Pepperdine University - Promenade Yearbook (Malibu, CA)

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'Today, we have a more relaxed student body A hen it comes to planning, they seem to be jnimaginative. It's almost a typical love story. George, Pepperdine first became interested in Helen Davis when he noticed her at a church function. He sought information about this intriguing woman from a friend. This friend, Helen Porter, who was also close to Helen Davis, quickly suggested that the two women take a walk by George Pepperdine's San Fernando Valley home. Helen Pepperdine still clearly remembers the home and its unique garden. He had a lovely garden, there were seven terraces of flowers. The generous nurturing that George Pepperdine extended to lis flowers overflowed into his ondness for Helen Davis, his future wife. While she was attending a night class in sociology at USC, she worked in a photography studio. Unknown to her at the time was that George Pepperdine was paying her salary. Helen and George were married and subsequently Pepperdine College was established in 1937. Helen Pepperdine is still i tied very closely to Pepperdine c University by more than just her name. LIZ WHATLEY: What was George Pepperdine's incentive to start the college? MRS. HELEN PEPPERDINE: His in-! centive to start the college came from the Christian schools known as the “Bible Belts. George came from Kansas, and they didn't have a church in town. They had to take a wagon six miles to hear a preacher. They studied the Bible in their home and George was very intrigued by the Church of Christ. He noticed schools like Abilene Christian and Harding University in the South. He thought that where there were Christian schools, that was where the churches grew. It was the opposite, the churches were over the schools. In the West, there were no Churches of Christ and he wanted the church to be strong. He wanted to do something good for the church. He wanted to help establish the Churches of Christ on the West Coast. George wanted to see a Christian school out here with good education under Christian leadership. He wanted to help young people have a good education. LW: Do you think the university is upholding the philosophy of your husband? HP: Yes, I think so. It has waived a few times because we couldn't get people who were highly educated who were Christians. George’s idea of a Christian was that you had to be a fundamentalist. We try to have Christian instructors and Christian students. We have never lowered our standards educationally or financially, but we have regretted the rise in the cost of tuition. LW: Do you feel Pepperdine will lose its spiritual aspect? HP: No one can predict that.. . are we going to have another war? No one knows. Our intention is to keep the spiritual life growing on campus and the Board of Regents are dedicated to our emphasis. They are not all fundamentalist Christians, but they are Christians and they appreciate what is being done. LW: What are your feelings of Pepperdine today? HP: I am delighted at the progress it has made both in its academic quality and its spiritual growth. The young people today appreciate a Christian education. Education is like athletics is to the body; it is just a training. You are only shaping your mind to get more education along the road. The more you know, the more you want to know. That's the purpose of education. LW: What changes have you seen over the years? HP: There are so many. The students see the progress we have made. We are attracting finer students. LW: Can you compare the students of today to the students of the past? HP: Today, we have a more relaxed student body. When it comes to planning, they seem to be unimaginative. We had a fine social program on the L.A. campus. LW: What traditions would you like to uphold? HP: We used to have chapel every day. No one objected. The school likes to call it convocation now and we can't get back to calling it chapel. The students say that chapel sounds too “churchy. LW: Why don't you live on campus? HP: With my disabilities, and the uneven land in Malibu, I am safer at the home I lived in for 30 years. -Reid Sams FEATURES 21

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' FHE TRENDS AND TRENDSETTERS OF 1983 ► America's relations with other nations and galaxies usurped much of the time and space of the American media during 1983. Queen Elizabeth's visit to America, the Russians shooting down an unarmed Korean passenger plane, the American invasion of Grenada, and the release of Return of the ledi the third part of the Star Wars triology, were among the top stories of 1983. The year will be remembered as the one during which Sally Ride, the first American woman astronaut, blasted off into space on the space shuttle, Challenger. One month later the first black took the space shuttle beyond our atmosphere. These events marked a mile stone for women and racial minorities. 1983 will be remembered with tears caused by the deaths of many of our Marines who spent much of the year fighting on foreign soil. Two hundred thirty-nine Marines died in their sleep in Beirut at the hands of a lone terrorist. In Grenada, 18 American soldiers died defending the safety of the Americans residing there. 1983 was the year the America's Cup in yachting was lost to the Australians. The people of Baltimore will cherish 1983 because the Orioles won the World Series. But the world's biggest sports story was Los Angeles' preparation for the 1984 Summer Olympics, in which Pepperdine would host water polo events. 1983 was a year that had big business crying and smiling. American Telegraph and Telephone Co. was divided up by the Justice Department. The divesture was called by some the break-up of an unfair monopoly. Others insisted the move merely gave AT T the opportunity to venture into areas beyond telephone service. Chrysler celebrated as it paid the huge debt it owed the government. Politics in America during 1983 was often strange and kinky. On the kinky side, two congressmen were forced to publicly apologize for having sex with teenage pages. Strangely, the M.X. missile was finally approved by Congress after the Bilateral Nuclear Freeze Resolution was passed weeks before. Two bombs exploded in Washington-one real, the other, a pay raise the Senate voted for themselves. For much of 1983, news of strife in Central America dominated headlines: a civil war in El Salvador, 5,000 American troops playing wargames in Honduras, and the four-year-old revolution in Nicaragua brought fears of a Viet Nam repeat. Congress voted to end American funding of Nicaraguan Contras (counter-revolutionaries), but later reversed that decision in a compromise on the Defense Authorization Bill. Relations between the Soviet Union and the United States worsened in 1983. Over the Sea of Japan, a commercial Korean 747 carrying 269 passengers was shot down by the Soviet Union. Music was definitely an international headliner during 1983 with Michael Jackson taking charge of the charts. Jackson had the world dancing and singing to his hit-filled album 'Thriller.' Also especially strong was the acceptance of the Culture Club throughout Europe, Australia and America. The group's lead singer, Boy George, shocked many people with his long, ribboned hair and heavy make-up; but not many could complain about his smooth singing voice. The movie 'Flashdance' and its soundtrack was not only a surprise hit at the box office, but the movie also initiated a widespread fashion craze; ripped sweat and tee shirts became the trendy styles for the summer of 1983. President Reagan's popularity climbed with his demonstration of strong leadership in foreign policy and improved economy. A trip by President Reagan to South Korea, which included a history-making visit to the Demilitarized Zone, was greeted by more than a million flag-waving Koreans. Henry Wolfgang Carter -iUndy Cupp FEATURES 23