Commitments and Key Documents

Westmont Persists - A Historical Reflection

Seven years after its founding in 1937, 由于六英亩的洛杉矶校区很快变得拥挤不堪，学院寻求一个新的地点. The trustees looked for property with land and existing buildings; construction wasn’t an option in the early 1940s due to wartime shortages.

在阿尔塔迪纳(Altadena)，有一个115英亩(约合414公顷)的前高尔夫球场，看起来很理想. But Los Angeles County had allocated $150,000 to buy the land for a park, and Altadena citizens were raising $25,000 of the $175,000 cost. 尽管如此，韦斯特蒙特还是以20万美元的价格无条件买下了这处房产. 这所学院需要改变分区，以便在居民区运营, but the trustees didn’t think that would be a problem.

ag娱乐官网韦斯特蒙特计划的第一篇报纸报道暗示了风暴即将来临. “The Altadena Golf Club property, subject of a long-heated controversy, 这片位于阿尔塔迪纳黄金住宅区中心的115英亩土地已经被政府“买断”，很快将成为韦斯特蒙特学院的校园. 25, 1944).

The articles grew more negative. 一个公民协会的主席说，韦斯特蒙特大学总是可以再建一个校区的, but Altadenans couldn’t find another golf course. 他质疑学院的财务状况和维护财产的能力. A neighbor wrote, “住在阿尔塔迪纳的人搬到那里，在那里建房，因为那里的氛围很美, semi-suburban, exclusively residential community. 任何破坏这种气氛的行动都会影响到成千上万人的福利和投资.” 
 
While voicing concern about college plans to expand to 1,000 students and the resulting increase in traffic and noise, 一封写给编辑的信提到了一个可能引发反对的问题. “另一个因素是，这所大学是跨宗派的，意味着所有班级, races and creeds can come here to school.在20世纪40年代，这个高尔夫球场位于一个只有白人的ag娱乐官网. Did racial prejudice enter into the opposition to Westmont? 

阿尔塔迪纳公民协会很快宣布反对改变分区. Other local organizations joined them. 一篇文章将韦斯特蒙特大学描述为一所“苦苦挣扎”的年轻大学，没有捐赠基金. In an editorial, “Do Not Create Blighted Areas,作者声称，一个地区不断增加的交通流量赶走了“重要的市民”，并消除了所有权的自豪感.

有一群人坚定地支持韦斯特蒙特:当地的教会. 韦斯特蒙特在当地报纸上刊登了整版广告来展示自己的案例, 复印件上还有一封来自11位支持该学院的牧师的信. But they were a lone voice. 当县区域规划委员会在1月份就分区变更举行公开听证会时, 900 people attended. It was the greatest mass meeting in Altadena’s history. 在三个半小时的证词之后，委员会要求进行投票，结果有700人投了反对票. 
 
The Star News noted, “Altadena spoke its peace.” On January 31, 他们在一个横幅标题上宣布了委员会的决定:“韦斯特蒙特拒绝高尔夫俱乐部重新规划:规划委员会以8比1反对阿尔塔迪纳财产使用。.一篇社论指出，阿尔塔德南人并不觉得对韦斯特蒙特不友好, 尽管很多人可能对这个ag娱乐官网是否需要另一所规模相对较小的大学表示严重怀疑. ag娱乐官网提出的真正问题是分区限制的完整性……”
 
The Westmont community was stunned. Where could they go? 他们不会放弃神放在他们心里的异象和使命. 很快，事情变得清晰起来，上帝有其他更好的计划.

“我们曾如此恳切地为这个地方祈祷，现在似乎每扇门都关上了。. Kerr later recalled. “But God had marvelous plans underway unbeknownst to us.”

In August 1945, Mrs. 可儿开车到圣巴巴拉去看梧桐峡谷路上的阿卡迪庄园. With 143 acres, a large home, an extensive lemon grove, a pipe organ and two swimming pools, it seemed ideal. But the owners wanted $300,000.

Then she visited nearby Rancho El Tejado, the Holland estate. As she drove through the gates, Mrs. 可儿说，上帝低声说:“这是我为你选择的地方.荷兰夫妇对这幢地中海风格的豪宅和125英亩的土地开价仅为12.5万美元. The trustees voted to purchase it.

Mrs. Kerr described the property enthusiastically. “This beautiful place had botanical gardens, a fruit orchard . . . 松树林、睡莲池、蕨类山谷、卡车花园、建筑工地比比皆是 . . . and the most beautiful home we had ever seen . . . . The living room walls were paneled in mahogany, the dining room in oak, the library in walnut, all hand-adzed. All bathrooms had marble floors with gold swan fixtures. There was . . . a completely equipped kitchen . . . and a gorgeous crystal chandelier . . .”

该学院在Alameda Padre Serra(现在是Brooks Institute的一部分)租了一所文法学校作为女生宿舍. 女子学院院长露丝·麦克里里(Ruth McCreery)回忆说，每个房间都放了40张床. “I wondered what the students and parents would think, but I never heard one word of complaint,” she said. 学院很快购买了更好的住房:艾默生大厅(Emerson Hall)，位于阿什利路(Ashley Road)，占地40英亩.

Neighbors provided living space for the men. “Mr. and Mrs. 克林格主动来找我们，把他的房产卖给了我们，只需要付一小笔首付款，其余的条件很优惠,” Mrs. Kerr recalled. “They stated they had observed our students closely . . . 因为他们的高水平，我觉得他们是ag娱乐官网的真正资产.克林格夫妇的家后来成为了卡瑟伍德庄园，直到1964年被郊狼大火烧毁.

事实证明，圣巴巴拉是一个比阿尔塔迪纳更理想的地方, 而特哈多牧场为一所大学创造了一个迷人的环境. 韦斯特蒙精心地保留了庄园的特色:花园, pine forest, lily ponds, fern dells and stone bridges.

Today it’s easy to trace God’s hand in the Altadena crisis. But the people who lived through it survived on faith. 他们相信他们看不见的东西，他们相信上帝的信实. The Westmont we know grew out of their prayers and hope.

作为一所大学，韦斯特蒙大学以其质量和独特的使命赢得了越来越多的国家认可, residential, Christian, 通过培养有思想的学者来服侍神的国度, 感恩的仆人和忠诚的领导者与学院的全球参与, church and world. 
 
As it did in 1937, Westmont continues to educate the whole person, and all persons, 改变学生在世界各地的各种职业生涯的终身服务, equipping them with the knowledge, 技能和心灵来满足我们这个时代伟大而紧迫的需求.
 
Read 更多ag娱乐官网威斯蒙特的历史和它长期致力于教育来自各种ag娱乐官网的学生.