Thousand Oaks is a city in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately 15 miles (24 km) from the city of Los Angeles and 40 miles (64 km) from Downtown Los Angeles. The second-largest city in Ventura County, California, it is named after the many oak trees present in the area.
California Lutheran University is a private university in Thousand Oaks, California. It was founded in 1959 and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, but is nonsectarian. It opened in 1960 as California Lutheran College and was California's first four-year liberal arts college and the first four-year private college in Ventura County. It changed its name to California Lutheran University on January 1, 1986.
Newbury Park is a populated place and town in Ventura County, California, United States. Most of it lies within the western Thousand Oaks city limits, while unincorporated areas include Casa Conejo and Ventu Park. The town is located in Southern California around 8 miles (13 km) from the Pacific Ocean and has a mild year-round climate, scenic mountains, and environmental preservation. About 28,000 residents of Thousand Oaks reside in Newbury Park.
The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is a performing arts center and city hall for the city of Thousand Oaks, California. Across Thousand Oaks Boulevard from Gardens of the World, the site is considered the downtown core of the city. City hall includes Planning and Building Department, Public Works and other city departments. A park within the site is named for Richard Carpenter and his wife Mary.
Donald P. Bielke was an American basketball player.
Orville Dahl was an American academic. He was the first president of California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California from 1959-1962.
The 1971 NAIA Division II football season was the 16th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA and the second season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football. The season was played from August to November 1971 and culminated in the 1971 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played on December 11, 1971 in Thousand Oaks, California, on the campus of California Lutheran University.
Arroyo Conejo Open Space is a 302-acre (122 ha) open space reserve in the western Simi Hills in northern Newbury Park, Ventura County, California. Most of it is part of the 250-acre (100 ha) Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve.
Norwegian Colony was a Norwegian community in Thousand Oaks, California, in the 1890s and early 20th century. They were among the first pioneers to settle in the Conejo Valley, and was perhaps the most successful colony in Ventura County at the time. The group of Norwegians had emigrated from Norway due to lack of land and widespread starvation, and had first settled in Santa Barbara in 1885. After being told about the cheap land in the Conejo Valley, they relocated to what became the Norwegian Colony in 1890-91. The colony consisted of five families: the Olsen, Andersen (Anderson), Pedersen (Pederson), Nilsen and Hansen families.
Robert F. Shoup is a retired American football coach and former player. He was the head coach at California Lutheran University from 1962 to 1989, compiling a career coaching record of 185–87–6. Shoup led Cal Lutheran to the NAIA Division II Football Championship in 1971. 186 of his players would later become coaches. He also helped to bring the Dallas Cowboys NFL team to the university. He was able to spend time around the team's players and coaches, including Tom Landry, and was able to pick up techniques for his team. Landry and Shoup also put together two major events each summer: a coaching clinic that drew as many as 500 people and a charity function known as the Christian Businessmen's Club Day. He was also the head coach for the college's golf program for ten years, 1976-1986.
Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD) is the park management agency for most of the parks in the Conejo Valley, California. Established in 1962, CRPD later established Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA) in 1977 through a joint effort with the City of Thousand Oaks. COSCA administers over 15,000 acres of open space and 140 miles of trails, while CRPD administers over 50 community parks. In 2019, CRPD's annual operating budget was $20 million, of which about 70% comes from property taxes.
Pederson House and Water Tower is located at the campus of California Lutheran University (CLU) in Thousand Oaks, California, the former home of the Norwegian Colony. It was built by members of the Colony that settled here in 1890. The structure is designated Ventura County Historic Landmark No. 45 and Thousand Oaks Historical Landmark No. 3. It is a typical turn-of-the-century farmhouse constructed in 1913-14 for Lars and Karn Pederson, Norwegian immigrants and members of the Norwegian Colony, who had first settled in Conejo Valley in 1890. The house was erected at the present location of Ahmanson Science Center, but was later relocated 500 feet (150 m) to its current location at the corner of Regent Avenue and Faculty Street. When its original location was determined to become a science building, the university was quoted $125,000 in moving costs, and therefore planned to demolish the house. However, CLU alumni were able to raise the amount in one day and were successful in saving the house.
The Cal Lutheran Kingsmen and Regals are the athletic teams that represent California Lutheran University, located in Thousand Oaks, California, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) since the 1991–92 academic year. The Kingsmen and Regals previously competed in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) 1986–87 to 1988–89; and as an NAIA Independent from 1989–90 to 1990–91.
Raymond M. Olson was the second President of California Lutheran College in Thousand Oaks, California, from 1963 to 1971. During Olson's tenure as president, the size of the college tripled.
Jerry H. Miller was the fourth President of California Lutheran University, from 1981-1992. Under his tenure, Cal Lutheran finalized a $70-million expansion plan and built a library, chapel, science center, and residence hall. Controversies during his tenure included the handling of Coach Bob Shoup, who was fired in 1989 although claiming to have been promised a lifetime contract. Another controversy was the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing’s investigation of claims of age discrimination by Coach Don Green. Miller denied that personnel controversies forced him to move positions when he resigned in 1992 and became a chancellor in charge of development and fundraising.
Sir Bernardus “Ben” Matheus Antonius Weber was a Dutch sculptor, draughtsman, and pastellist. He received the honor of knighthood in the Dutch Order of Orange-Nassau by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands in 1977. Weber was a professor at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California for 22 years where he also served as the university's artist-in-residence. He operated his own Thousand Oaks art studio with clients such as Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands along with collectors from Beverly Hills and Hollywood. Some of his notable works include the 15-foot Enormous Luther (“Gumby”) statue at Falde Plaza on the Cal Lutheran campus as well as art utilized in films, including the Oscar-winning Doris Day film Pillow Talk (1959).
Barbara Jane Collins was an American writer, ecologist, geologist, botanist, and professor. She was the founder of the Barbara Collins Arboretum at the campus of California Lutheran University where she was a professor for 50 years. She was instrumental in the preservation of Wildwood Mesa and received a commendation from the Mayor of Thousand Oaks, California for her preservation efforts. At Cal Lutheran, she created a website which cataloged over 3,000 plant species and was the sole member of the Interdisciplinary Major Committee for thirty years. She was among the first faculty at both California Lutheran University (CLU) and California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Collins was also the first woman to earn a doctoral degree in geology from the University of Illinois.
James Gus Kallas is an author, theologian, football player, and football coach. He was the president of Dana College from 1978 to 1984. He was an assistant football coach and chaplain at California Lutheran College (CLC) from 1961 to 1978 and was the college’s first chair of the Religion Department. Prior to his career at CLC, he was an NFL player for the Chicago Bears. After his time at CLC, he served as president of Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, and was knighted with the Order of the Dannebrog by Margrethe II of Denmark for his work there. He was inducted into the California Lutheran Alumni Association Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. He also helped to recruit Robert Shoup as the college’s first football coach.
