"L to R: Dr. M. Norvel Young, Mr. Walter Knott, Mr. Edward Di Loreto," date unknown (Pepperdine University Archives Photograph Collection)Walter Knott
Donor
Walter Knott made his name as the owner of Knott's Berry Farm, a theme park in Orange County, California, and as the first commercial grower of boysenberries. He was targeted by Norvel Young and William Banowsky as one of a handful of potential donors capable of making a million-dollar gift to Pepperdine.1
Knott was also a member of the committee that evaluated potential sites for Pepperdine's suburban expansion in the late 1960s,2 and he served with Leonard Firestone on the President's Board, a group of potential donors courted by Norvel Young.3
Knott's name now graces Knott House (dorm 12) on the Malibu campus.
