M. Norvel Young

In 1972, Matt Norvel Young was the chancellor of Pepperdine, a position created just for him that allowed him to continue to raise funds without the same level of administrative responsibilities. He also served as chair of the board of trustees. Young had transitioned into both roles at the beginning of 1971, when his protégé William Banowsky was named president.¹

Young had previously served as Pepperdine's third president from his appointment in 1957. Before coming to Pepperdine, Young had been the minister of the Broadway Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas,² which was the largest church of Christ in the country (and the world).³ Young's association with Pepperdine began much earlier: he served as a professor of history in the school's first years. He met his wife Helen at George Pepperdine College, where she was a student.

Young played a significant role in realizing the dream of Pepperdine Malibu. He cultivated relationships with donors in Southern California long before Banowsky took office, including Firestone, Pendleton, Knott, and Seaver.

Young was the patriarch of one of Pepperdine's great dynasties. His wife Helen founded the Associated Women for Pepperdine (today called the Pepperdine Legacy Partners). In 1972, his son-in-law Steven Lemley was hired at Pepperdine; Lemley would serve as provost in the 1990s. Young's daughter Sara later followed her father into the chancellery, the position she holds today. Young's grandson, whose birth was announced in the pages of The Malibu Times in 1972, now serves on the religion faculty at Seaver College.