Nobody took particular notice of him. Partially hidden by the trees, he sat bent over on a low stool, carefully cutting out the small section of stained glass from the bottom panel of the chapel window. Once in a while he would accidentally cut himself on the sharp edges, but his hands had been toughened by a lifetime of shaping glass, and he hardly felt it.
It was finally done - the newly engraved panel of glass was in place: "Donovan Stained Glass, Inc., Robert D. and Bette L. Donovan, Burbank, CA., 1972." It had bee more than twenty years late, but the Donovans had finally signed the Stauffer Chapel stained glass windows, the masterpieces that Robert and Bette had created those many years before. "At this time of our lives, we were looking back on our jobs, and we realized that we had never signed the windows," says Robert. "So, we decided that we had to do it before we died." With their decision made, the two left their home Idaho and headed off on their sentimental journey to Malibu and Pepperdine University.
Both Robert and Bette Donovan appear younger than their 70 years. Robert is a powerfully built man, the opposite of Bette. Slight of build, she barely reaches her husband's shoulder. Yet the two have been a dynamic team that has created some of the largest and most beautiful stained glass creations in the United States and Europe. Bette and Robert were introduced to one another in 1945, and they married shortly thereafter. They started their stained glass business that same year, and in time it became the largest company of its kind in the United States.
The Donovans were a perfect match for their trade. When Robert came out of the service in 1945 there were few jobs to be found. "I was watching a man repair a church window one day," he says, "so I stayed and helped him." Eventually, after years of working in general contracting glass work, Donovan built a reputation and customers came looking for his services.
Bette was also developing her many talents. "My mother was an artist, so I came by it naturally," she says. "Also, a lot of people in the stained glass business helped me learn the trade." The Donovans' vast experience grew over the years as they installed large stained glass artworks in hotels, restaurants, churches, and private homes.
It was 1972, and Beverly Stauffer, wife of John Stauffer of the Stauffer Chemical Company, was actively working with architect John Sheridan on the design of a new chapel on the Malibu campus. Aware of the Donovan's excellent reputation, she chose them as contractors for the chapel windows.
In the beginning, the Donovans certainly had their work cut out for them as conditions were far from perfect. The Pepperdine campus barely existed at the time, and all the roads were unpaved. "There was construction everywhere - and noise, dust, and wind," says Robert. The walls of the chapel were up, and workers were starting to put on the ceiling when the Donovans arrived. The first job was to install all the metal frames for the windows, which took many weeks to shape. This was to be Robert's job, along with the designing and inlaying of all the leading between the pieces of glass.
In the meantime, Bette had her own set of challenges. "I was in charge of the crew of 28 workers who assisted in the construction," she says. "I not only supervised and participated in the cutting of the glass, but I also created the designs." The many thousands of pieces of glass were cut from more than 125 colors of hand-blown glass from the Blenko Glass Company in Milton, West Virginia, one of the oldest antique stained glass companies in America. The Donovans chose this glass because of its refractive capabilities, purity of color, sparkle, and sheen.
In order to work out the pattern for the massive designs, Bette would take measurements of the chapel and then stand on the roof of their Burbank, California, studio. From that vantage point, she could use a loud speaker to direct the drawing of the designs onto large sheets of paper laid out in the parking lot. Once the design was completed, the drawings were cut into puzzled-sized pieces and used as guides in assembling the sections of the stained glass. "From there we had a two-ton truck bring all the materials over to the campus from our studio," says Robert. Even two of the Donovan children, daughter Carol (who did all the office work) and son Robert, participated in the massive job.
Thirteen months later, the job was complete and on November 4, 1973, Stauffer Chapel was dedicated. "The chapel has proved to be a little jewel, which the late Beverly Stauffer was so pleased to give to the University," says Chancellor Emeritus M. Norvel Young.
In 1975, the Donovans retired to Hayden Lake, Idaho. Their children, Carol and Robert, live in Idaho, while their second daughter, Deatra, lives in Beverly Hills, California. "Hayden Lake is a small town where life moves slowly," says Robert, "and there is lots of good hunting and fishing." To the Donovans, it is a welcomed rest after spending most of their lives creating major artworks. "Mentally, and physically, it wears you out," says Robert, "but it has also been a very rewarding life. We feel we have really made our mark in the world."
Before leaving Pepperdine, the Donovans walk around the chapel once again, inspecting their work, admiring the beautiful colors, reminiscing. You can see the pride in their eyes. It was a mighty job, but the result was perfection. Satisfied, they leave the chapel, close the door, and head for home.