Concordia College - Corona Borealis Yearbook (Edmonton, Alberta Canada)

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President H. Meyer was ex officio member and in his place -a year latet the Rev. A. J. Mueller, president of the newly organized Alberta-British Columbia District. This an¬ nouncement furnished the new school its official name, Concordia College. The election for the principalship of the college was held in Calgary on July 5th, 1921, at the first convention of the new district, and under the chairmanship of Vice-President G. A. Bernthal of California Pastor John E. Herzer of Calgary, who as chairman of the pas¬ toral conference had done much work preparatory to the formation of the district and the founding of the college, was elected. He declined this call. It was then extended to Pastor A. H. Schwermann of Wetaskiwin, who had served Alberta mission parishes since his graduation eight years before. He accepted the call, and moved to Edmonton August 18, 1921. Rented Buildings Provide First Home for College In conformity with the synodical resolution earnest attempts were made to open the new school in September. One of the first matters to demand attention was the renting of a suitable building—for how many students? The answer could at first be based on guess-work only. Pessimists predicted an enrolment of 8-12, realists 13-18, and optimists 19-25 students. The optimists won; and so as lease was taken on the Cale¬ donian Temperance Hotel at 10875 98th Street, but possession could not be obtained until October 16. This boarding-house offered accommodation for a maximum of 25 students on the second and third floor. The first story was to be used as a class room and as residence for the principal’s family, and the basement for the kitchen and dining room. By the early part of October twenty-five announcements had arrived, and more were coming daily. Officials became restless; shall we refuse admission to boys for lack of room? Promptly the Board resolved to rent another building. Days packed with worry sped by until the good Lord finally moved the owners of a Lutheran hospice to place their premises at our disposal. This building at 9529 110th Avenue provided room for the college dining room, kitchen, and infirmary, and for the family of the principal. Barely two weeks remained to convert a badly delapidated boarding house into a habitable college building. The heroic work required to achieve this almost impossible task is known only to those members of our congregations who volunteered to lend a helping hand under the valiant leadership of Pastors Rehwinkel and Eberhardt. The installation of Principal Schwermann was set for Sunday, October 30, 1921. The Rev. Wm. Hagen of Detroit delivered the installation sermon, and as representative of the Board of Directors offered much valuable advice on vexing problems in long meetings with the Board of Control. Pastor Hagen’s attitude was one of sincere kind¬ ness and understanding—a characteristic of all synodical officials with whom we had to deal during the past twenty-five years. President A. J. Mueller conducted the instal¬ lation ceremony, which took place in the National Hall on 109th Avenue. Among the many visitors were the pastors of Alberta and British Columbia, who had been in session as a pastoral conference at Leduc. Pastor Paul Wiegner of Saskatchewan delivered a Reformation sermon in the afternoon. College Opened October 31, 1921 On the following day, Monday, October 31, 1921, the college was officially open¬ ed with a service in St. Peter’s church, the principal basing his address on the motto of the college: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. Ill, 10). No fewer than thirty-three boys answered the roll call, and two more appeared later. Thirty-five students! What a blessing of the Lord! With much trepidation and a prayerful heart the principal entered the class room on Tuesday, November- 1, at 1:45 p.m. and began the first lecture. 9

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Then came rapid progress. At the convention of the Minnesota District in St. Paul in 1919 the representatives of Western Canada requested (a) Permission to form two separate synodical districts, (b) Approval of a petition to the Synod to organize an educational institution. Both requests were readily granted. Synod at Detroit in 1920 Resolved to Found College in Western Canada Came the eventful session of Synod in 1920 at Detroit. Chief spokesman for the Western Canadians was President Herman Meyer of the Minnesota District. His masterly presentation of Canadian needs carried conviction and resulted in the follow¬ ing action of Synod: (1) To establish a college in Western Canada, which is to organize the freshman high school class (sexta) in September, 1921, and to add classes and buildings as the need arises; (2) To empower the Board of Directors to select the location; (3) To appropriate $50,000 for buildings exclusive of $22,000, which is anticipated from the brethren in Canada. These resolutions mark a distinct epoch in the history of our church in Western Canada, for they gave to our mission work in this large territory the character of per¬ manence and stability—a stability which had already been achieved by the Ohio Synod, the General Council, and the Norwegians, when some years before they had founded institutions of higher learning at Melville, Saskatoon, and Camrose, resp. In conformity with instructions received at Detroit, the Board of Directors oc¬ cupied itself with the problem of finding a permanent home for this new child in the family of synodical schools. As its representatives, President Dr. F. Pfotenhauer and Mr. Henry Horst of Rock Island, Ill., started a long journey on November 7, 1920, and visited Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, and Regina, with a stop-over in St. Paul, where they conferred with the Mission Board of the Minnesota District. After hearing a detailed report of this committee, ' the Board of Directors, on December 4, 1920, unanimously selected Edmonton as the site for our Canadian college. Edmonton is the capital of the province of Alberta, 800 miles west of Winnipeg and 800 miles east of Vancouver, and some 350 miles north of the Montana boundary. At that time its population numbered 66,000 (today, 1946, 111,000), and it is the centre of a sizeable Lutheran constituency. For many years our members in Saskatchewan and Manitoba had taken a keen interest in the founding of a college. Convinced that a college at Saskatoon would serve the church more adequately, these brethren addressed a petition to Synod at Ft. Wayne in 1923 that the institution be moved, yet at the same time they gave commend¬ able support to Edmonton, for already in the second year they had enrolled no fewer than nineteen boys from their midst. The Synod referred this request to its Board of Directors for further study and action. The final decision of tne Board was made on September 10, 1924, in favor of Edmonton. Appointment of First Board of Control and Election of First Principal, 1921 Under date of January 25, 1921, Dr. Pfotenhauer announced in the “Lutheraner” the appointment of the first Board of Control, viz., the pastors E. Eberhardt and A. M. Rehwinkel, and Messrs. Jacob Ulmer, Henry G. Maschmeyer, and Edward Schmidt. 8

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The new ship Concordia had now been launched under auspicious circumstances and set out on its voyage. A thousand and one details, which in a well established school are done by routine, required attention, often long study. There were no pre¬ cedents, no older students to guide the new ones; they were all inexperienced, like their teachers. “What shall we do with our laundry?” “Where can I find a dentist?” “Who cashes money orders?” “Where can I have my watch repaired?” “In which store can I buy a cap?” Students directed such and similar questions point-blank at the harassed head of the school in uncomfortable profusion. Mrs. Schwermann, who during the first year had charge of the meal service, added to this profusion by frequently interrupting the meditations of her husband with inquiries concerning the commissary department: “We have no more coal; from whom shall I order a load?” “Mr. Smith will send us some eggs, if we give him a crate; where can I get one?” “The hot water tank is leak¬ ing; which plumber shall I call?” “Student Jones is over here with a deep cut in his finger; have you any peroxide and bandages?” “The freight office called just now and said that a carload of potatoes and vegetables had arrived from Stony Plain; who is to unload this?” Still more serious were the problems bearing on the academic work of the institution. The course of studies was to be similar to the one used in our Ameri¬ can colleges, and it was to conform as much as possible to the one used in Alberta high schools. Just what were these courses? and what books were required? and who were the publishers? Most of the students came with a grade eight diploma; but others had completed only grade seven or even six. What was to be done with these? It is doubt¬ ful whether a solution to many of these truly perplexing problems would have been found, if God in His grace had not given us the noble services of the Rev. Alfred M. Rehwinkel. Although sufficiently occupied with work as pastor of St. Peter’s church, he nevertheless kindly consented to serve as assistant instructor, teaching thirteen periods per week in history, science, geography, and German. He was ever ready to advise and to help. The monumental work performed by him in establishing our Canadian school of the prophets shall ever be held in grateful remembrance. And so the days passed. Multitudinous duties in weeks that offered no relaxation and little time for rest and sleep brought both teachers repeatedly to the verge of ex¬ haustion. A compassionate Board of Control secured the services of seminary student Herman D. Seyer, who arrived after Christmas, taught mathematics and German, and used eighteen periods per week for tutoring the academically deficient. Students were laid up with diphtheria and measles; Mrs. Rehwinkel underwent a serious operation in Rochester; critical illness (that of his children, his wife, and his own) afflicted the home of the principal from New Year to Easter. But in all the hours of perplexity and dis¬ tress there had been innumerable manifestations of the truth of God’s promise: “As thy days, so shall thy strength be”. The prayers of thanksgiving spoken at the close of the first school-year on July 14, 1922, came from the depths of g. ateful hearts. Further Development of High School Department In the next successive years, with a respective enrolment of 51, 48, 65, and 68, grades ten, eleven, and twelve were added. In 1922 the Rev. A. M. Rehwinkel, M.A., B.D., was elected as regular professor, and Mr. ]. H. Herreilers of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, was employed as assistant instructor and served as such until 1924. He was then added to the permanent staff, where he has to this day rendered conspicuously faithful service as teacher and treasurer of the college. The Rev. W. A. Baepler of Winnipeg, who later took an active part in the buildin g program, joined the faculty as regularly elected professor in 1923. Assistance in teaching was also given by the semin¬ ary students H. Earl Miller T24-’25), Karl f. Arndt (’25-’26), and the Rev. Fr. Baepler (’25). When in 1924 the enrolment had grown to 65 students, additional room was provided in a residence at 9522 110th Avenue. The following year this was relinquished in favor of the larger Vinegrove Apartments at the southeast corner of 96th Street and 109th Avenue. 10