The Magnificence of Ambassador College

“Recapturing true values”—this was the motto of Ambassador College. Mr. Armstrong wanted the college to reflect the grace, excellence and magnificence of God. His hope was that the quality, beauty and elegance of the campus would inspire the growth and development of godly character and balanced attitudes in Ambassador students.

The property was in a continuous state of improvement, with special focus on horticultural projects, floriculture and floral designs, irrigation and grounds maintenance. Ambassador College was home to more than 1,000 trees, with 47 varieties of flowers and 40 kinds of shrubs. Its grounds featured formal Italian sunken gardens, a reflecting pool and a fountain with five bronze egrets.

Buildings had to be periodically refurbished to maintain their unique look of quality. Many had exquisite interiors constructed of curly birch, Hungarian ash, fumed oak, maple, slash-grained Oregon pine, myrtle, redwood and Peruvian mahogany.

With the purchase of the Fowler estate in 1947, Ambassador College began, and with the purchase, in 1949, of Mayfair (a Tudor-style mansion), expansion began. Over the years, the campus grew, and received community and national recognition for its beautiful environment.

The college’s crowning achievement—Ambassador Auditorium (below)—was completed in 1974. Beloved by the Church as “God’s House,” and home to the headquarters congregation, this multipurpose concert hall seated an audience of 1,262, and, through the years, featured a variety of world-renowned artists, including Arthur Rubinstein, Beverly Sills, Luciano Pavarotti, Mel Torme, Sarah Vaughan, Pearl Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald, Victor Borge, Marcel Marceau, Bing Crosby and Dizzy Gillespie, to name a few. The theater had 16 bronze doors, each weighing 200 pounds. The auditorium’s foyer was decorated with rose onyx and a bronze, 2,500-pound, 30-foot chandelier, with 1,390 crystals from Germany. The grand lobby had a candelabra composed of Baccarat crystal from France. The lobby and lower lounge walls were covered with rose onyx from Turkey and Iran, and the stairway and balcony-level handrails were crafted from a rare African wood, selected for its grain and color, resembling rosewood.
Ambassador College truly reflected quality, refinement, beauty and grace.

Students who felt overwhelmed by the constant activity were told that they were given too many things to do on purpose—so that they would get their priorities straight. True character can only be built under pressure. And Ambassador College was known as a “pressure cooker.” It was commonly said that “One year at Ambassador College was the equivalent of four years in ‘the field.’”

Stepping Into the World of Television

By 1950, there were 74 million television sets in America. In 1955, 7.8 million more sets were produced. It was beginning to look like radio would soon be replaced by TV.

Always looking to employ the latest, most efficient technology to do the Work, Mr. Armstrong and others around him felt it was time to broadcast The World Tomorrowprogram on television. He knew and understood that this emerging medium would allow the gospel message to reach even more people.

Yet, after careful review, Mr. Armstrong learned that radio was not “dead” after all. In 1955, there were about 14.5 million radios produced. Many consumers were buying two to four radios per household, while the average home had only one television.

In 1956, the radio program was broadcast to Asia and parts of Africa.

The following year, The Plain Truth graduated to two colors, with booklets being produced in Spanish. And the Church, with growing congregations being led by trained ministers, had increased to about 2,750 people.

Over the next few years, TV sets saturated the nation, eventually causing radio to take a back seat to this more efficient and effective medium. In 1967, God opened the door, andThe World Tomorrow television program began to be aired in households across America.

Tragedy Strikes

Upon graduating from Ambassador College, Richard D. Armstrong was ordained into the full-time ministry. It was he who set up the London mailing address for radio listeners in Europe to send in their requests. Later, he became pastor over the Riverside, California church.
In late July 1958, Richard Armstrong and another man were on a baptizing tour, driving northward up the Pacific Coast. The road they were taking, Highway 101, was a dual highway, with one-way traffic on each side, divided by a short space. As they drove at night, the men did not notice that the highway became separated, with two parallel lanes divided by a much wider section of land.

They were driving on the wrong side of the road! Before they knew what was happening, their car was hit head-on, resulting in a three-car crash. Richard Armstrong was knocked unconscious and taken to a nearby hospital.

By the time Mr. Armstrong rushed to his bedside, his son was conscious, but in critical condition. His jaw was broken in several places. The accident had shoved his heart over to the middle of his chest. His left lung had collapsed, and his kidneys were not functioning. The doctors felt it necessary to move him to a medical center in Los Angeles, where an artificial kidney would be used to stimulate his own kidneys.

But after the ambulance trip there, Richard D. Armstrong died. He was survived by a wife and baby boy.

The following excerpts from Mr. Armstrong’s autobiography reveal how the tragic loss of their firstborn son deeply affected both him and Mrs. Armstrong:
“But the great God had plans I did not know. I was perfectly satisfied with the one son. We did not plan to have another. A year and four months later, Garner Ted was born—and I then felt doubly blessed—with two sons.

“But when God took from me—or allowed to be taken—my firstborn son, on July 30, 1958—less than three months before his thirtieth birthday—well, it seemed that I could have some little understanding of how Abraham must have felt when he expected to have to give up his son Isaac—or even God the Father of all, in giving His Son Jesus Christ for me as well as for the world.

“Dick’s death occurred early Wednesday morning, July 30, 1958. The accident had occurred the preceding Wednesday morning. The funeral was set for Friday, August 1. The day in between, Thursday July 31, Mrs. Armstrong and I shared a very sorrowful 41st wedding anniversary.

“On Wednesday...I drove in my car to inspect cemeteries—which I had not had occasion to do before in Pasadena. I do not now remember whether Mrs. Armstrong and Lois went along. Necessary arrangements were completed.”

“To say that my comparatively brief graveside sermon was an ordeal would be a gross understatement. I had learned, many years before, in conducting many funerals, to steel my nerves and remain calm, with controlled emotions. But speaking at Dick’s funeral was altogether different. I found myself speaking in a louder, more concentrated voice than usual in a supreme effort to prevent emotional loss of control.

“I remember quoting a portion of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, regarding the duty of those of us remaining to carry on the great work to which God had called us.

“My first impulse was to remain away from the Saturday afternoon college church service. I didn’t want to see anybody. Nor did Mrs. Armstrong. But then I realized it was my duty to attend.

“I thought of entering at the last moment, and sitting in the front row before any could speak to me or offer condolences. But then I realized that some of the students had erroneously assumed that ministers were under such divine protection that no such tragedy could occur to one of them. Dick’s accident and death might shatter this faith. I knew I had to bring a message that would bolster and strengthen, not destroy, faith.

“These experiences were perhaps the most severe test I had ever been called on to experience. But of course I knew where to go for strength, wisdom, and help.”

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