First Presbyterian Church

Old Presby Days For June 22, 2008 to June 21, 2009

Old Presby Days For March 8, 2009

Celebrating 140th Anniversary of First Presbyterian Church, Santa Barbara

Featuring:   VI.  Population Boom Era,  1950 to 1963

 Following World War II, our nation experienced a “population expansion” which has generally been called the “Baby Boom”, and this is our sixth era.  For our area the most dramatic happening was the University of California Santa Barbara being created out of the old state college and then moving it to the old Marine Air Station housing site on the mesa between the Goleta slough and the ocean in 1954.  West of the new campus was the old beachside subdivision of Isla Vista which was quickly turned into student housing facilities.  The airfield north of the slough was turned into Santa Barbara’s airport.  Much of the rest of the valley was converted from farmland into housing and other urban developments during these booming 1950’s and 60’s.

First Church experienced a dramatic membership increase to over 2,000 and the church school had more than 1,000 enrolled by mid-era.  The sanctuary and the rest of the old buildings were remodeled and refurbished.  The long planned Christian Education building on the corner of Anapamu and Anacapa Streets was completed in 1951, and Ruth Meade started as Director of Christian Education that same year.  After several years she was replaced by Betty Pidgeon as DCE, who went on to develop an outstanding children’s choir program.  Also at this time, Rev. Vahe Simonian was hired as Assistant Pastor.

In 1955, Dr. Joseph Ewing resigned and after an interim supply, the congregation called Rev. Lawrence Fisher, DD, in July 1956; the Search committee was headed by John Somerville.  Soon after arriving, Dr Fisher wanted to improve the fellowship in the congregation so coffee was served after each service in the patio.  He chose for his staff Rev. Frederick Wills, as Associate Pastor, and Betty Pidgeon as Director of Christian Education.  During the Cuban missile crisis and afterward, several refugee families were hosted and relocated by our congregation.

During this booming period Cachuma Dam was completed in 1953 assuring an improved water supply.  This was an age of great technological advances with Russia launching the first satellite in 1957, and Vandenberg Base near Lompoc opening that year as one of the US’s launch sites.  Many of the aerospace companies located in Goleta and some of their employees and their families attended First Church.  In 1959 both Alaska and Hawaii were admitted as states.

In 1958 the Chinese Sunday School moved to meet in our buildings.  With the mushrooming membership requiring three worship services on Sunday mornings, the Presbytery and our congregation cooperated to form two new churches on the west side of town.  At the end of 1959, St. Andrew’s in the Hope Ranch area and Goleta Presbyterian in that new urban community were formed; 130 families decided to leave First Church for these new congregations.   Our church was represented in these negotiations by Elders Elmer Sherrill and James Silver.  During this era, our church sponsored a large, very active Boy Scout Troop under the leadership of Jay Torrey, a member of the congregation. 

Recognizing a need for ministering to the students at UCSB, First Church along with others organized the University Religious Conference and called the First Student Pastor, Rev. Robert Howland, a Presbyterian.   In 1960 the Men’s Bible Study class began volunteering to drive a van to provide free transportation to the Sunday morning services.  A difficult period developed in 1961 when the John Birch Society, an ultra conservative political minority, attacked First Church, with falsehoods trying to destroy our strength and dedication.  With the help of Dr. Eugene Carson Blake, President of the National Council of Churches and a Presbyterian Minister, to answer their charges, the issue passed.  Rev. Dean Ellern came in 1962 as Assistant Pastor for five years.  When Rev. Wills chose to leave to head his own church in 1963, the Rev. Robert Miller was called as Associate Pastor.