GARRETT WAIT
Sports Editor
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Olaf “Oly” Tegner, above with his wife Allie, was involved with Pepperdine over 60 year. He died Sunday at age 87.
The Pepperdine community lost a longtime friend this week when Olaf “Oly” Tegner passed away Sunday at the age of 87.
Tegner, who served as the first dean of Pepperdine’s School of Education, graduated from George Pepperdine College in 1943 with a history major and a minor in psychology. After a brief stint in the military, Tegner rejoined the Pepperdine community by starting the Pepperdine Alumni Association in 1944.
He began teaching at Pepperdine in 1946 as a history professor and 11 years later, was named the head of the education department. Then, in 1970, Tegner was appointed dean of the School of Education, a position he held through the merger with the School of Psychology. He was finally named dean emeritus of the Education Division and continued a relationship with the university until his death on Sunday.
Tegner was often described as a kind man with a heart for volunteer work. Tegner’s impact on GSEP was more than just about education, according to Dean Margaret Weber.
“He had a vision that was about serving and interacting with primarily urban schools,” Weber said. “That had a major impact on this school. He was also very open so when there was the idea that the School of Psychology might become affiliated with the School of Education, he kind of said, “Come join us.’”
Pepperdine President Andrew K. Benton remembered Tegner as a source of knowledge and as a mentor.
“I first met Dr. Tegner when I began my work with Pepperdine 21 years ago,” Benton wrote in an e-mail. “At that point, he had already been with the university for about 40 years, I think. I had a lot to learn and he was a wonderful resource as a teacher.”
Weber, in an address at GSEP last week, had many glowing things to say about Tegner.
“He was a man of kindness and caring,” Weber said. “He was a man of integrity, a man of vision, a man of entrepreneurial spirit and a man of welcoming. And he was a man who saw potential in all. Those are the things I think of as I hear stories about him. They kind of depict how I think of him.”
Benton echoed Weber’s sentiments, calling Tegner “part of the fabric of the institution.”
“I will never forget his sense of humor and his way of bringing people into the Pepperdine family,” Benton said. “He was both a dean and a vice president during his career, but his title should have been ambassador-at-large. In many respects, he is irreplaceable, and in other respects, I suppose, it will take all of us to maintain the spirit he brought to everything he did.”
Pepperdine will pay its final respects to Tegner at an open memorial service in Smothers Theatre at 11 a.m. Friday. In lieu of flowers, the Tegner family is asking that donations be made to the Olaf H. Tegner Endowed Scholarship Foundation.
10-06-2005