At the left. Miss Culter leads a class of high school students in a study o f the Bible. Because o f her love for Christ, stu dent discipline problems are few for Mabel Culter. One of her former students stated, "I couldn't help but want to do that which was right . , . 1 wanted to please Miss Culter. The practical suggestions she of fered will never be forgotten." Below, Miss Culter, again with Bible in hand, confers with two o f her students, LaVerne Gwin and Dennis Ostrom. Per sonal counselling is an important area of service for Mabel Culter. She not only lives by the Bible, but the Bible lives in her.
the former facilities of the exclusive Westlake School for Girls which was moved out of the city. The college, with Dr. Wallace Emerson serving as first president, became Westmont and was later moved to Santa Barbara. The lower grades went forward in Los Angeles as Culter Academy. In 1953 Mabel Culter stepped down as president of the Academy and turned the reins over to Wheaton- and Harvard-trained John Blanchard, great grandson of the founder of Wheaton College. Blanchard has finished his fifth year at the 22-year-old Academy. He is a great believer in prayer and has deep-seated convictions about the value of the Christian day school. “ Young people are like plants,” he says. “ They must be cultivated to produce the best fruits. Evangeliza tion in the public school must be done by trained Christian teachers, not by children. I am happy to say that our graduates are taking up the challenge to live for Christ not only in the field of education but in every phase of world-wide missionary endeavor.” Not long after she retired, Miss Culter heard of The Evangelical Alliance Mission’s plans to start an orphanage in Korea. She encouraged the Mission to hasten it with all speed and not to miss the strategic opportunity. TEAM responded by electing her to go to Korea and establish the home. The result of her work is three orphanages in Pusan. The “Mountain of Blessing Orphanage” is a home for orphans (mainly war orphans) of school age. It is managed by Jim and Barbara (Pietsch) Comelson. T h e s e c ond orphanage cares for abandoned babies and under school aged childen, in the care of Glen and Edith Reaves. The third is a faim orphanage operated by Leo and Zarita Classen for boys who were once beg gars on the street. Today Miss Culter spends her time in the States, raising money for her orphanages and teaching a Bible class at the Academy. “ I’m enjoying life thoroughly,” she says. “ I haven’t anything to do but follow the Lord and have a real good time ”
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assignments, told of distressing problems. They said their Christian pupils were constantly experiencing rebuke for their testimony in difficult school situations. The need for Christian schools was apparent. “ Finally,” says Mabel, “ I decided the Lord wanted me to do something about it.” She did. In 1936, with the promise of one pupil, Mabel opened school in the living room of C. W. Wilson’s house at Mariposa and Marino Streets, Los Angeles. Tuition was set at $150 per year but nobody could pay that in the depression and it was lowered to $35 per student per year. Miss Culter and Rev. and Mrs. Raymond de la Haye and other part-time teach- ers donated their time and worked outside for money to live on. That first year there were seven students in the 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th grades. Next year 43 students; the third, 40, then 80, etc. From the Wilson living room the school was moved to the basement of the Westlake Calvary Church. At this time, Culter Academy came to the attention of Mrs. A. H. Kerr of the Kerr Glass Jar Manufactur ing Corporation who poured a substantial grant into the Academy — enough to establish a college. The School was then moved to its present site —
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FEBRUARY, 1959
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