Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
The Finding Aid for the M. Norvel and Helen Young Papers
0014
0014
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Title: M. Norvel and Helen Young papers
Identifier/Call Number: 0014
Contributing Institution:
Pepperdine University. Special Collections and University Archives.
Physical Description:
225.59 linear feet
(181 boxes)
Date (bulk): 1900s-2000s
Date (inclusive): 1759,1882,1900s-2000s
Abstract: The collection contains the personal and professional papers of M. Norvel and Helen Young. The bulk of the materials range
from the 1900s to early 2000s and document the Youngs' involvement with Pepperdine University; their families' lives; and
their activities while based in Tennessee, Texas, and California.
Creator:
Young, Helen, 1918-
Creator:
Young, M. Norvel (Matt Norvel), 1915-
Advance notice required for access.
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
[Box/folder# or item name], M. Norvel and Helen Young papers, Collection no. 0014, Special Collections and University Archives,
University Libraries, Pepperdine University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was received in multiple donations from Helen Young, some in 2000, and one in 2010.
Matt Norvel Young Jr. (more commonly referred to as M. Norvel or just Norvel Young) was born on October 5, 1915, in Nashville,
Tennessee. His parents were Matt Norvel Young and Mary Ruby Morrow Young, and Norvel was the second of two children in the
family (his brother Stephen Franklin Young, commonly referred to as Franklin, was born on July 21, 1909). Norvel went to school
at Hume-Fogg High School in Nashville, the same school his mother went to. He attended David Lipscomb College and received
an A.A. degree in 1934 before moving on to Abilene Christian College where he was student body president his senior year.
He graduated from Abilene Christian College in 1936 and went on to receive a master’s degree in English literature from Vanderbilt
University in 1937.
After taking a seven month world tour following his graduation, Norvel accepted a teaching position at George Pepperdine College
for the fall of 1938. While teaching history at Pepperdine, Norvel met Helen Elizabeth Mattox (a senior at Pepperdine studying
business), and the two married on August 31, 1939. Just before their marriage, Norvel spent the summer taking classes at Columbia
University in New York. Norvel and Helen left Pepperdine for Nashville, Tennessee, in 1941 so they could pursue advanced degrees
at George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. They lived with Norvel's parents while in Nashville. Norvel graduated
with his doctorate in 1943, and Helen completed a master's degree in sociology. Norvel preached at the College Church of Christ
while in Nashville.
Following their studies in Nashville, the Youngs moved to Lubbock, Texas in 1944 when Norvel accepted a position as a preacher
at the Broadway Church of Christ. They stayed there for 13 years and during this time Norvel oversaw construction of a new
church building and led a post-World War II relief effort that raised half a million dollars to send care packages to Germany
and other parts of Europe. The Youngs’ involvement in charity also included their co-founding of the Children’s Home of Lubbock.
Norvel’s career in the church led to him co-founding and editing two magazines,
20th Century Christian (in 1938) and
Power for Today (in 1955, along with Helen), as well as editing
Germany For Christ for a decade. One rarely mentioned activity was Norvel’s time as the “master of ceremonies” for the
Family Bible Quiz television program taped in Lubbock from 1952-1957.
Norvel traveled abroad frequently for speeches, preaching, and vacations. He lectured in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1949 and 1956
and went to Tokyo, Japan, in 1959. He preached in the former U.S.S.R. in 1961 and assisted in a Bible campaign in London,
England in 1963, (his son came along as well for this trip and wrote about the experience). He served as a coordinator for
the American-Russian Writers Conference in the 1980s, traveling to Moscow multiple times for the conference.
In 1956, Norvel helped found Lubbock Christian College with the help of Helen’s brother F.W. (Fount William) Mattox who served
as president. The following year, 1957, Norvel and Helen moved back to Southern California after Norvel was appointed the
third president of George Pepperdine College following Hugh Tiner’s retirement.
The Youngs were instrumental in changing and adding to Pepperdine. Norvel was President from 1957 to 1971, and then Chancellor
from 1971 to 1984, after which he took the title of Chancellor Emeritus. During his tenure, Pepperdine went from being a college
with 950 students to a university with 9,500 students. One of the largest changes was the move from the 34-acre site on 79th
Street and Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles to the 830-acre site in Malibu in 1972. He opened new graduate programs in various
disciplines: business (now the Graziadio School of Business and Management), the Graduate School of Education and Psychology,
and the law school. Satellite campuses in Los Angeles and Orange Counties and the San Fernando Valley were opened for distance
learners. Norvel opened a residential campus in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1963 and started the study abroad program that approximately
60% of students now participate in.
During the mid-1970s, Norvel began to depend on alcohol to reduce stress (drinking was frowned upon by the Churches of Christ,
and is now prohibited on campus). He took a leave of absence as chancellor after pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter,
following a car wreck in which two women were killed after he rear-ended their car while intoxicated. His probation was controversial
because it required his participation in a research study on drunken driving accidents and to give speeches about drunk driving
rather than going to jail.
Throughout his career, Norvel was dedicated to serving businesses and the community as a board member of multiple institutions,
including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Forest Lawn Memorial Parks,
Los Angeles Philanthropic Foundation, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, and others. Governor Ronald Reagan appointed Norvel to
California’s Coordinating Council for Higher Education from 1970 to 1974.
The Youngs continued to be very involved with Pepperdine after Norvel’s retirement, including working with the Pepperdine
Associates for fundraising. Norvel died February 17, 1998 in his on-campus home. He was survived by his wife Helen and their
four children, Emily, Matt, Marilyn, and Sara.
Helen Elizabeth Mattox was born on August 31, 1918, in Bristow, Oklahoma, and grew up in Oklahoma City. She was the sixth
of seven children of Judge Perry Mattox and Irene Corrine Young Mattox (her other siblings were Marguerite, Joseph, Fount
William, Paul, Kathryn, and Frank). She attended Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, for two years before finishing her
degree at George Pepperdine College. She attended the first year Pepperdine was open, majored in business, and graduated in
1939. While at Pepperdine, she met her future husband Norvel Young, and the two married August 31, 1939. She moved with him
to Nashville, Tennessee, and completed a master's in sociology while Norvel finished his doctorate degree. They later moved
to Lubbock, Texas, where their four children were born (Emily, born on February 26, 1945; Matt III, born on October 19, 1947;
Marilyn, born on June 8, 1952; and Sara, born on August 18, 1953). The family moved to Los Angeles while Norvel worked at
Pepperdine, and then moved to Malibu when the campus moved locations.
When the campus moved to Malibu, the Young family lived in the historical Adamson House (now a museum, the former home of
the founders of present-day Malibu) for 13 years. In 1958, Helen founded the Associated Women for Pepperdine, a fundraising
organization, which still exists on campus. She was also a staff member of the first incarnation of the
Graphic, the school’s newspaper and longest-running student organization. Helen still lives on the Pepperdine Campus (as of 2012).
Biographical information was taken from collection materials, newspaper articles, and the Pepperdine University website. Extra
information about Helen Young was taken from the Pepperdine University
Graphic (http://graphic.pepperdine.edu/news/2007/2007-11-08-matriarch.htm) and conversations with her.
Materials related to the following family members are included in the collection:
- Matt Norvel Young, Jr. -- October 5, 1915-February 17,1998
- Helen Elizabeth Mattox Young -- born August 31, 1918
- Emily Mattox Young Lemley -- born February 26, 1945
- Matt Norvel Young III -- born October 19, 1947
- Marilyn Morrow Young Stewart -- June 8, 1952-December 15, 2001
- Sara Helen Young Jackson -- born Aug 18, 1953
The collection contains the personal and professional papers of M. Norvel and Helen Young. The collection contains subject
and correspondence files from Norvel's office at Pepperdine University; files related to university boards and donors; appointment
books, personal papers, and published materials of both Norvel and Helen; papers from their involvement in the Churches of
Christ; notes and copies of sermons, speeches, and courses given by Helen and Norvel; and files related to Norvel's position
as editor for the publications
20th Century Christian and (with Helen)
Power for Today.
While some files are divided into Norvel's files or Helen's files, it is important to note that they were very involved in
each others' lives and work and, as a result, papers in some series are frequently mixed. The collection also has personal,
non-Pepperdine and family correspondence; travel ephemera; family photos, scrapbooks, and slides; audiovisual materials (mostly
sermons); family financial papers; and personal memorabilia.
Items are primarily paper, but the collection also includes photographs, slides, audiocassettes, plaques, a statuette, and
other miscellaneous materials.
The collection is arranged in nine series:
- Series 1: M. Norvel Young
- Series 2: Helen Young
- Series 3: Personal and Family Correspondence
- Series 4: Travel Files
- Series 5: Photos, Scrapbooks, and Slides
- Series 6: Audiovisual Materials
- Series 7: Personal Financial Files
- Series 8: Awards, Certificates, and Plaques
- Series 9: Memorabilia and Ephemera
The collection was processed and described in March 2012 by Jamie Henricks and Jessica Geiser, with help from Katie Richardson,
Melissa Nykanen, and Catie Golitzin.
A yearbook, issues of
Pepperdine Voice, four copies of
Faith Was His Fortune (the autobiography of George Pepperdine), and the book
A Study in Lifestyle: The Story of Cliff Baker were separated for cataloging.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Abilene Christian College.
Banowsky, William Slater
Broadway Church of Christ, Lubbock, Tex..
David Lipscomb College.
Jackson, Sara Helen Young, 1953-
Lemley, Emily Mattox Young, 1945-
Pepperdine College.
Pepperdine University. Library Affairs.
Pepperdine University. Office of the Chancellor.
Pepperdine University. Office of the President.
Pepperdine University. School of Law.
Pepperdine University.
Pepperdine, George, 1886-1962
Pepperdine, Helen Louise, 1903-1990
Seaver College.
Stewart, Marilyn Morrow Young, 1952-2001
Vanderbilt University. George Peabody College for Teachers.
Young family
Young, Helen, 1918-
Young, M. Norvel (Matt Norvel), 1915-
Young, Matt Norvel, III, 1947-
Appointment books
Articles
Audiocassettes
Christian universities and colleges--United States--History
Churches of Christ--History--20th century
Churches of Christ--Periodicals
Clippings
College administrators--United States--History
College presidents--California--Malibu
Color slides
Correspondence
Education, Higher--California--Malibu
Ephemera
Family archives
Financial records
International education--Study and teaching
Los Angeles (Calif.)--History
Lubbock (Tex.)--History
Malibu (Calif.)--History
Memorandums
Nashville (Tenn.)--History
Periodicals
Photographs
Publications
Receipts (financial records)
Scrapbooks
Sermons
Speeches, addresses, etc., American--20th century
Travel--History--20th century
Universities and colleges--Accreditation
Universities and colleges--Administration
Universities and colleges--Admission
Universities and colleges--Awards
Universities and colleges--California--Malibu--History
Universities and colleges--Curricula--California
Universities and colleges--Employees
Universities and colleges--Faculty
Universities and colleges--Religion
Universities and colleges--Sermons