St Olaf College - Viking Yearbook (Northfield, MN)

Page 22 text:

l if E A s 22 jj' ' gggdg-3 .7 91 I 'Si 136 tmyfq li ,rx f' ,F ,fail , X' 'f-, .- X: -' . , . x I ,L I ,'. y ., N. . , . -,, 'm iffittset fi-im b , we 1' I an ,A.,.. x,A. K 5 F5 Her xt' V -' -- m t !1w s a.., fl' ,gess...l-f e fd 7 7 7: 1 YY -4 B F X X X, XL. .J .. .N .. .A - - , -fxmv .6-, - L,NfL::',J'Si'i -:h w ,Q xg:- q:::91w,g gg-ago-:.j3f,.r,'s,.-f-'.-f.,X-,g ,agqg f-:A-'g.91,NN-fx.,-f..fx..A,y,.. f-'N--'xr-fx.6?'.f Nc: -f ---J -X,,-- .ff N fx, fx, -...fy tw ,J ff Q fn s 5 'N to the equipment. An endowment fund of S250,000 had been gathered. The college had a host of friends and the unanimous support of the United Church. Truly it was a remark- able record Prof. Kildahl made as president of St. Olaf College. In 1914 the Church called Prof. Kildahl to the Theological Seminary in St. Paul. There his major subjects were dogmatics and homiletics. He retained these subjects after the union in 1917, at Luther Theological Seminary. In 1912 he was given the degree Doctor Divinitatus by the Board of Education of the Minnesota Conference of the Augustana Synod. In 1905 he was made a Knight of the Order of St. Olaf by King Haakon, the Sev- enth, of Norway, Dr. Kildahl was especially gifted as a preacher of the Gospel, It was his great de- light to proclaim the glad tidings of the grace of God in Christ jesus. After he became professor he continued preaching both as pastor of the St. Iohn's congregation in North- field and at the VVartburg church in St. Paul and in every part of the Church. Everywhere people crowded the churches to hear him. He was a born leader. This was recognized immediately upon his graduation from the Seminary in the theological controversies of the day. He was secretary of the United Church from 1890 to 1895 and vice president from 1912 to 1917 Then he was elected vice president of the Norvx egran Lutheran Church of America Space forbids mention of the many committees on which he served Dr Krldahl lrved a simple life He was methodical rn his habits He knew how to use hrs time and was a very hard worker Hrs sympathy for all kinds and conditions of men was strikingly manifest He enjoyed the good things of life especially books and music He found great recreation rn cultivating flowers He preferred to call himself an orthodox pretist His life adorned hrs confession Dr Krldahl was never a strong man physically VVh1le a student at the Seminary he suffered a severe attack of appendrcrtrs Hrs stomach always bothered him He xr as forced to submit to two naJor operations But he had a marvelous recuperatrve ability During the summer of 1970 he seemed to be especially strong But early in September a slight stroke of paraly sis warned him of his weakness In a couple of rr eeks he again suffered a more serious stroke From this he did not recover He fell asleep rn Jesus m the I'arrxrew Hospital of Minneapolis Saturday September 25 The news of his death cau ed widespread sorrow Four funeral services xr ere held Ilhe hrst was in the chapel of Luther Theological Seminary Iihere Dr Bvickmar hrs friend and co laborer for many years preached the sermon In the afternoon of the same day September 28 the official service of the Church was held rn Pethlehem church of Mrnneapo l1s The next forenoon St Olaf College paid honor to his memory Drs Mellby Hegland and Cowling paid tribute to the great teacher who had passed on In the afternoon Hnal serxrces rx ere conducted rn the St johns church with Rev C I Eastvold and president L W Boe as the chief speakers and tributes from far and near The remains were lard rn Oaklarxn Cerneterv to rest until the resurrection morn God give us men strong men of noble rnren Who ace the 111 of life with soul serene Men who will honor thee with heart sincere Men who will serve the truth without a fear Men wro a false ambition cant entice Men wro will form no partnership with vice Men wio for winning favor will not lie Men whose strong will no grasping greed can bend Meir to the best in other men a friend Nor to self more true than to another Such men as these O God we pray thee ffr That men more like to Thee may learn to live CARL M Wnswlc .0.,..Z.K A IS jj . . V -. . h L . . ? 1 SX . Y - A . . . . - I , X . I . - . . . . . I 1 A . . - . . 4 . V. 1 . . , . , , V - I v , . ' S ' . . . . ,. ' . . , - . 1 ' . . , ' . ' ' , f , ' ' D . . V r, 1 fl - - ! ' V Y I ' J . . - 5 . I , , . D y ' , J ' - . N I Y ' v - ' I ' - 1 . . . A - I . . . . 1 ' Y . ff ' v I Y f 5 7 H ' 'L . 1 ' ' 1 - . Y Z 5 . . ' . i . , y , 5 Y A V 1 1 D Ve, I ' ' sv ,fy ' 56 Q . 4 . .. ,sn fp., Sgt f r fzf7'Zifr'ff-W-V.. ,ami ,, .. V..-A -- WLM... 1 iffy? gjigttw'- L'4m' ' 4'-flffff-555-0441222412-wMff't2'ffefffrfH'em'-QfzfazffwwwHgNeffreqwiyigiaQfaaa...i...Q,ww3454213,Q -,,gg,5 ------- - ----- W N ,.... a...a,..MzaaN ..... .... W N-ff-:g'-Qgalijgz Namggjim, Wg- aa...---ve., --- V v-v- W- --- - f 1 g 1

Page 21 text:

1 1 w I .1 WA lii :,1 ' n fixrf a i fl .i 4 Q 1. -'13 ' .,.. .aL, ,rl -ff' fe'f2-Sf' lsffw-item, W .. as . 4 1' ffw rtffritfa a 'Pa f Lf li - r ' I - .Z px -x.fwf.J-.Jssaec-fa,Af Y-.af-s.,A..N.sf-f,61--Q--'XJ-f-'emu'- N--'fwx9'f'-I cz: --Cf--x.,-is--F- f-Vern: r'r'N f3 'D 1 ,Iohn Nathan Kildahl was born at Namdalseidet, lndherred, near Throndhjem, Nor- Q way, on January -l, 1857. I-lis parents were Johan Kildahl and wife Nikoline nee Bewarp. lv In order to better their conditions the family emigrated to America in 1866. They left their 1 home in Norway on the 'fourteenth of May and reached Red Vkfing, Minnesota, August 9. l On that evening Rev. B. I. Muus. the founder of St. Olaf College, conducted services in the . court house in Red Wiiig. The Kildahl family attended the services. Rev. Muus encour- ,f aged the father to come out to his parish in Goodliue county. The invitation was gladly ac- Xf cepted. if Rev. Muus gave the father employment as a parochial school teacher. In a couple of , years he managed to secure forty acres of the so-called railroad land in the town of Leon. 'D There they lived in a dugout in the side of a hill. The father was taken ill and did not re- Q cover his health for many years. just how they managed to live is difficult to exp-lain. By J the gracious Providence of God the mother was able to provide food for the family. And Q the children were richly nourished with the milk of the work of God. I Young John Kildahl was confirmed in the spring of 1872. in the Holden church. by XX Pastor Muus. After some instruction in the parsonage he entered Luther College in the winter of 1.87-1. Luther College was at that time the only college supported by Norwegian KX Lutherans in -America. Dr. Lauritz Larsen was president. It was here that Kildahl re- ceived the solid training which tl1C'Cl3.SS1C3.l courselprovides. He had to work his own way Fx through school. In this he was assisted by the credit which Rev. Muus secured for him. He Q' ' graduated in 1879. ll In the fall of 1879 he entered Luther Seminary, then located at Madison, Vllisconsin, 7 on the shore of Lake Monona. It was during the last year of his stay at the Seminary that Q the great crisis in his spiritual life came. Awakened by a chance question of a relative, he V was for some months in great spiritual trouble. But by the assistance of one of the older l students, he was led to accept the grace of God in Jesus Christ and knew himself justified IG' by faith without the works of the law. After graduating from Luther Seminary in june. X 1882, he became pastor of Vang's and Urlandls congregations in Goodhue county. Minnesota. lx Here he was married to Miss Bertha Soine. She together with four children now survive him. Karl is pastor in Clifford, North Dakotag Johan is pastor in Owatonna, Minn.: Lars is Q! superintendent of schools in North Branch, Minn.g Anna is wife of Rev. H. S. Bly of Phil- T. lips, South Dakota. X His pastorate in Goodhue county lasted until 1889. He spent the winter 1885-86 in J Red VVing as president of Hauge's Seminary. He made some trips into the home mission territory of northwest Minnesota and North Dakota. I-Ie also took active part in the con- troversy about election and predestination. He and his congregation left the Norwegian 5' Synod in 1887. But he was opposed to organizing a new synod. I-Ie worked hard for the Lx union of already existing church bodies, which resulted in the organization of the United ,, Norwegian Lutheran Church in 1890. K In 1889 he accepted a call of the Bethlehem church congregation of Chicago. His B pastorate there lasted ten years. They were very important years of his life. I-Ie gained 15 great favor as a preacher and as a pastor. A blessed revival swept over his congregation as due to his great personal influence. He toiled amongst all classes of people and his great Q, efforts were richly rewarded. Personally he always considered these years the richest in his life. if Rev. Kildahl became president of St. Olaf College in the autumn of 1899. This school had been fighting for its existence for years. The physical equipment of the school at that ly time consisted of the Old Main building and the frame building known as the Ladies' Hall. il During his first year as president there were 9 teachers and 178 students. Of the latter 108 were new students. VVhen he resigned in 1914 there were 33 teachers and 508 students. Ytterboe Hall, Stensland Library, I-Ioyme Memorial Chapel, and Mohn Hall had been added so ff If ,,,,,, M ,,,W,,43Qif, V .21 f 5. --'- ,,-4, f-,, . . H .,,, ,gil '---: M

Page 23 text:

2' V 1. -Q .'fJ '+ffff'2TT 1 VV? A ' si r 21 SRL 115.2 5 f- ' .. cf wg xv ,, M Q 19 - ,Q fb- f , 11 - - bf if ,fwm 9'J1.f f 1 91 5 9 . ':. xQA HQ fs an w-J X E D I '+ -... .. ....1-- qw 1 1' 1 fl ' 1 L . 1 S 11 1 ti' 1 Q ',, 1 1 1 I i 1 71 N f 1 1 1 1 1 5 , , .1 1- j 1,-, L I 71 QYVY 5 . G 1 U ff 13 i - , ' . h .by-2 ii, , ? 1 1 1 HSE!! . In 'son - - Q 5 1 J 1