Concordia College - Spire / Concordian Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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The first years in Fort Wayne w ere not easy years. In 1862 and 1863, the two up- per classes were sent back to St. Louis, because the Indiana conscription laws would have drawn students into the service if they were over se- venteen years old. Classes have been graduated annually since 1865. Disaster struck on Decem- ber 28, 1869—fortunately it was vacation time —when fire gutted the English Academy build- ing. The next semester found facilities more in- adequate than ever before. Relief came with the construction of Hanser Hall and other buildings. By 1872, the campus assumed its maximum size and present shape. Hanser Hall, the first large structure, was erected in 1869-70. Schick Hall began to serve Concordia in 1905. The twin dormitories came in the mid-twenties. Sihler Hall, the older, cost This band played from original Sousa manuscripts. PER cant “Home run!—Right over Washington Blvd.” The athletic field before Crull Hall. $123,250. Crull Hall cost less because certain economies were observed. Th groundbreaking ceremonies for Sihler Hall were held on March 2, 1924. What a cold, wintry day that was! Crull Hall was dedicated on September 20, 1925. The four faculty resi- dences on the East Drive were oc- cupied in January and February, 1926. Thus, by the middle of the twenties, our campus acquired its present profile.

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And what did Concor- dia College find here in Fort Wayne? The campus at that time consisted of approximately fif- teen and one half acres. Some ten additional acres were pur- chased subsequently, to the north all along Washington Street and to the west where Oak Grove was procured later. The buildings consisted of the old Wines home and the Wolter building, then the pride of Concordia, which was de- dicated in 1857. Housing facilities were inadequate; in fact, they were much worse than they had been in St. Louis. The English Academy building (the present administra- tion building) was too crowded to serve all pur- poses. Professors Lange and Schick lived with their families in the eastern wing where the col- lege offices are now, while President Saxer lived with his family in the western wing, now occupied by the Dean’s office. The seventy-eight students lived in the central portion, where all classrooms were also located. The move to Fort Wayne was not as easily carried out as it might seem on the sur- face. Before Concordia College could move in, ‘‘We are growing up!”’ Hanser Hall, finished in 1870. space had to be provided by vacating the cam- pus which was at that time occupied by three educational i nstitutions, each separate and dis- tinct from the other. The oldest was a practical seminary founded in 1846. This is now Concor- dia Seminary in Springfield, Illinois. The second school was a teachers seminary, which had come to the campus in 1857, and is now located at River Forest, Illinois. The third school was known as the English Academy. This school passed out of existence as Concordia moved in. Prof. Crull modeling the latest in beachwear. 3 1833 02616 0066 — Gta omen ee a

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Student life at Concordia never was colorless and drab. Place a large group of lively youths in a dorm for nine months and interetest- ing incidents are bound to happen spontan- eously, or with only a mite of encouragement. Stories, stories, and without end, are told about the primitive early days. They are stories that sprang from the depth of human emotions. But life in the last decade has became especially intricate for the student. Let us turn our attention to some phases of this area. Sports were a great interest at Con- cordia at all times. Our present gymnasium was constructed in 1927-28. Dedication of the com- pleted gym was held in June of 1928, with a series of four military tournaments. The college pionered in baseball and established a number of firsts. Basketball flouri- shed long before it became full grown and de- veloped into the Hoosier hysteria of the present. Football, for some reason, never struck root at Concordia. The climax in college basketball was | attained in the last years when our team was entered in the National Junior College Tourna- ments. Who can forget the homecoming event at the opening of the basketball season with 12 Do you know that in Decem- ber, 1927, twelve men organ- ized a fencing club, and each received four lessons in the de- licate art of fencing? The bowling alley bottoms became the canteen counter tops. — Basement of Crull Hall. the hotly contested game between the alumni and the varsity? Older alumni reminisce over the field days at Driving Park. Primaners constituted an advance guard to make preparations on the scene the day before the event. Track events, bountiful eats, and the dark cigar for any shaver who was brave enough to tackle one, without faculty penalty but usually with much physical discomfiture, all of these are favorite topics in the discussions of alumni of that era. ° Sey = teeta inated nents