowsky was infuriated by this statement, as he never claimed that the tower would never shine as originally planned. Yet still, the Theme Tower was completed in 1973 and it became Pepperdine policy that the light would never shine at night, yet it still stands as an important symbol of the faith basis of Pepperdine University (Banowsky 279).
Pepperdine’s establishment as a university was greatly influenced and supported by the Republican Party. Ronald Raegan, preparing to run for President, came to dedicate Frank R. Seaver College on April 20, 1975. However, this time of great joy and pride for the university was followed by an incredible amount of tragedy (Banowsky 305). “On September 16, 1975, a scant four days before President Ford's appearance, Chancellor M. Norvel Young suffered his tragic and nationally publicized automobile accident” (Banowsky 305). This tragic accident was catastrophic for the university as one of their founding members was convicted of Vehicular Manslaughter with Gross Negligence as well as Drunk Driving with Bodily Injury (Banowsky 340). This scandal forced President Ford to reconsider his decision to speak at the university. However, his friendship with Maragret Brock and Leonard K. Firestone stood strong. So on September 20, 1975, President Ford landed his helicopter on Alumni Field and dedicated the Brock House and the Firestone Fieldhouse to an audience of 18,000. This was the largest gathering of any kind in Malibu and demonstrated the strength of the Pepperdine community during a time of great loss, in which the joy of this newly established campus prevailed (Banowsky 323-324).
The establishment of Pepperdine University was a process that did not come without its challenges and tribulations. There was internal conflict within the faculty, surrounding neighbors, sewage and pipeline issues, the Theme Tower conflict, financial issues, Chancellor Young’s tragic accident, etc. However, throughout these struggles, the founders remained committed to seeing the establishment of the Malibu campus and the development of Pepperdine grow into a world-renowned university. The 1970’s were a critical time for Pepperdine University as the Malibu campus was constructed and brought to life, bringing in a new era of students that would work to serve their community and change the world through purpose, service and leadership.
Works Cited
Baird, W. David. Quest for Distinction: Pepperdine University in the 20th Century. Pepperdine
University Press, 2016.
Banowsky, William Slater. The Malibu Miracle: a Memoir. Pepperdine University Press, 2010.
Nelson, Valerie. “Rhoda-May Adamson Dallas Dies at 94; Pepperdine Donor.” Los Angeles
Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2011, www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-xpm-
2011-oct-24-la-me-rhoda-may-adamson-dallas-20111024-story.html.
Pepperdine University.“About Pepperdine.” About Pepperdine | Pepperdine School of Public
Policy, publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu/about/our-story/pepperdine/#:~:text=The%20Unive
rsity%20was%20founded%20in,added%20graduate%20and%20professional%20schools.
Pepperdine University. “The First 50 Years (1937–1987).” History of Pepperdine | Our Story |
About Us | Pepperdine University, 2021, www.pepperdine.edu/about/our-story/history/.