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

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for day students only, was then discontinued in the year 1931, and the badly delapid- ated dormitory buildings were sold for $300. It had become evident that girls pre¬ paring for the teaching profession did not receive adequate training in a school in which the curriculum had been designed for ministerial students only; and a limited staff did not permit the introduction of a number of courses required as prerequisite for normal training. After the introduction of the provincial high school course, however, co-eds enrolled again. Five appeared in the fall of 1941, and then their number grew to thir¬ teen in ’42, fifteen in ’43, twenty-two in ’44, and twenty-eight in ’45. They receive me als in the college dining room and lodging in homes near the school. During the year 1945-46 eighteen had residence in the homes of our professors. Provincial High School Course Introduced in 1939 Already in the early thirties serious thought was given to accreditation, and various surveys were made by the faculty. However, since Synod was contemplating a reorganization of its educational system and the provincial Department of Education had in mind to make far-reaching changes in the high school courses, no action was taken until the latter part of the thirties. Encouragement to seek such accreditation was given by the fact that some of our ministerial graduates were refused admission to universities because they had not received their training in an accredited school, and also by the fact that the synodical Board for Higher Education had suggested in 1937 that “each institution should meet the state or regional requirements for graduation from high school”. Accordingly, the provincial course of studies as prescribed for the high school of Alberta was introduced in 1939. This necessitated the introduction of textbooks prescribed by the Department, reduction of forty-five to thirty-five minute periods, and for our teachers four to six courses at the University of Alberta for the purpose of ultimately acquiring the degree of Bachelor of Education, or its equivalent. All members of our staff have met this requirement or are in the process of meeting it. In order to obtain 100 credits for a high school diploma, students of grades ten and eleven must be promoted by accredited teachers, and they must pass the prov¬ incial examinations set for grade twelve by the Department of Education and corrected by them. Students are promoted by subjects, not by grades. When this course was introduced in 1939, grade nine (sexta) was at least temporarily eliminated, because its retention would have required an additional accredited teacher. And furthermore, grade nine is no more part of a provincial senior high school. The former division of eight and four grades has been replaced by the six-three-three system, which makes grade nine part of the intermediate school. Since the introduction of this new division many parents prefer to keep their boys and girls home until they have completed the intermediate school. The college is visited annually by provincial inspectors and in¬ variably receives words of commendation from them. Its students have done good work in their final examinations and in achievement have held second or third place among the hundreds of provincial high schools. Junior College Department Added in 1926 Since by resolution of Synod in 1926 the scope of our school was enlarged to a junior college, the freshman college class was organized in the fall of 1926 and the sophomore class in 1927. On June 19, 1928, the first college class was graduated, and of its nine members eight proceeded to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and later en¬ tered the ministry. The present writer cheerfully pays well-deserved tribute to the 14

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vice. In the ensuing meetings arrangements were made with the city land department to exchange on even terms the eleven lots at the north end of our property (along a street car line) for eleven more serviceable lots along Jasper Avenue immediately to the east of the college grounds, across Seventy-first Street. The contract for four houses, designed by architects MacDonald and Magoon, was let to Thomas Ingram on June 24, 1930. This building program was completed in the fall of the same year at a cost of $39,466. The Tax Case in 1930 The Edmonton Charter exempts the following lands from municipal and school taxes: “The land not exceeding four acres of and attached to or otherwise bona-fide used in connection with and for the purposes of any university, college, high school, public or separate school, seminary of learning or hospital owned by a corporation ... so long as such land is actually used and occupied by such institution but not if otherwise occupied”. Before proceeding with any plans for new residences, our Board addressed a letter under date of August 3, 1929, to the city assessor with the question: “Are teachers’ residences considered to be ‘buildings used in connection with and for the use of colleges’ and therefore exempt from taxation?” The assessor referred the question to the city solicitor with the statement: They wish to have full assurance on the matter of exemption before proceeding [with an extensive building program]”. The solicitor gave it as his opinion that land occupied by residences used by instructors of the college are exempt, and this opinion was communicated to our Board by the city assessor. It came, therefore, as a rude shock when, after the residences had been erected in 1930, our Board of Control received notice from this same city assessor that these houses had been placed on the list of taxable property. Our complaints and arguments resulted in the decision of the city’s legal department to place the matter before the Supreme Court in the form of a test case. The case was presented on September 20, 1932, before the trial judge, and his judgment was in our favor. He held that residences occupied by our professors are used “for college purposes” and therefore entitled to tax exemption. In an appeal on June 8, 1933, the appellate division reversed the judg¬ ment of the trial judge. Their contention was that ‘‘the land on which these pro¬ fessors’ residences are located is used and occupied by men who are in the employ of the institution, which does not constitute occupation by the institution”. There¬ upon the case was submitted to the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa, where on February 6, 1934, our appeal was lost, three of the five judges upholding the decision of the local appellate division. Go-education Introduced in 1925 On August 11, 1925, our Board was confronted with the request to enroll a Lutheran girl who had the intention to become a Christian day school teacher. The request was granted, and as a consequence three girls were admitted in the fall of 1925. During the years 1925-28, when they numbered three, four, and seven respectively, lodg¬ ing was given them in the homes of our teachers. Two old houses, bought with the property in 1924, were then joined west of the adm.nistration building and converted by our teachers into a girls’ dormitory. In the fall of 1928 twelve girls moved in, and the following year there were nine. Miss Melanie Lange of Claresholm, Alberta, oc¬ cupied one of the rooms as matron, 1928-30, and taught music and domestic science. The school-year 1930-31 opened with only four co-eds present. Coeducation, except 13

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whole-hearted cooperation given him at all times by the members of the staff and to their exemplary application to duty in the cause of promoting Christian higher educa¬ tion in Western Canada and particularly in training workers for the kingdom of our Lord. Helpful and stimulating visits have been made by our synodical officials, Dr. F. Pfotenhauer (1922, ’24, ’26, ’30), Dr. F. Randt (1933), Dr. Hy. Grueber (1933, ’41, ’45), Dr. O. P. Kretzmann (1940), Dr. J. Behnken (1940, ’43, ’44), Dr. A. Brunn (1943), Rev. G. Chr. Barth 11942, ’45), and Prof. Theo. Hausntann (1942). Generous Support of College Our fellow-Lutherans have never tired of giving us material assistance. For the levelling of grounds, done by our students during two weeks in October, 1926, farmers placed at our disposal thirty-eight horses—twelve one week, twenty-six the other. Pas¬ tors who had served in Western Canada up to 1922 and whose names are inscribed on a memorial tablet in our chapel gave one thousand dollars for equipment of the new chapel. Meat, butter, eggs, lard, and victuals of every description have year after year found their way into our kitchen. More recently $3,000 were contributed for the beautification of the grounds. And then the women, the good women in both districts—may God bless them for their never-failing kindness! In the early years those here in Edmonton invited students into their homes for Sunday meals. Every week they took care of their laundry, and some are doing this even today; and once a month they mended the students’ clothes. They have contributed much to the success of our annual College Day, which since 1929 has been held every year on Pentecost Monday. In the fall of 1933 they introduced a Donation Day and have had such days regularly ever since, every spring and every fall, at which occasion they shower our kitchen with gifts and are in return entertained by the students. Annually the Shower Committee has sent out appeals to all women in both districts, and annually these appeals were an¬ swered with funds for equipment of the infirmary, the office, the faculty room, the din¬ ing hall, for radio, piano, typewriter, for curtains and shades, for sewing machines, for advertising, for catalogues, for projectors, for furniture in the girls’ lounging room, in the boys’ lounging room; and their latest project is the complete replacement of fur¬ niture in the boys’ dormitory. Since the opening of the college in 1921 our Christians in Western Canada have contributed cash in the amount of $37,558.59. Of this total $19,000 was designated for the building site and $18,558.59 for all other purposes. And from our fellow-Christians in the States we received the amazing sum of $312,495.78. In Conclusion Such is the story of our Canadian Concordia, as it unfolded itself during the first twenty-five years of its existence. God has been good to our school. It has had a total enrolment of 471 students (401 boys and 70 girls). Sixty-two of its graduates have entered the ministry, and forty-one of these form 45% of our present clergy in Western Canada. Seven have entered the teaching profession in our church. Concordia stands as a constant reminder of the vision and faith of our pioneers, a concrete testimony of the open-hearted and open-handed love of our American Christians for our Canadian missions, and a monument to the undeserved kindness of a gracious God. To all our friends and fellow-Christians our hearts go out in deepfelt gratitude. And unto Him whose blessings have been new unto us every morning, to Him that loved us and wash¬ ed us from our sins in His own blood, to Him whose grace we implore for future de¬ velopment, protection, and guidance—to Him be blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might for ever and ever. 15