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Over the course of its existence, the Order of St. Augustine has devoted a great deal of energy to educating young people, beginning with the medieval universities in Europe. In the twentieth century, far-sighted leadership in the American province spread the Augustinian presence beyond the eastern seaboard where it had labored for 125 years. Beginning with St. Rita High School in Chicago in 1905, high schools were established in Aurora, Illinois, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and San Diego, California.
Ranchers from Ventura County, headed by Joseph D. McGrath, convinced Bishop John J. Cantwell of Los Angeles of the need for a residential boys' high school northwest of Los Angeles. The bishop appealed to the Augustinians, suggesting that this project might be expanded into a men's college.
Thirty-nine year old Father John A.Howard, O.S.A., was sent westward to begin the new school. His background, totally in parish work, would seem to have made him an unlikely candidate to begin a school, but his affable and friendly personality served him well. With donations from enthusiastic friends, he purchased a 131 acre piece of property just outside the city of Ojai for $19,650. A loan of $125,000 enabled the construction of two buildings. The first fifteen freshmen and sophomores arrived on October 12,1924, to begin their high school careers. Familiar names in Ventura County were represented: McGrath, Borchard, Reardon, Gill, Doud, Davy, and Clark.
During the 1920s, enrollment at Villanova gradually increased. The first class of five seniors graduated in June 1927. Athletic teams, using the nickname of "The Galloping Ghosts," were organized in football and baseball. Clubs and organizations, such as the Lariat Club, Eucharistic League, Music Club, and Debating Society, were formed to provide for the interests of students. The first gymnasium in Ventura County and swimming pool were built in 1930 as the school saw the need for more athletic facilities.
The economic hardships of the 1930s almost saw the end of Villanova. The graduation class of 18 in 1932 was replaced by classes of one each in 1933 and 1934. To add to the school's woes, accreditation from the University of California was lost for several years because of the unsatisfactory scholastic record of Villanova graduates. But the Augustinians stubbornly hung on, subsidizing the school and providing scholarships for students eager for a Catholic education.
The handful of students who were at Villanova in Depression days were treated to the cooking of "Ma" Thompson who remained with the school for nineteen years. A few years later, Mrs. Ann Yant arrived to spend the next thirty years as housemother. Their influence provided the motherly touch that boys away from home needed.
The 1940s saw a resurgence of enrollment at Villanova. With the entry of the United States into World War 11, graduates and students enlisted in the military forces, a few returning after the war to graduate. Four graduates gave their lives during the war. The junior college begun in 1942 was also a victim of the war, as its three students left after one year to enter the military.
After the war, the campus expanded with the addition of a barracks dormitory and Fathers' Club Hall. New front gates and grotto beautified the grounds. In the 1960s, additional boarding students demanded the construction of a new dormitory building and administration building. In an effort to present a more sophisticated look to the world, students were required to wear uniforms consisting of white shirt and tie, gray slacks, and a colored blazer.
Athletics played an important role throughout the history of the school. The athletic nickname was changed to the Wildcats. Football, basketball, track, and baseball teams successfully competed against larger teams from Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Elmo Ferrari, a diminutive dynamic coach in the mid and late 1960s, produced outstanding teams, particularly in football.
Financially, the early 1970s were difficult years for the school. The large number of Catholic high schools built in the 1950s and 1960s in the Los Angeles area drew students away from a rural boarding school. The crisis was partially resolved in 1970 when Villanova first admitted girls as students. In addition, foreign students began to enroll in Villanova in larger numbers than in previous years. But with fewer American boys available to play football, the sport was dropped in 1975, to be replaced with soccer.
Day student enrollment gradually increased throughout the 1980s and 1990s as better highways and bus transportation provided the opportunity for students to commute from Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, and Santa Barbara. The library, which had occupied several dormitory rooms in Glynn Hall, was relocated to the Cantwell Hall basement room previously used as a recreation hall and little theater. The school dress code was relaxed over the years, to reflect the more casual life style of southern California.
After many years of fund-raising by Father John Glynn, the McGrath Science Center was erected in 1984 as a modern science facility.
A few years later, Clark Gymnasium became a stunning new addition to the campus. The original gym disappeared because of earthquake safety factors. New tennis courts and an Olympic-size swimming pool rounded out the physical education facilities.
In 1987 the administration of the school changed to reflect the smaller number of Augustinians available for school administration. The role of headmaster, in charge of the day-to-day operation of the school, was assumed for six years by Pat Cestaro, the first lay headmaster of the school. An Augustinian, Brother Gerry Watt '60, and then Father John Pejza, took on the role of President.
Tthe 260 Villanova students continue to reflect intellectual vigor, creative expression, and a strong sense of spiritual values. A strong program of English as a Second Language gives international students the background needed to achieve mastery in English. A master technology plan networks the entire campus, allowing students and faculty greater access to each other and to information through the Internet. A Strategic Plan being developed will take the school into the new millennium. Faculty, parents and students have worked together to develop expected learning outcomes as part of the accreditation process of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
As Villanova celebrated its Diamond Jubilee, we celebrate the past, rejoice in the present, and anticipate the future.
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