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The Finding Aid for the William S. Banowsky Papers
0002
0002
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Title: William S. Banowsky papers
Identifier/Call Number: 0002
Contributing Institution:
Pepperdine University. Special Collections and University Archives.
Physical Description:
93.63 linear feet
(72 boxes, 3 framed objects)
Date (inclusive): 1926-2009
Date (bulk): 1955-1990
Abstract: The collection contains professional and personal papers of William S. Banowsky dating from 1926 to 2009. The bulk of the
materials range from 1955 to 1990 and document his professional involvement with Pepperdine University, the University of
Oklahoma, Gaylord Broadcasting Company, the Texas Superconducting Super Collider Authority, and National Medical Enterprises;
political topics and professional services; collected printed and written material (such as poems and articles); and personal
documents including speeches, personal and family history, travel, photographs, and book research for
The Malibu Miracle.
Creator:
Banowsky, William Slater
Advance notice required for access. Materials related to the Pepperdine Board of Regents and Board of Trustees (sub-series
1.5) are restricted for 50 years after their date of creation; the entire series will be open in 2026. Personal medical and
financial information (sub-series 11.7 and 11.8) is restricted. Other individual files may be restricted, and are noted at
the file level.
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
[Box/folder# or item name], William S. Banowsky papers, Collection no. 0002, Special Collections and University Archives,
University Libraries, Pepperdine University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
William S. Banowsky donated the majority of his personal papers on December 15, 2005. Materials primarily created during his
presidency at Pepperdine were transferred to the archives later. Dr. David Baird gave two boxes of material related to Banowsky's
book
The Malibu Miracle and three framed items on May 1, 2012. Two boxes of audio reels of speeches were given to the archives by William S. Banowsky
in May 2012.
William S. Banowsky was born on March 4, 1936, in Abilene, Texas, and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. Banowsky attended David
Lipscomb College on a baseball scholarship, and graduated in 1958 with a BA in Communications and History. He then moved to
New Mexico, where he preached at the Netherwood Park Church of Christ, and received his MA in Communications and History from
the University of New Mexico in 1959.
After hearing Banowsky speak at a Church of Christ convention in 1958, M. Norvel Young, the President of Pepperdine College,
began actively recruiting Banowsky to join the faculty. Banowsky accepted the offer, holding positions as an Assistant Professor
of Communications, Assistant to the President, and Dean of Students. During this time, Banowsky also served as a minister
for the South Gate Church of Christ, and began pursuing a PhD in Communications from the University of Southern California.
Graduating in 1963, Banowsky took a break from the academic world and took the position of Minister at the Broadway Church
of Christ in Lubbock, Texas. He served there for 5 years, and also taught speech communication at Lubbock Christian College.
In 1968, Young again recruited Banowsky back to Pepperdine, this time offering him the position of Executive Vice President.
Young and Banowsky then worked together to reinvigorate the school by building a new campus in Malibu. In 1969, Banowsky became
the Chancellor of Pepperdine, and led a massive fundraising effort, which enabled ground to be broken on the new campus in
1970. In 1971, Banowsky was appointed President of the university, which at age 35 made him one of the nation's youngest campus
chief executives.
Banowsky served Pepperdine as President for 10 years, leaving in 1978 to serve as the President for the University of Oklahoma,
where he stayed until 1985. From 1985 to 1988, he served as the President of the Gaylord Broadcasting Company, a private broadcasting
company. During his Gaylord tenure, he also served as Vice Chairman of the Board of the Texas Rangers and the President of
the Texas Superconducting Super Collider Authority from 1987 to 1988.
From 1988 to 1995, Banowsky was appointed the Executive Vice President of National Medical Enterprises. In 1995, he received
a Master's in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine's Graduate School of Education and Psychology, and from 1995 to 2000, he
served as a Counseling Minister for the Highland Oaks Church of Christ in Dallas, Texas. In 2010, Banowsky published
The Malibu Miracle, a memoir about his years at Pepperdine and the establishment of the Malibu Campus.
Throughout his career, Banowsky served on a wide variety of advisory councils and boards at both the local and national level,
including the Los Angeles and California Chambers of Commerce, and the Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Education. He
also served on numerous Boards of Directors for both colleges and corporations, including Coca-Cola, Fidelity Life Insurance,
and the Thrifty Corporation. Banowsky has also received a number of honors, including honorary doctorates from Oklahoma Christian
College (1972), Pepperdine University (1979), and Oral Roberts University (1981).
Banowsky married his college sweetheart Gay Barnes, a professional artist, on September 7, 1956. They have four sons, David,
Britton, William Jr., and Baxter, who are all attorneys.
The collection contains professional and personal papers of William S. Banowsky dating from 1926 to 2009. The collection contains
chronological correspondence files; subject and correspondence files from Banowsky's office at Pepperdine University; files
related to Pepperdine University boards (including the Board of Trustees and Board of Regents); Banowsky's contact cards from
his office rolodex; and correspondence and other files from his jobs at the University of Oklahoma, Gaylord Broadcasting Company,
the Texas Superconducting Super Collider Authority, and National Medical Enterprises. The collection also includes notes and
paper and audiovisual copies of speeches and sermons; copies of poems, articles, and other material written by Banowsky (including
files on
The Malibu Miracle book); files of clippings about Banowsky or his jobs (called "publicity"); files on political topics; printed publications;
files on travel and service on corporate boards; and recordings of oral histories. Also included are files on the Banowsky
family; personal information about Banowsky (including his academic career, biographical information, and other topics); and
personal and family photographs.
Items are primarily paper, but the collection also includes photographs, negatives, framed papers, and audiovisual materials
in various formats.
The collection is arranged in thirteen series:
- Series 1: Pepperdine University
- Series 2: University of Oklahoma (OU)
- Series 3: Correspondence and Subject Files
- Series 4: Publicity Files
- Series 5: Political Files
- Series 6: Writings
- Series 7: Speeches and Speech Clippings
- Series 8: Service on Corporate Boards
- Series 9: Saved Publications
- Series 10: Travels
- Series 11: Personal and Family Files
- Series 12: Photographs
- Series 13: Audiovisual Materials
Folders about William S. Banowsky are present in other collections of Pepperdine administrators, including the M. Norvel and
Helen Young papers and the Howard A. White papers. An audio history of Pepperdine-owned property in Los Angeles is available
in this collection, and a collection related to the sales of Pepperdine real estate is in the University Archives (the Pepperdine
University Real Estate records). Other individuals interviewed for oral histories in the Audiovisual Materials series have
their own collections in the University Archives, including the M. Norvel and Helen Young papers, the Earl V. Pullias papers,
the Donald Miller papers, the Howard A. White papers, and the George Pepperdine Family papers (for Helen Pepperdine).
Parts of the collection were originally arranged and described by James Smythe. The collection was re-arranged and integrated
with newer material, with description by Jamie Henricks and Jessica Geiser, completed in July 2012.
File titles were not changed on existing files, but supplied when necessary. Materials originally processed by James Smythe
are labeled on the folder in the style of "Folder Title, Series #, Box #, Folder #," but they are listed in the finding aid
simply by their folder title and new box number. Originally, some materials were kept separate and labeled "duplicate." These
extra folders were integrated, meaning that some folder numbers appear twice. In these cases, the folder from the main collection
is put first, and the "duplicate" is behind.
Issues of Pepperdine University periodicals (including the
Oasis,
Alumni Voice, and
Pepperdine People) were separated and moved to be included with other Pepperdine University periodicals in the University Archives. Please
ask for assistance in locating these items.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Banowsky, William Slater
Broadway Church of Christ, Lubbock, Tex..
Davenport, David, 1950-
Gaylord Broadcasting Company.
Gaylord Entertainment Company.
Hahn, Kenneth
Lovell, James L.
Miller, Donald V., 1906-2004
National Medical Enterprises.
Pepperdine University. Board of Regents.
Pepperdine University. Board of Trustees.
Pepperdine University.
Pepperdine, Helen Louise, 1903-1990
Phillips, William B.
Pullias, Earl Vivon, 1907-
Seaver, Blanche Ebert, b. 1891
Seaver, Frank Roger, 1883-1964
Texas Superconducting Super Collider Authority.
Tiner, Hugh M. (Hugh Marvin), 1908-1981
University of Oklahoma.
White, Howard A. (Howard Ashley), 1913-
Wilson, John Francis
Young, Helen, 1918-
Young, M. Norvel (Matt Norvel), 1915-
Administrative records
Articles
Audiocassettes
Clippings
College administrators--United States--History
College presidents--California--Malibu
Compact discs
Correspondence
DVDs
Education, Higher--California--Malibu
Financial records
Malibu (Calif.)--History
Memorandums
Minutes
Oral histories
Photographs
Poems
Political campaigns--California--History--20th century
Publications
Reports
Sermons
Speeches, addresses, etc., American--20th century
Universities and colleges--Administration
Universities and colleges--California--Malibu--History
Videocassettes