Background
Pepperdine, George was born on June 20, 1886 in Mound Valley, Kansas, United States. Son of John and Mary (Lain) Pepperdine.
Pepperdine, George was born on June 20, 1886 in Mound Valley, Kansas, United States. Son of John and Mary (Lain) Pepperdine.
Pepperdine graduated from Parsons Business College in Parsons, Kansas.
In 1909, at the age of twenty-three, he started Western Auto Supply Company with an initial investment of five dollars. With the rise in popularity of the automobile, Pepperdine"s business thrived, providing high-quality automotive products and services through many retail stores. He moved to California in 1916.
Philanthropy
In February 1937, during the Great Depression, he founded the Pepperdine University as a Christian liberal arts college in the city of Los Los Angeles
On September 21, 1937, 167 new students from 22 different states and two other countries entered classes on a newly built campus on 34 acres (14 ha) in South Central Los Angeles, referred to later as the Vermont Avenue campus. By April 6, 1938, George Pepperdine College was fully accredited by the Northwest Association.
He had a desire to discover "how humanity can be helped most with the means entrusted to care. consider it wrong to build up a great fortune and use it selfishly." Mr. Pepperdine voiced his twofold objective for the college that bore his name, "First, we want to provide first-class, fully accredited academic training in the liberal arts
Secondly, we are especially dedicated to a greater goal—that of building in the student a Christ-like life, a love for the church, and a passion for the souls of mankind."
Personal life
She died in 1930, and he remarried in 1934 to Helen Louise Davis.
Death
He died in California in 1962.
Member Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. Member Church of Christ.
Married Lena Rose Baker, October 23, 1907 (died 1930). Married second, Helen Louise Davis, June 17, 1934. Children: Florence May (Mistress Randolph Crossley), Esther Louise (Mistress Kendall Thurston).