1960 Presidency of Dr. O.J. Finch begins.

Oscar Finch grew up in Nebraska. Like many farm boys at the turn of the century, Finch had meager schooling; but the open admissions policy of the Nazarene colleges gave him the opportunity to first attend Olivet and then Pasadena College, and he proved his competence, succeeded, and gained his college degree. He returned to the Midwest in 1927 and served there as pastor, district superintendent of the Kansas District, president of Bethany-Peniel College and then as district superintendent of Colorado until his election to the presidency of Pasadena College in 1960.

Finch was not a dynamic speaker or a great pulpiteer. The board, however, was looking for a churchman of "unquestioned church loyalty and affiliation," an administrator who could lead and delegate, and a reconciler who could bring harmony between faculty, students, and constituency. These criteria, and Finch's background, plus his experience on the board, gave legitimacy to his quest and hope that he could step into the volatile situation at the college and bring peace. Finch never saw himself as an educator; at Bethany, at Colorado, and at Pasadena he saw himself as an "interim man" whose task was to face unsettled situations.


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