Concordia College - Spire / Concordian Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

Page 19 text:

Dedicatory gcc;89y Day or night, the door of my house and the door of my heart will always be open to you! These words were addressed to the stu- dents of Concordia College by the Reverend Martin Luecke, when he entered upon his duties as director of the institution. They form a fitting expression of the sentiment uppermost in his mind and heart throughout the performance of his duties as ' house father ' of the college family which consists of the boys confided to his care. Love for his college boys is the leading characteristic revealed in all his planning and in the execu- tion of his numerous duties as well as in his general attitude towards the students. The position of a director in our college is an extremely trying and difficult one. In a facetious mood a prominent educator of our country once said that college boys were ' a set of civilized barbarians. ' This may be an overstatement of the case, but still there is some truth in it. To gain and to retain the love and confidence of young independent Americans and, at the same time, to govern and lead them with a firm hand is almost as difficult a task as the work of winning a lot of real barbarians. It requires the heart of a father, the mind of a diplomat, the perseverance of a trainer, and the firmness of a ruling monarch.