Product Details
Nicely engraved antique stock certificate from the National Auto Supply Company dating back to the 1920's. This document, which is signed by the company President (Pepperdine University founder George Pepperdine) and Secretary, was printed by Goes and measures approximately 13" (w) by 10 1/4" (h).
Nice vignette shows an eagle on a crag with a waterfront city skyline in the background.
Images
You will receive the exact certificate pictured.
Historical Context
In 1919 George Pepperdine established the National Auto Supply Company in Chicago, in hopes of growing his Western Auto Supply Company to more of a national chain. At that time the Eastern branch of Western Auto had not yet expanded beyond its Kansas City roots, and Pepperdine thought that by building a large retail and mail-order operation in the East, he would eventually be able to merge the new company with his growing Western operations.
Building a mail-order operation in the East proved to be more difficult than expected, partly due to greater entrenched competition, and National Auto Supply eventually failed.
George Pepperdine
George Pepperdine's Signature
George Pepperdine was born on June 20, 1886, on a farm in Mound Valley, , to a family of English heritage. His parents became members of The Church of Christ after experiencing a powerful conversion during a tent meeting outside of Parsons, Kansas. Pepperdine graduated from Parsons Business College in Parsons, Kansas.
George Pepperdine was born on June 20, 1886, on a farm in Mound Valley, Kansas, to a family of English heritage. His parents became members of The Church of Christ after experiencing a powerful conversion during a tent meeting outside of Parsons, Kansas. Pepperdine graduated from Parsons Business College in Parsons, Kansas.
In 1909, at the age of twenty-three, he started Western Auto Supply Company in Kansas City, Missouri, with an initial investment of five dollars. With the rise in popularity of the automobile, Pepperdine's business thrived, providing high-quality automotive products and services through many retail stores. He moved to California in 1916.
In February 1937, during the Great Depression, he founded Pepperdine University as a Christian liberal arts college in the city of Los Angeles. On September 21, 1937, 167 new students from 22 different states and two other countries entered classes on a newly built campus on 34 acres in South Central Los Angeles, referred to later as the Vermont Avenue campus. By April 6, 1938, George Pepperdine College was fully accredited by the Northwest Association.
He had a desire to discover "how humanity can be helped most with the means entrusted to [his] care. [He] consider[ed] it wrong to build up a great fortune and use it selfishly." Pepperdine voiced his twofold objective for the college that bore his name, "First, we want to provide first-class, fully accredited academic training in the liberal arts ... Secondly, we are especially dedicated to a greater goal—that of building in the student a Christ-like life, a love for the church, and a passion for the souls of mankind."
