California State Politechnic University Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona), California. EEUU.
The Legacy Continues
Cal Poly Pomona's CLA Building may be pointing to the future, but the 1,438-acre
campus still shows proud signs of its rich and unique past as an Arabian
horse ranch. The offices in the present day University Union Plaza inescapably
resemble their original design as horse stables, and the duplex located
in the center of campus - once home to the Arabian horse trainer - still
has the cozy feel of a cottage. But it is the living reminders - found in
the faces of the university's Arabian horses - that are the strongest and
dearest link to Cal Poly Pomona's past. They are the descendants of the
historically famous horses acquired and bred in the mid-1920s by university
founder Will Keith Kellogg.
Initiated in 1994, Founders' Day is the university's way of paying tribute
to its founders, W.K. Kellogg and Charles B. Voorhis. The event is an annual
celebration of the university's unique beginnings and of its current status
as an internationally recognized and educationally competitive university.
A Legacy Begins
Cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg, born in Battle Creek, Mich., always dreamed
of owning Arabian horses. When Kellogg was a young boy, his family owned
an old horse named Spot. The horse became a friend and playmate to the Kellogg
children, who used to clutch the horse's girth and ride underside and upside
down. When Kellogg's father sold "Old Spot," Kellogg was heartbroken
and vowed that someday he would own a ranch of Arabian horses.
A Dream Come True
In 1925, Kellogg purchased prime land in the Pomona Valley on which he would
build a facility to foster the care and breeding of his Arabian horses.
He acquired horses from the breeding stock of Lady Wentworth's famous Cabbet
Stud in England; Chauncey Clarke of Palm Springs, a local herd in Indio;
and later from Arabia, Egypt and Poland. The beauty of the horses and the
Spanish-style stables quickly turned Kellogg Ranch into one of the most
popular attractions in California.
In 1926, the first year the ranch opened to the public, more than 14,000
visitors had come to see Kellogg's Arabians perform in Sunday horse shows.
Many celebrities and dignitaries visited the ranch, including Gary Cooper,
Rudolph Valentino, Loretta Young, Will Rogers, Ronald Reagan, Clara Bow,
Mary Pickford, Olivia de Havilland, and Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia.
The horses' beauty and popular appeal inspired many celebrities to use them
in major films. Walt Disney animators used the horse, King John, as a model
for Prince Charming's stallion in Disney's 1938 version of "Snow White,"
and Marlene Deitrich rode him in "The Scarlet Empress." Rudolph
Valentino rode Jadaan in "The Son of the Sheik," and Tyrone Power
rode Barakat in "Suez."
The popularity of Kellogg Ranch grew so rapidly that in 1931 a new ring
was built in front of the stables to accommodate the spectators. By 1932,
more than 200,000 had visited the ranch. The informal horse shows started
in the stable courtyard have developed into regularly scheduled Sunday shows
which were moved to the current site of the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center.
More than 3 million people have seen the shows to date.
Kellogg Airport?
Charles A. Lindbergh's May 1927 solo flight from New York to Paris sparked
Kellogg's desire to build an airport on his ranch. Kellogg offered to donate
200 acres for an emergency landing field if Lindbergh would fly over the
ranch and circle the proposed landing field. On Sept. 27, 1927, on his way
to Los Angeles to be honored for his heroic flight to Paris, Lindbergh indeed
circled the ranch. The event went down in Pomona's history. The W.K. Kellogg
Airport, which operated from 1928 to 1932, earned the recognition of being
the largest privately owned airport in the country at that time.
The Kellogg Airport beacon was named the Rodgers Beacon, after aviator Calbraith
"Cal" Rodgers who, in 1911, became the first pilot to fly coast-to-coast,
finishing his flight in Pasadena. While no trace of the airport remains
today, Founders' Day '95 had revived its memory by including a flyover by
an antique biplane, commemorating Lindbergh's flight over the short-lived
but locally famous airport.
What Became of Kellogg Ranch?
In 1932, at the age of 72, Kellogg decided to donate his ranch to the State
of California on the condition that the property be used for educational
purposes, and that his Arabian horses would continue to be shown. Kellogg
also stipulated that the facility teach classes in agriculture and animal
husbandry. On May 17, a crowd of about 20,000 gathered to witness Gov. James
Rolph Jr. accept the property along with a $600,000 check to the state from
Kellogg for the W.K. Kellogg School of Animal Husbandry.
But by 1938, the arrangement had become strained, and during World War II
the property was turned over to the U.S. Army to be used as a remount station
- the Pomona Quartermaster Depot - where soldiers were trained in horsemanship.
When the war ended, the Army transferred ownership of the land to the Department
of Agriculture. Because the Department did not have sufficient funds to
run the ranch, the horse shows were discontinued in 1948 with plans to auction
off some of the horses and ship others to military installations.
Controversy erupted in the nation over the fate of the horses. Pressure
from activists, including Richard M. Nixon, then a Yorba Linda congressman,
forced the government to cancel the auction and the congress enacted legislation
to allow the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to re-acquire the ranch for one dollar.
It was then that Julian McPhee, president of the California State Polytechnic
College, San Luis Obispo, stepped in and made a bid for the ranch. As the
San Dimas branch of Cal Poly College was only a short distance away, McPhee
felt that the Kellogg Ranch would be the perfect addition to the Voorhis
Unit, a school founded by Charles Voorhis in 1928 for "underprivileged
boys," and later donated to the state. It would provide instruction
in fruit production, ornamental horticulture, agriculture inspection and
animal husbandry.
Dedication to Education
The ranch became known as the Kellogg Unit of California State Polytechnic
College, San Luis Obispo. In 1955, California legislation approved funds
to build a new campus at the ranch. In 1956, the first classes were held
at the new campus, and shortly after, all classes were moved from the Voorhis
campus to the new Kellogg campus. The class of 1957, consisting of 57 agricultural
majors, became Cal Poly Pomona's first graduating class.
In 1966, the Pomona campus became a separate state college, California State
Polytechnic College, Kellogg-Voorhis, Pomona. And, in 1972, celebrated its
status as the 16th university in the CSU system with another name change
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Today, Cal Poly Pomona is the second largest campus in land area in the
CSU system. It is home to nearly 17,000 students in six colleges and two
schools, with more than 70,000 alumni around the world.
Tribute to the Founders
Charles Brown Voorhis and Will Keith Kellogg serve as models in their commitment
to education. Both Voorhis' compassion and concern for educating those who
wouldn't have otherwise had the chance to attend college, and Kellogg's
determination and perseverance in his visionary endeavors, built the solid
foundation for Cal Poly Pomona's continued academic excellence and innovation.
When a strong foundation is built, the room for growth is limitless. And
so, the legacy continues.
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