Raleigh Neal Runnels was the son of Pepperdine vice chancellor Charles Runnels. For two years, he planned to enter the freshman class at the opening of Pepperdine's Malibu campus in September 1972.¹ Sadly, after a two-year fight with melanoma,² Raleigh died at the age of 17 just two months before the campus would open (and two weeks after his high school graduation).³

Raleigh's funeral was held at the Inglewood Church of Christ and conducted by Pepperdine chancellor Norvel Young.³ Three days after the funeral, Blanche Seaver, who had attended services at the Inglewood church with Raleigh, committed $650,000 to fund Pepperdine's swimming pool, on the condition that it be named the Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.¹ Further donations totaling $300,000 came from Morris Pendleton and others.

In the 1984 Summer Olympics, the water polo competitions were held in the pool named for Runnels.