Quest for Distinction: Pepperdine University in the 20th Century

In 1937, Kansas auto parts magnate George Pepperdine founded a small, faith-based college in south central Los Angeles devoted to academic excellence and beautiful Christian living. By the end of the twentieth century, the institution named in his honor would rise above funding problems, accreditation troubles, tragedy, and controversy to become one of the nation's top universities. In this lively, meticulously researched narrative history, renowned historian and Seaver College Dean Emeritus W. David Baird explores Pepperdine's evolution and introduces us to the remarkable men and women behind it. You'll meet such influential figures as Batsell Baxter, the prominent Churches of Christ leader who became Pepperdine's first president; Mr. Pepperdine M. Norvel Young, whose vision transformed Pepperdine from a small liberal arts college to a prestigious university with schools and campuses around the world; William S. Banowsky, the charismatic young preacher who championed the creation of the Malibu campus; and Howard A. White, who reaffirmed the school's commitment to a Christian mission by defending and strengthening its historic connection to the Churches of Christ. Through their stories and others, Baird paints a vivid portrait of the university's quest to distinguish itself academically without sacrificing the Christian principles it was founded on.