Making Malibu beautiful again
A student sows grass on a barren campus hillside. The Graphic, 11/3/72, p. 1 (Pepperdine University Archives)
The Malibu campus was a barren construction zone when it opened in September 1972. Leo Hirsh made sure it didn't stay that way for long. Landscaping served for more than just aesthetics, though. Erosion control was one major concern, leading to an effort to sow grass on the hillsides.
Click through the timeline below for highlights from the landscaping project that created the most beautiful campus in the country.
Jun
Trees for Pepperdine Malibu announced
Jun 16, 1972construction
Jul
Aug
Sep
Tree planting ceremony
Sep 6, 1972constructionevents
Oct
Nov
56-year-old coral tree donated
Nov 3, 1972donors
Ecology Day: grass sown on barren hills
Nov 6, 1972construction
Dec
See also:
People: 
Leo Hirsh
Trees for Pepperdine Malibu
Helen Pepperdine
Trustee, founder's wife
Blanche E. Seaver
Donor
M. Norvel Young
Chancellor
William S. Banowsky
President