Honoring alumni servicemen and women.
A Military Honor Garden was dedicated at the Stauffer Chapel courtyard on Pepperdine’s Malibu campus May 22. The garden, recognizing thousands of Pepperdine alumni who have served America in one of the five branches of the Armed Forces, was made possible with the vision and support of Seaver College board member Pierre Claeyssens. Seaver College is the undergraduate liberal arts college of Pepperdine University.
Situated in the courtyard of Stauffer Chapel overlooking the Pacific, the Military Honor Garden spans both sides of the broad staircase that leads up to the central campus. Five benches, representing the five branches of the military, are situated at the garden, while poppies adorn the hillside above the garden, bordered by indigenous plants.
A commemorative plaque has been placed within the garden as a descriptive centerpiece for the beautiful setting. The plaque reads, “With profound respect for the men and women who have honored America by defending its freedom, Pepperdine University proudly acknowledges the courageous alumni who served their country in the military, and remembers the graduates who gave their lives in war so that future generations might live in peace.”
At the dedication ceremony, four days before Memorial Day, a 1950 George Pepperdine College alumnus and World War II Navy veteran, Paul Perry, spoke passionately of the courage and sacrifice to whom generations of Americans are grateful. He was followed by Lt. Colonel James McGinley, a 1991 School of Law alumnus and current helicopter squadron leader, who reminded the 100 gathered guests, “We are at war abroad so that we may know peace in the future.”
Finally, board member Pierre Claeyssens, 93, the man who first embraced the idea of a Military Honor Garden and saw his vision realized, addressed the audience. A Belgian by birth, Claeyssens spoke of how precious freedom is and how indebted the nation is to the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces. At the conclusion of his remarks, he led the attendees in singing “God Bless America.”
An additional plaque at the garden carries Claeyssens’ warning to future generations who visit the venue, “To be killed in a war is not the worst that can happen. To be missing in a war is not the worst that can happen. But to be forgotten is.”