Student traditions at Pepperdine University have varied over the years, often reflecting the social trends of society at large. Given its relatively small size, Pepperdine has always cultivated a tight student community enthusiastic about social activities, trends, and traditions. The history of student life at Pepperdine is, therefore, also a study of U.S. popular culture [...]
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Author Archive
Archiving the Pepperdine Rock! A September slideshow
Tuesday, October 4th, 2011
To capture a snapshot of student life during the fall semester, Pepperdine University Libraries photographed the Pepperdine Rock each day of the month during September (or at least as often as it was painted anew). As the semi-official mouthpiece of student organizations, the Rock changes appearance almost daily, so we thought we’d capture a month [...]
Picturesque Malibu Campus: Today’s featured digital object
Friday, September 23rd, 2011
Recent visitors to Pepperdine University’s Malibu campus may have noticed a flurry of beautification activity, including a lot of fresh paint. As I write, our iconic Phillips Theme Tower is cocooned in tarp and scaffolding, preparing to emerge afresh for Pepperdine’s upcoming 75th anniversary. Few students, staff, or faculty would deny that the unique beauty [...]
Pepperdine’s Spirit of Service: Today’s featured digital object
Friday, September 9th, 2011
As we approach the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks this Sunday, now officially a National Day of Service and Remembrance, it seems appropriate to revisit the history of volunteerism at Pepperdine University. As a Christian university, service is the central pillar in Pepperdine’s mission to prepare students for lives of “purpose, service, and [...]
The Pepperdine Rock and more: Introducing Today’s Featured Digital Object
Friday, August 26th, 2011
Welcome back students, faculty, and staff! Over the summer, Pepperdine University Libraries started this twice-monthly blog designed to feature an item from our digital collections, which include a wide range of digitized rare and unique materials from our archives and special collections. Each featured digital object tells a fascinating story about Pepperdine’s history, scholarship, and [...]
A garden for San Quentin: Today’s featured digital object
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011
Gardening is, it must be agreed, an inherently fecund activity. In 2003, San Quentin State Prison began an experimental, rehabilitative gardening program in an attempt to improve the social climate of the prison and reduce recidivism rates. Was it effective? That’s what student Kathryn E. Waitkus sought to determine through her master’s thesis completed at [...]
Friendship 7: Today’s featured digital object
Saturday, July 30th, 2011
As the era of the space shuttle comes to an end, today’s digital object takes us back to a milestone in the history of spaceflight. On February 20, 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth in a space capsule, circling the planet three times before safely splashing down in the Atlantic [...]
Betty Ford at Pepperdine: Today’s featured digital object
Friday, July 15th, 2011
As we say goodbye to Betty Ford, who passed away last Saturday, we remember her not just as the consummate first lady, but as a great friend of Pepperdine University. Mrs. Ford made two notable appearances at Pepperdine during her husband’s presidency. On May 19, 1975, at the height of her battle with breast cancer, [...]
The Rock: Today’s featured digital object
Friday, July 1st, 2011
Do you recognize our beloved Pepperdine Rock? In the photograph above, which appears in the 1983 yearbook with the caption “Disco is DEAD, but the Rolling Stones live on,” the Rock is noticeably smaller and is paired with a tiny companion. In the intervening decades, the Rock has “grown” through countless coats of paint at [...]
Gidget’s surfboard: Today’s featured digital object
Sunday, June 19th, 2011
There’s a certain corner of Payson Library, somewhere near the 19th century English literature, where the astute visitor will notice a scent in the air that seems out of place. Fiberglass and surfwax? Yes, somewhere up above in its second-floor sanctuary resides the John Mazza Collection of Historic Surfboards, a secret room populated by over [...]
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