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of Representatives in 1936 and served for a decade,
before losing the 1946 election to future president
Richard Nixon. Following in the footsteps of their
mentor, many of the boys Jerry taught and nurtured
also went on to serve and make a difference in
many communities, with future judges, professors,
engineers, mayors, union organizers, professionals,
and humanitarians among the school’s alumni.

Though the Voorhis School for Boys operated for
only one decade before economic problems caused
it to close in 1938, the Mission-style buildings that
still characterize the campus remain as its legacy, as
does the massive swimming pool which once served
as a training facility for the 1932 Summer Olympics
held in nearby Los Angeles. The spirit of the Voorhis
School carries on as well, in the way that Tzu Chi The chapel in 2014
volunteers strive every day to provide love, care,
and opportunities for the underprivileged, both in
the surrounding community and all throughout the
country, just as Jerry Voorhis did so many years ago.

After the Voorhis School closed down, its
campus was donated to the State of California and
transformed into the southern unit of California
Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), based in San
Luis Obispo, two hundred miles north on the Central
Coast. This new satellite campus was tasked with the
university’s entire horticulture program as well as
several other agricultural subjects.

1927 Voorhis School for Boys
1938 California State Polytechnic University
1972 Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College
1998 Los Angeles International Church of Christ
2004 Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation

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