Pepperdine University Chancellor Emeritus Charles Runnels was honored during a recent ceremony Sept. 13 when the Waves’ athletics complex was dedicated as the “Charles B. Runnels Sports and Recreation Village.” Runnels and his wife Amy Jo have been avid Waves fans for decades and can regularly be found at athletic events at Firestone Fieldhouse, sitting in the first row behind the score table.
Runnels’ Pepperdine career began in 1967 by serving on a committee whose work resulted in the establishment of the Malibu campus in 1971. He served as vice chancellor from 1971 to 1984, at which time he became chancellor. In 2006, he assumed the role of chancellor emeritus.