Posted by Wes Bradford on May 30, 2017

Jim Hartman is a member of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary Club and twice Past-President. He grew up in Ohio and completed his education at Ohio University with MEd in Counseling and Student Personnel Services, MA in Sociology, and PhD in Higher Education Administration and Counselor Education. After moving to California, he became Director of Institutional Planning & Accreditation at The Salvation Army College for Officer Training at Crestmont, on Hawthorne Blvd in Rancho Palos Verdes. (This campus was formerly the Loyola Marymount College, which moved to the Miraleste area of Rancho Palos Verdes.)

The Salvation Army was formed in London in 1865 by Rev William Booth, who left his ministry in the Methodist Church to minister to the poor in the East End of London, England. To further its religious commitment for meeting the needs of the disadvantaged, it became a military-like organization with military ranks and uniforms. It spread to other countries, and helped provide important community services to victims of the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Since then, it has grown into one of the world’s largest charitable organizations in 107 countries. It has 4 administrative Territories in the US, including the Western Territory (13 states), providing hundreds of centers for feeding seniors and homeless, low cost senior housing, day care centers, energy assistance programs, addiction treatment services, vocational training, youth centers, residential and day camps, and education and tutoring programs.

The College for Officer Training in Rancho Palos Verdes trains officers to give leadership to these programs and services. There are 4 such colleges in the US, offering a 2-year program for ministry, Bible study, social studies and supervised field-work. Families can live on campus, and spouses who work together are given equal ranks. Graduation is Friday this week. Jim Hartman showed photos of the beautiful campus.