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TITLE: "FAITH WAS HIS FORTUNE"
"THE LIFE STORY OF GEORGE PEPPEDINE"
***** Please see pictures for Table of Contents *****AUTHOR: Bill Youngs
PUBLISHER: Bill Youngs
DATE PUBLISHED: 1976
BINDING: Hardcover
PAGES: 319
CONDITION: Very Good! Clear/clean text. Previous owners name.
NOTES: Please email me with any questions you may have about this books condition or contents before buying.
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George
Pepperdine
1886-1962
George
Pepperdine was born June 20, 1886. The Pepperdine family was of English
descent. George's great-grandfather, Aquila Pepperdine came from Yorkshire,
England in 1779. He settled in upper New York State. He had three sons, one of
which was Robert, George's grandfather. When Robert's family removed to
Illinois in the 1850s, they settled in Montgomery County. It was there that on
April 9, 1853 that George's father, John, was born.
Mary
Lain was born on a farm near Berea College, in Berea, Kentucky. Mary had
learned at a young age the struggles of life as her mother died when she was
twelve. This left her to learn quickly the responsibilities involved in
domestic life as she helped in the care of her father and siblings. In 1878,
Mary's father, F.W. Lain, moved his children to Montgomery County, Illinois
because of difficulties on the land in Kentucky. There she met John Pepperdine
and the two fell in love.
Young
John Pepperdine, like so many in his day, had a longing for the West. His dream
was to have some land staked out in the west, to marry Mary, and move his new
family to live there. So, in 1879 he started out on his own. He reached Kansas,
and found out about the availability of some land near the town of Mound Valley
in La Bette County. He purchased 80 acres and returned to Illinois to marry his
true love. John and Mary were married in 1880. Two years later a son, Fred, was
born, and the small family moved to Kansas. It was in June of 1886 that young
Fred got a little brother, and George was introduced to the world.
Living
in the sparseness of southeast Kansas meant that social life was minimal. Thus,
when a religious revival was announced in the area, the young family saw it as
a wonderful opportunity. John's religious background was of the Episcopal Church,
while Mary's family had been connected with the Baptists. The Church of Christ
had been planted a few miles away in the town of Parsons. And from that group a
tent-meeting was planned for the area around where the Pepperdine family lived.
They attended the meeting, hearing the message of the cross. They both were
immersed into Christ, along with a few of their neighbors. John and Mary were
faithful members of the Lord's church all their lives. This was George's
introduction to New Testament Christianity.
In
1891, the Pepperdine family enjoyed the blessing of a third son, Ben. The
following year they moved to another farm nearby, and closer to where the boys
could attend school, and where the church was stronger in number.
As
young George grew up on the farm he, like all other kids of the same station,
worked the farm. He had his share of chores and farm work. He learned to milk
the cows, and help in the fields. He and his brothers picked watermelons,
cantaloupes, pumpkins, and other produce from the gardens. At a young age he
displayed a sense of wanting to make and invent things. He was often referred
to as a boy who was, "as full of ideas as a dog is full of fleas." He
made wind-mills and built a home-made boat. When he was fifteen he hued out
wood to fashion a gun, a muzzle-loader. He attended the local Fairview
Schoolhouse where he received his education. He attended school between 1898
and 1903.
In
1903 John sold the farm and moved the family to Parson, Kansas where Fred and
George began furthering their education at Parson's Business College. After two
years George graduated and took his first job with a local gas company making
six dollars a week. Later, in the year 1905, the 19 year old was offered a job
as a stenographer at Checotah, Oklahoma. This job was for the Lafayette
Brothers, who operated a general store, grain elevator, and a cotton gin in the
little town. Within a short time he returned to Parsons, Kansas to take a job
as a book keeper for a plumbing company, making $40 per week. After a few
months he heard of stenographic and book keeping opportunities in Kansas City.
So, in 1906 he went to Kansas City, Missouri where he took a job the Truitt
& Company, a large Real Estate Firm on Ninth Street. He worked with book
keeping and collections, as the company had a good size rental business. He
made $10 per week, $5 of which went to paying for board. He also located a
congregation of the church of Christ and began attending. As he missed his
family intensely, it was not long before he again decided to return to his home
in Parsons.
In
1907 the family moved again to the country and farm life. George tried his hand
at raising chickens, but it ended in failure. Within a few weeks he saw that
the only way to make it would be to once again go to Kansas City and seek work.
He found a job at the Equitable Life Assurance Society in Kansas City,
Missouri. He was employed to do stenographic work there, but the work was very
busy and tedious. Not long after, he found a job working in a Garage designed
to sell and service the new automobile industry that was beginning to catch on
throughout the nation. He had seen his first car only a couple of years
earlier, but the prospects of being a bookkeeper in a business office sounded
very suiting to him. With it, he made $12 per week.
At
this point it should be noted that George had made with himself the
acquaintance of a fine young Christian woman whom he knew from back home. Her
name was Miss Lena Rose Baker from Mound Valley. Though they had known each
other through the years, their relationship had not ever matured to the point
that it had taken on over the last number of months of his life. With the new
job in Kansas City, George decided to ask Lena to marry him. In a quiet
ceremony with family and friends the young couple married on October 17, 1907.
The
newlyweds settled into a small apartment that very soon became cramped.
However, moving meant more outlay, which they did not have. Very soon money
became a real concern. George began thinking he needed to look around for a
better job. He enjoyed the automobile business, but he needed resources for his
family. He thought about opening a business, but doing so called for capital,
something he had little of.
Over
a short period he began noticing the advertisements that came to him in the
mail from all over the nation, sales papers for clothing, machinery, farming
implements, and many other things. It was then that the young entrepreneur came
up with the idea of trying to supply automobile parts through mail order. At
that time cars would leave the manufacturers with very little additions to the
central working of the vehicles. Things like tops, wind shields, bumpers,
speedometers, tail lamps, spare tires and jacks, etc. were extras. With his
connections through the Garage he made contact with owners of parts houses with
his plan. They committed themselves to sell him their parts discounted. He then
went to a printer, to whom he explained what he was thinking. The printer was
so excited that he said he would produce the advertisements on credit. So he
worked up a sales paper with auto parts to be mailed. He went to the Post
Office and with $5 he bought 500 one-cent stamps that he and Lena licked and
placed on the advertisements. Within a short time he began to get requests for
parts. They were sold on a cash basis. So, in March, 1909, in the city of
Kansas City, Missouri, with a $5 investment, the twenty-three year old, started
a company that before long came to be known as Western Auto Supply Company. In
its hay-day there were stores in nearly every major city throughout the United
States employing several thousand people. Within a few years of that investment
a number of magazines ran an article about this young man entitled: How $5.00
And An Idea Became A Multi-Million Dollar Business.
Within
one year, the mail-order business had sold over $12,000 in car parts, and this
was before Ford's Model-T's were numerous in the country. By the end of the
second year he had sold over $22,000 worth through the mail. His sales in 1911
were $46,000. His first Auto Parts Catalogue was produced for 1911, 1912, and
the later year saw gross sales exceed $67,000.
By
1914, the then Western Auto Supply Agency had a good sized store at 1426 Grand
Avenue in Kansas City. Missouri. That year he produced a catalogue called,
"Ford's Owner Supply Book," in which he offered the widest range of
accessories available for the nationally successful Ford Model-T. With this,
sales sky-rocketed from $106,000 in 1913 to over $229,000 the following year.
A
temporary setback occurred in June of 1914. George suffered a hemorrhage in his
lungs. After testing it was determined that he had tuberculosis. It was
suggested to him that much good had been done for sufferers of the disease in
higher climates. So he and his family left the business with reliable personnel
and headed for Denver, Colorado. For ten weeks doctors treated him with serums,
to the point that he could return to Kansas City. By the following winter,
George knew that the weather in Kansas City was too harsh for his disease.
Plans were made for a permanent departure for Colorado. In 1915, the first
branch store of Western Auto Supply Agency opened at 1564 Broadway in Denver,
Colorado. Sales continued to increase in both locations. Total sales for that year
were $270,000.
With
his eyes looking ever westward toward California, he decided to sell the Kansas
City store. He sold controlling interest to Mr. Don A. Davis, a man who had
done printing for him in the past. With this he was able to get some ready cash
to make his move to the west.
In
January, 1916 the family moved to San Diego, California. For a number of weeks
George settled into his new life in southern California. The weather was better
for him, but he still needed to take time to get stronger in health.
One
of the first things he noticed in San Diego was the lack of cars on the road.
With this he decided to go up and visit Los Angeles to see what was happening
there. The city was bigger, and the expansion of business seemed to have better
possibilities there. When arriving in L.A. he walked down Main Street from 10th
to 14th Streets, which was the principle area where the car business was most
centered. George found an empty building that he rented for $75 per month on
the corner of 12 and Main Street. The store opened March 16, 1916, his wife,
Lena's birthday. He had about $4000 in inventory with which to begin. By the
end of the year it had quadrupled. By 1920, Western Auto Supply Company had
over eleven stores spanning from Los Angeles to Seattle, Washington, Phoenix,
Arizona, and Dallas, Texas. The Los Angeles store was boasting of over $700,000
in sales that year, and the combined total for all the stores was over
$2,000,000.
In
1923 a four story and basement corporate headquarters was built at the corner
of S. Grand Avenue and Eleventh Street in Los Angeles. The grand opening took
place on November 6th. The mayor of the city was in attendance. It was grand
day and time for the Pepperdine family and the city of Los Angeles.
The
1920's were good years for Western Auto Supply Company. By the time of the
Stock Market crash in 1929, George had over 170 stores in the West and Midwest.
As the business moved into the 30's "belts were tightened" and the
period did not destroy the business as it did so many others throughout the
nation. However, those years did affect the Pepperdine family in a personal
way. George suffered a terrible loss on January 18, 1930. His wife, Lena, had
purchased two love birds while on a trip to South America. Not long after her
return, she went for a visit to Hawaii to visit their daughter who was married
and lived there at the time. Not long after arriving, she got very sick and
ultimately passed away. It was determined that she had parrot fever, and that
she had gotten the sickness from handling the two little love birds. This was a
devastating blow to George and his family. She had been such a support to him
as a wife, and also as a business partner. She had been personally involved in
running the business for over ten years.
Another
thing that happened during that time was that George discovered something about
himself and his blessing that he had not seen so clearly before. God had
blessed him with great wealth, and with it came a great amount of
responsibility. He began seeing that with these blessings that had been poured
out upon him it would be necessary to bless the lives of others.
In
1939 George made a decision to sell his interests in Western Auto Supply
Company. A company out of Minneapolis, the Gamble-Skogmo Company purchased
George's controlling shares, freeing him to retire, and serve the needs of
others. The company did continue to grow into the nationwide chain later known
simply as Western Auto.
George
Pepperdine was a faithful Christian. He saw that his first and great
responsibility was to seek ways to further the cause of Christ around the
world. With it he also sought to utilize his blessing to enhance his own
spiritual growth and development. Yet his thought of concern went beyond the
borders of the kingdom as well. He helped young boys in Los Angeles by building
Y.M.C.A.s and Boys Clubs. He financed Boy Scout projects. In 1931 he
established a foundation through which he could channel his gifts and where
income and earnings would be tax free. Though he had no extra money at that
point, he knew that in years to come it would facilitate his abilities to help
others in need.
In
1932 while involved in charity work, he was introduced to Helen Louise Davis.
She was at a social affair he was attending in a nearby church. He learned that
she was the daughter of a dentist, Dr. Harrison L. Davis of Los Angeles. She
was also very interested in welfare needs of individuals in society. He knew
that night that she was the woman for him. Without her being aware of his
personal interests, he helped her get a position in the Protestant Welfare
Association, a group of which he took much interest. Her job was to do field work,
visiting poor families in need of relief.
As
time when on Helen became more and more aware of George's personal interest in
her. The fact that he was sixteen years older than her did not seem to matter.
At the age of 48 George married his 32 year old bride on June 17, 1934, about
four and one-half years after the death of Lena. With the growth of business in
the 1930's, so grew the family. Helen gave birth to their first child together,
George II, who was born November 29, 1936. Another son, Wendell, was born in
1941. Later still, a daughter Marilyn, came along.
The
growth of the family did not hold back the continued interest both George and
Helen had in the welfare of their community. In 1937 the Pepperdines founded
the Helen Louise Girls' Home. This was for non-delinquent girls whose homes had
been broken up by separation, divorce, or death of parents. Additionally, in
1939 the couple became Board of Trustee members in the Casa Colina Convalescent
Home for Crippled Children.
It
was during this period that George began to pray in earnest about a way in
which he might make to greatest kind of contribution to help the needs of his
community. His deep interest young people was something still very important to
him. The foundation he established received constant requests for help. Many of
the requests were being declined for numerous reasons, and George was searching
his heart, and his God to find answers.
Early
in 1937 a good friend by the name of Hugh M. Tiner began
approaching George concerning the possibility of starting a Christian
college. Tiner was a supervisor for high schools in Los Angeles
County at that time and active within churches of Christ. A graduate of Abilene
Christian University (then College), Hugh Tiner had determined that the west
coast was in desperate need of a Christian College. So, he went to George
Pepperdine for assistance. Interest for a college was not something George had
given much thought to over the years. He had not received a college education
himself. Though he saw the advantages of a college education, he also had
witnessed some disadvantages. He had seen how young people raised in good homes
had gone off to college for a good education, only to fall into the hands of
liberally minded professors who did more damage than good.
Each
time Tiner would approach Pepperdine about the subject they
would have good discussions. At the end of each discussion, George would say,
"I would like to think about it a little more, and pray about it a great
deal." Discussion continued between the two dreamers. Finally it got to
the point that Tiner was receiving more questions than he could answer.
He suggested that contact be made with Dr. Batsell Baxter. Brother Baxter had been
president of Abilene Christian University when Tiner was a student there. He had also served as
president of Lipscomb
University (then David Lipscomb College),
in Nashville, Tennessee. If anyone could answer George's questions, Dr. Baxter was the man. Within a few
weeks Baxter willingly made the trip to
California to discuss the potential for a college. Upon his arrival in early
February, the three met together for an evening of discussion. Initially, Baxter asked George what kind of school he
wanted. George smiled and said, "That's the whole trouble, Dr. Baxter. I don't know exactly what I
want. I know one or two things I don't want. I don't want another college that
will be dependent upon the churches for support. I have in mind a four-year
liberal arts college, an institution of higher learning where any worthy boy or
girl, regardless of his religion, or financial standing can get an education.
And I want it to be a college academically sound, based in Christian faith. Is
that too much to ask?" Dr. Baxter smiled. "I couldn't
think of a more worthy goal." With that the men set out to achieve a
workable plan to begin the new college. At the end of a long and tiring evening
George expressed that he was pleased that all his questions had been answered,
and that he was now convinced that a college was both feasible and essential.
With this admittance he then said, "Now we must decide on where to locate
it and get it into operation as quickly as possible." With this the two
educators looked at one another in consternation. After a moment of hesitation,
Hugh inquired, "When do you have in mind opening the college?" George
replied firmly, "In September!" As the two men walked back to the
car Dr. Baxter remarked to his young
companion, "An extraordinary man. No wonder his is a millionaire."
George
began immediately seeking ways to raise funds for the school. He sold some
Western Auto stock, and borrowed some against his shares in the company. The
following day the three met again to look for some property on which to build a
school. Dr. Baxter agreed to come and be
president of the college for a year or two to get the school established.
Finally, a 34 acre tract of land was found in the southwest section of Los
Angeles between 78th and 79th streets and between Normandie and Vermont
Avenues. The property was purchased for $150,000. Immediately four building
began being constructed on the property including: a three-storied
administration building, used initially for classrooms; a dining hall, and two
residence halls, one for men and the other for women.
By
May of that year Dr. Baxter had returned to California
after fulfilling his duties at Lipscomb. A small qualified faculty from across
the nation was gathered together. Hugh M. Tiner was
selected as Dean of the College, and J. Herman Campbell was selected as
Registrar. By July 1st, Miss Marian Wright, the selected librarian was
cataloguing thousands of volumes. The dean of women, Miss Martha P.
Middlebrooks, and the dean of men, J. Eddie Weems, worked with Helen Pepperdine
in selecting the furnishings for the buildings. The women's residence was named
after Marilyn, the two-year old daughter of George and Helen Pepperdine. The
men's residence was named Baxter Hall, after the first president of
the college.
Batsell Baxter noted two
very different things about this college that he experienced that was different
from any colleges he had worked with in the past. First, this was the first
college he ever helped that did not require the need for help from many people.
This college had one financial resource, George Pepperdine. Second, this was
the first place he was aware of where the chief financier had no interest in
running the school. In fact George did not even want to have the school named
after him. Yet after much pressure from Baxter, Tiner and others, he finally agreed to allow it to be
named after him.
Very
quickly news traveled across the nation, and requests for admittance began
rolling in. Soon it was determined that enough students would be on hand to get
the school started at the September deadline. Finally the day came, September
21, 1937, when the school was dedicated. In attendance were many dignitaries. A
speech was made by California Governor Frank Mirriam in which he recognized
that it was a great day in the history of the state. He praised the founder as
being a man of vision and generosity.
Registration
for classes took place on September 24th, and with it classes began. The heads
of the departments of the college included: Dr. Baxter, president and professor of
Bible; Hugh M. Tiner, Dean of the
college, and professor of education; Callie Mae Coons, professor of Home
Economics, R.R. Coons, professor of Science; Edward C. Petty, professor of
Business Administration; C.P. Roland, professor of Mathematics
(Note: C.P. Roland never taught at Pepperdine,
though an offer was made for him to come and teach); Wade Ruby, professor of
English; and Jay L. Thompson, professor of Social Science.
George
immediately took a great interest in the work of the college. He made his first
speech to the student body in November of that year, and visited the campus as
often as he could. He was still the president of a large corporation that
demanded much of his time. Even with a full plate, George still managed to
engage himself on the campus for things such as building and expansion projects
that were continuously ongoing. Through the hard work of Tiner and Baxter, the college received accreditation
within seven months, and conferred its first B.A. degree by June, 1938.
Over
the next twenty-five years George made numerous appearances on the campus. He
addressed the student body in chapel, and at graduation exercises, and other
events. However, he never saw himself as a preacher. He had maintained a
faithfulness to Christ all his life, in his home, his church, and his business.
He wanted to give something to the world that summed up his beliefs and
understanding of the Scriptures. So, before the outbreak of World War II, he
wrote a booklet called, More Than Life. In it he presented four different
aspects of Biblical teaching: One, an appeal to readers to accept Christ as
Lord of their lives; Two, a vivid, coherent statement of Bible teaching on the
plan of salvation; Three, to identify very definitely the New Testament church
in the world today; and Four, a reasonable, workable and Scriptural basis for
unity and co-operation of all believers in Christ in the midst of a world of
confusion. The book went through a number of re-writes, but in the end it was
reprinted several times through the years, over 3 million total. It was
distributed among many churches, and used for outreach purposes.
The
1940's proved to be difficult years for the Pepperdines. George had sold his
controlling interest in the Western Auto Supply Company in 1939. Many of the
proceeds of the sale of his stock were placed into the control of the
Pepperdine Foundation that he had started eight years previous. The Pepperdine
Foundation was more than a simple storehouse of retirement funds. Investments
were being made by the charity to build its assets, intended to be used to
endow Pepperdine College. This is where over a period of the next ten years
George and Helen saw all they had accumulated over the years disappear, leaving
them in financial ruin. Many of the investments the foundation participated in
were very speculative in nature. Poor advice from people in trusted positions,
with continuous looses incurred led to the need for dissolving the foundation
in 1951. Millions of dollars were lost as the creditors and lawsuits continued
to come. As Pepperdine College had been protected by being an entity completely
disconnected from George's control, it did not suffer the onslaught of the debt
collectors. But once the money was gone, it was truly gone.
During
the last eleven years of George Pepperdine's life, it was a few shares of stock
that Helen controlled, stock that he had given her years before, which gave the
two of them a comfortable living. There was not much, but enough to keep the
two comfortable. Through it all George maintained a humble spirit. He took the
attitude of Job of old, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord."
In
1959, George in his 73rd year, began having physical difficulties that began
taking toll on his body. He reported in the final pages of the biography from
which most of this sketch comes, the severe decline in health he was enduring.
That year he developed a serious gall-bladder condition. Additionally he came
to find out that the large artery, the aorta, near his heart, was greatly
enlarged and had developed into an aneurysm. Surgery was considered and
rejected due to fear of mortality during the procedure. This particular artery
affected how the blood was pumped into the legs. In short, it caused more and
more irritation in bending or stretching the legs. Continuous pain in his legs
caused him to need to give up driving, and move to the use of a wheel chair. By
his 76th birthday, June 20, 1962, he was bedridden. Then on July 31, 1962
George Pepperdine left his terrestrial home to go and be with the Lord.
The
funeral service was conducted in the Pepperdine College Auditorium. Speakers
included President M. Norvel Young, William Teague
and Dean J.P. Sanders. Roy Osborne, from San Leandro, also participated in the
service. Burial took place in Inglewood Cemetery, in Inglewood, California.
Thus ended the life of a man who started a small empire with $5.00 and a lot of
spiritual backing. He lived to see his company became a household name
throughout the United States. He left a heritage through the founding of a
college, now University, which bears his name. His last years saw the demise of
his fortune, leaving him to surmise, "Faith is my fortune!"
By Scott Harp
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