Description
The collection contains the personal and professional papers of Frank R. and Blanche Seaver, philanthropists who greatly contributed
to the evolution and success of Pepperdine University. The materials range from 1882 to 1996 and document Blanche's involvement
with Pepperdine; Frank's business, the Hydril Company; Blanche's former career as a composer and musician; and their personal
lives.
Background
Frank Roger Seaver was born in San Jose, California, on April 12, 1883, as the second of five children and the
first son of Carlton and Mary Estella Seaver. The family spent Seaver's childhood years on a farm in
Claremont, California, later moving to Pomona where his father founded the First National Bank of Pomona. After
graduating from high school in 1901, Seaver attended Pomona College to study biology, where he was active in
sports, clubs and student government. He also joined the National Guard in 1903, and after graduating from
Pomona in 1905, worked in San Francisco to help police the city following the devastating earthquake in 1906.
During this time, Seaver also began studying law, and in the fall of 1906, he passed the bar examination in
California, which he followed with a year of postgraduate studies in law at Harvard University.
Restrictions
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.