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

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Provincial Final Examinations Several subjects in the provincial finals were written by our first co-eds only, around 1929. Beginning with 1940, these annual Grade XII examinations became obligatory for all students. The first results were a cause for rejoicing: our students passed 84% of those subjects in which they were examined and thus obtained a high school diploma. In 1943 the results placed Concordia second highest among all high schools of Alberta, and this pace continued for a number of years. Our chief competitor was the University High School; we had no success in surpassing them. And Westglen High in Edmonton was another thorn in the flesh! Inspections Inspectors of the Department of Education visited us occasionally in the early years, for instance in 1924, ' 27, and ' 30; and since 1939 every year. We were grateful for their cour¬ teous and constructive criticism, and for their words of recognition. In addition to Concordia ' s thorough work, the inspectors commended the absence of boorish behavior in the classroom and the students ' neat appearance. This neat appearance impressed also our synodical inspectors. In fact, they suggested at times that we had set the stage for their visit. But such was not the case. The members of our faculty appreci¬ ated humor and laughter in the classroom, but monkeyshining was taboo. In the classroom the chapel, and in the dining room all students were to be properly dressed. If such men as lawyers and doctors always appear publicly in proper apparel, there was no reason why future physicians of souls should appear as beatniks. It must be admitted that we received encouragement for this rule from the following quotation concerning the North-West Mounted Police in southern Alberta. I found it in the twenties, and it remained under the glass top of the desk until I vacated the office in 1954: Fort Macleod, 1876 The Assistant-Commissioner directs that the dress and appearance as well as the demeanor of the men of the Force should on all occasions and in all situations be such as to create respect for the Corps they belong to, and he would like to see the men - if possible - properly dressed when they go beyond the precincts of the Fort. - Daily Orders Our New Gymnasium-Auditorium 1953 Today a well-equipped gymnasium is an essential part of every educational institution. It was not always thus. At Concordia Seminary in St. Louis with its 200 to 300 students we had a room in the basement large enough for two handball courts; and a number of us used the parallel and horizontal bars in the attic. Consider what the immortal J. Percy Page (now our venerable Lieutenant-Governor) did with his world-famous girls basketball team, the Edmonton Grads. From 1915 to 1940 the Grads played 522 games, won 502, lost 20; they whipped all comers on the continents of North America and Europe, played 29 games in four different Olympics and won them all. All their training these girls received in a room at the Edmonton McDougall Commercial Hi gh School, in floor area not as large as Concordia ' s is today. The truth of the matter was that in the early years of our existence most public schools had no gymnasium, much less our Concordia. There were some at our synodical institutions, but those were erected with funds gathered in the local community. Synod ' s policy up to the 1940s was: as a Synod we do not build gymnasiums; this must be done by the local constituents. The best we could do in our new buildings was to offer our student body (which in various years numbered more than 100) a room 25 x 37, north of the dining hall. This was used for handball, ping-pong, and social activities. There were no facilities for physical education and gymnastics, musical activities, audio-visual instruction, and larger social gatherings. Our chapel was an all-purpose room used for daily devotions, and in addition for classes, meetings, dramatic rehearsals, choir practices, and public gatherings. After a pep talk at the beginning of the school-year, a half dozen or more students would seek piano teachers, only to be told after a number of weeks by these same teachers to quit because they were not practicing enough. How could they? They had no suitable place to practice. With the passing of years conditions became more desperate, almost intolerable. Well do we remember January and February 1949. That year we had 123 students, of which 90 boys filled the dormitory to the rafters. Before Christmas they found recreation on the skating rink and the ski hills. But after New Year we had an uninterrupted cold spell lasting 46 days. The greater part of this time the mercury was between 30 and 40 below. Occasionally some bolder spirits ventured out, but came in with frozen feet, necessitating an enforced vacation in bed. Recurrently, student leaders came into the office with the doleful plea: What CAN we do for recreation?

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Under the administration of President Walter Wangerin our most serviceable girls ' dormitory, known as Eberhardt Hall, was dedicated on April 29, 1956. It has accommodation for about 40 co-eds plus a suite of rooms for the dean of women. Its total cost was $113, 500. EBERHARDT HALL For the accommodation of more girls, the president ' s home, erected in 1957, was added as an annex to the girls ' dormitory in 1963. At that time President Frantz moved out and took possession of the home which up to then had been occupied by the Schwermann family on Ada Blvd. and 71st Street. THE ANNEX Concordia ' s Courses of Study At its founding in 1921, Concordia ' s policy was to have a course of studies similar to the one used in our American synodical colleges, and it was to conform as much as possible to the one used in Alberta ' s high schools. This meant to serve two masters. Over the years this twofold aim has caused difficulties since it has not always been easy to keep these two in harmony. Already in the early thirties the faculty gave serious study to accreditation. However, since Synod was contemplating a reorganization of its educational system and the provincial Department of Education had in mind to make extensive changes in the high school courses, no action was taken until the later part of the thirties. Encouragement to seek such accreditation was given by the fact that some of our min¬ isterial 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 region¬ al requirements for graduation from high school. Accordingly, the provincial course of studies as prescribed for the high schools of Alberta was introduced in 1939. To conform to this course, grade nine was eliminated from Concordia. The freshman college class was added in 1926; the sophomore class in ' 27.

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Whenever we timidly suggested to synodical officials that we ought to have a gymnasium, the reply was: ask your congregations to build one. But that took courage. I forbid my son to take part in baseball. I did not send my boy to college to take part in non-sensical gymnastics. When such letters arrived in the office, it was difficult to screw the courage to the sticking point. But we did proceed. Our Board appointed a building committee con¬ sisting of Rev. Ph. Janz; Prof. H. F. Witte; Mr. C. Kuhnke, secretary; and Dr. A. H. Schwermann, chairman. We began to plan a building to cost $20, 000. When this sum was gradually raised to $50, 000, it was in some instances considered to be altogether un¬ reasonable. The ideal solution to our problem would have been two buildings; an auditorium and a gymnasium. But that would have entailed a cost of perhaps $300, 000. So we had to combine the two into a multi-purpose building. The architects in the Department of Education told us that we would have to anticipate at times a conflict of interests. Similar information came from the National Council of Chief State School Officers, New York, from whom we received valuable advice. All agreed that such a building, even with its occasional conflicts, was far superior to nothing. Another problem was the floor: shall it be a polished wooden floor, or shall it be covered with mastic floor tile? The latter appeared more practical since the floor was to be used for many different purposes. In this not only our architects, but also the dean of the Physical Education Department in the University of California, Berkeley, concurred. And so Synod ' s Board of Directors asked us to use mastic tile. Gradually our Board evolved the plans for a gymnasium-auditorium 66 x 112 as it stands today, after constant consultation with Synod ' s expert architect, Mr. Edgar Buenger, chief consultant for the Mayo Clinic, and our Edmonton architects G. H. and John A. Macdonald. When we opened the tenders, the lowest was $122, 000. That took the heart out of us. But Synod was changing its policy concerning refusal to build gymnasiums. A long distance call came from its Board of Directors to proceed with the building. They were willing to con¬ tribute to the estimated total of $175, 000 the sum of $115, 000. The churches in western Canada had gathered $60, 000. Meanwhile, a 20 rank Felgemaker pipe organ had been purchased from Trinity church in Oak Park, Illinois for $1000. Total cost of this fine instrument, including transportation and installation, was about $7, 500. It was installed by the Pepin brothers. For the Schulmerich chimes the H. A. Schole family had contributed $675. The dedication followed on April 12, 1953. Some 1000 people were crowded in every nook and cranny of the building, including a mass choir of more than 200 voices on the stage. Several hundred guests were outside.