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

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in abundance. Many thousands of dollars were gathered by them in all parts of Canada for requirements of all kinds, in and outside of the school. In fact, one is inclined to regard the Concordia Guild (as it is known today) as a phenomenon. In many organizations of churches and communities the interest rises and falls and often disappears. But the interest in the Concordia Guild has year after year remained at a high level; and this year it is as great as ever. This was doubtlessly, under God, due to the consistently strong and aggressive leader¬ ship. We always were grateful for their material support; but there were times, particularly during the lean years, when we appreciated still more their never-tiring enthusiasm, which revived our drooping spirits. Our present administration building, housing administration offices, faculty offices, library, the school ' s science department, and the student lounge, is named in honour of our Concordia Guild. Guild Hall, Dedicated in 1959 Concordia Helps to Build the Church and the Nation Concordia was organized in 1921, when Alberta was 16 years old and after waves of immigrants had come or were coming to Canadian shores. The ministerial graduates of this school were to become pastors among these immigrants, many of whom were Germans. Hence, in addition to English, German was also freely used. As a consequence our school was regarded by not a few as the foreign college in Norwood. Later this was changed to the German college in the Highlands. But after our students joined the armed forces and some of them died for their country, during World War II, we gained the public status of a Canadian college.

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The fifth was a boy who came into the office during - a morning recess for an aspirin. He complained of a headache and sore throat. He wanted to return to the classroom, but was told to gc to the sickroom. At noon the doctor diagnosed it as diphtheria. The boy was sent to the isolation hospital, and his parents were notified. During the night his condition worsened. The doctor attended him again the next morning. Unable to help, the doctor prayed the Lord ' s prayer, and before he had ended the prayer the angels had carried the boy ' s soul into Abraham ' s bosom. These were some of the inscrutable ways of the Lord during the first five years. Often we asked ourselves the question: Why? We shall receive the answer in eternal life. But we could never rid ourselves of the thought that in those years in which the foundations were laid for all the future of Concordia, the Lord wanted to burn into our souls the stark truth that our students, too, have immortal souls. And students can die and do die. And hence the very highest and foremost duty of Concordia, far above all other considerations, must ever be to prepare its students for a blessed departure from this world into the bliss of heaven through faith in Christ, the crucified and risen Redeemer. Failing to do this as an institution of our church, it forfeits its right to exist. Medical Aid Our first college doctor was the very able Dr. Turcot, who after leaving for the East, was followed by Dr. Quesnel. And then began our most pleasant association with Dr. J. O. Baker, about 1923. When we became acquainted with Him through an R. N. , Miss Mary Hennig, he had a small one-man office in the McLeod Building. His practice developed into the highly reputable Baker Clinic, composed today of 22 specialists in five departments. Upon the passing of Dr. Baker in 1956, Dr. A. M. H. McLennan became chief of the Clinic, and since his death last year the renowned surgeon Dr. Walter Anderson is director. Dr. Baker and his associates impressed us lastingly with the conscientious care which they gave to the students of Concordia - and are doing so to this day. We, of course, guarded ourselves against taking undue advantage of them, for one can hardly deny that doctors, too, are subject to fatigue. Often there appeared to be no good reason to call medical aid when a student complained of some distress - especially before an examination or dur¬ ing a delinquency! But when careful surveillance of the patient dictated medical examination, the doctor came, unfailingly. And when in the Hungry Thirties surgery was performed on students whose parents did not know where the next meal was coming from, the Clinic forgot that these people had outstanding accounts. The medical care of our students never gave us worries. Friends in Need As in many other institutions, financial difficulties gave us no small measure of concern. An ever recurring question was: Where can we save? Where can we obtain funds? True, throughout all the years our church, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, never deserted us. Generously and promptly we received funds from headquarters in St. Louis for salaries and for construction and maintenance of buildings. Yet there were many other needs to be supplied. In all these circumstances perhaps no group in our church gave us so much support as the good women, not only in western Canada, but even in the East. Away back in the twenties, the women in Edmonton formed a College Sewing Circle and came to the college once a month to mend clothes. They invited the students into their homes for Sunday dinner. They did laundry for the boys - first the women in Edmonton and later those in Stony Plain and even Golden Spike and Nisku. In those days when electric washers, dryers, and irons were unknown, this work often required much labor and a real sacrifice. If you know, was the statement in one report, that this work together with the own family laundry has required the ironing of as many as 19 and 20 shirts per week, in one instance even up to 40, then you will begin to realize just how much of a sacrifice these good-hearted souls have brought for our students. Especially during the Great Depression which lasted to about 1941, longer than in the U. S. , life was becoming ever more grim. Farm products decreased in value. Our overhead ' went upward, the enrollment downward. In 1941 it had reached an all-time low with 28 students. (Voices were heard that Concordia ought to be closed; mission work in western Canada should be discontinued because the field is barren. ) Parents could not make their payments. Our debt with wholesalers rose until they ultimately demanded cash on delivery. Such con¬ ditions were not exactly conducive to high spirits! Under such circumstances particularly the women came to our assistance. In 1933 they introduced the so-called Shower Day or Donation Day, which since that time has become a semi-annual institution. Provisions for our kitchen have been and are still being supplied

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To speak or to preach German was considered by a number of people to be identified with the Kaiser or later with Hitler. This in turn stigmatized us somewhat as being disloyal to our adopted country; while as a matter of fact you could find nowhere a greater love for our God-blessed country than at Concordia. To overcome such prejudice, it was of some compensation to be appointed to the member¬ ship of the Alberta National War Loan Committee, to the chairmanship of the Building Committee of the local Bellevue Community League, and to other civic endeavors - honors which were accorded me over the course of the years. The same may be said of the corona¬ tion medals received from King George VI in 1937 and from Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 in recognition of the contribution made to education in Canada. But Concordia did much more for the building of western Canada. For this especially one of its staff members was responsible - Dr. Alfred M. Rehwinkel. The hate propaganda of World War I had placed the German element in western Canada at a great disadvantage. To correct this situation and to defend his people against unfair dis¬ crimination, Dr. Rehwinkel organized the German-Canadian Association to bring concerted action to bear on this problem. He conducted mass meetings in different localities to discuss this matter with the people. He met with government officials to secure their cooperation. He contributed articles to the German press. He carried on an extensive correspondence with people in all parts of western Canada. He translated the Canadian national anthem O Canada into German for use in public meetings, and in many other ways conducted a vigorous cam¬ paign for a fair and equitable treatment of their ethnic background. But Dr. Rehwinkel ' s ultimate aim was to lead his people to a better understanding of the meaning of the citizenship that had been conferred upon them when they were naturalized, and to encourage them to take a more active and conscientious interest in the public affairs of their community and the nation at large. The fact that the graduates of Concordia were able to provide the new Canadians with religious services in their language and instruct the young in the language of their parents and to share with them their way of life helped to make the transition a gradual and normal one. There was no sudden rupture between the children born in Canada and their parents with the Old Country background; and the change took place imperceptibly, without any serious family disturbances. This was an important social and patriotic contribution the early Lutheran missionaries made in western Canada toward the building of a new nation; and Concordia College has al¬ ways felt happy that it was able to advance the welfare of Canada through its graduates and particularly through Dr. Rehwinkel. (Selected items mentioned above may be found in the fascinating biography of Mrs. Rehwinkel entitled DR. BESSIE, copyright 1963, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Mo. ) Some More Recollections In 1937-38 and again in 1940-41 not a single student discontinued his studies. When dozens of beautiful evergreens had to make way for the present Guild Hall, they weHe transplanted by the City in Borden Park. The first Yearbook was published in 1942. With their many pictures of student life, these yearbooks became popular in many families. A common statement on the part of the young¬ sters was: I know you. I saw your picture in the Yearbook. Our first lady teacher on the staff was Miss Edith Lechelt, from 1948-53. Our first office secretary was Miss Marie Bassendowski, who, in 1936, put in one hour a day. In 1956, the senior basketball team won the City B high school championship under Coach Clyde Kaminska. The team lost only one game during that season. In the 1934 commencement exercises, graduates delivered recitations in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. During 1945-46 two calls were declined - one by Prof. Riep to the presidency of Concordia Seminary, Adelaide, Australia; and the other one by Pres. Schwermann to the presidency of Concordia College, Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Thechildrenof Concordia ' s graduates began to succeed their parents when Marvin Janz enrolled in 1948 and Lorraine Maschmeyer in 1949. The people who gave the longest service in our college kitchen were Ma and Cap Chris Fuhr. They served faithfully from 1937 to 1959 - 22 years. In 1936 the students ' choir sang Schiller ' s Das Lied von der Glocke by Albrecht Brede. Beautiful! In 1950 Prof. Arnold Guebert visited historic places in Europe and took a summer course at Oxford University. The office of the dean was introduced when Prof. Erich Von Fange began his duties in 1955. The Lutheran Choral Society of Edmonton and District of 170 voices (including the Con-