Concordia University Chicago - Pillars Yearbook (River Forest, IL)

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two college years in 1936-37. By 1943-44, the entire 4-year program had been accredited by the University of Illinois. Dr. Kohn resigned in 1939 because of advancing age. He became the honorary president, while Dr. Arthur VV. Klinck became the new president of the college. About this time several of the present-day pro- fessors were students and student leaders of the Concordia student body. Professor Leslie Zeddies was a big man on campus, partly because of his athletic prowess. A basketball and baseball star, Dean Carl Waldschmidt was also a leader. Pro- fessor Victor Krause was the sembuck for 1938-39. There was other student activity in the late 1930's and early 1940's. in February 1939, the student body w.as quarantined for scarlet fever, fortunately there were no fatalities. The women students became involved in student government in 1939 by form- ing the Girls' Council, a governing and social plan- ning organization. In 1941, Kohn Hall was made a women's dormitory. During the war, an accelerated program was conducted to get more teachers into the field. Two of our songs, Marching with Concordia and Alma Mater, were written for Homecoming, 1939, by Paul Manz, a student. In 1940, the fresh- men won the first Homecoming display contest. A was for a replica of the Addison bell. Field day was a big event on Concordia's campus in the late spring of each year. Athletic competitions were held, the day was topped with a play or musical in the evening. Large crowds assembled every frosh-sophomore tussle held at Homecoming, 1941, X is M function. The Student Center fCampus Corneri was in operation by 1943. There is evidence that a barbershop and print shop also existed. Of course, many of the students worked off campus fin shops and babysittingl. Dr. Arvin Hahn was sembuck in 1944-45. The Student Association was formed in 1948 under the leadership of Professor Victor Streufert fsembuckl and Professor Herbert Gotsch Cvice-president. year for this event. A student body ban- quet was held in the Spring of 1931, prob- ably the first of what we call Spring Ban- quet today. Student Enterprises were beginning to Dr. J. 0. Roberts was editor of the Spectator and Professor Paul Grotelu schen was editor of Pillars in the late 1940's. ln May, 1949, the Library and Mary-Martha South were dedicated al though the dorm had been in use since the early winter. ln the previous fall, 119 girls lived in the gym for 10 weeks until Mary-Martha South was completed. Mrs. Laura Nlackensen, then Dean of Wom- en, had her apart- ment on the stage.

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12 Music has always played a prominenf role in Concordia's hisfory. AT Addison The older sTudenTs insTrucTed The young- er in ruolimenfary piano. There was also a hand-pump or- gan on which The young men learned To play The bass. The faculTy library was a flourishing co-llecfion of books, buT The sTudenT library was meager unTil The profiTs from The Book Concern CbooksTorel were used To buy books. SporTswise Concordia was Then as she is now, baskefball crazy, alfhough aT firsT baseball was imporTanT. Before The gym was builT, The inTramural Teams played oufside. Games wiTh oTher schools were usually runaways wiTh Concordia winning by large margins. Fo-oTball sTarTed in 1924 wiTh gre-aT exciTemenT, buT inTeresT faded rapidly, parTly because The Teams were noT Too successful. Since 1924, Track, Ten- nis, and baseball have also shared The sporTs spoTlighT. ln 1933, The sTudenT body selecfed Cougars as The Team name. In The summer of 1933, Concordia became a hoTel. Lu- Theran visiTors To The VVorld's Fair in Chicago were housed in The dorms and served breakfasT in The dining hall for a very nominal fee. The 1930's were The years for academic change and ad- vancemenT. In 1932, The firsT summer session was held- a one-week seminar. Also in 1932 for The firsT Time, pro- moTion was by course raTher Than by class. A Third Normal year was inauguraTed in 1933 To Take care of Those wiThouT calls due To The depression. The Curriculum for The Third year was To be sTricT- ly conTenT-cenTered and The sTudenTs were To be Treafed as graduaTe sTudenTs. The quarTer sysfem was adopTed in 1935. ExTension and correspond- ence courses were offered in 1936 To The many Teachers in The field who wished To conTinue Their sfudies. In 1938, Concordia became coeducafion- al, The girls lived in faculTy homes and in The area which is now The infirmary. Synod sTipulaTed -ThaT The number of women should never exceed SOCZT of The sTudenT body. A fourfh Normal year was offered Cby Synodical decisionj in SepTember, 1939, buT iT was noT compulsory. Throughouf This Time, The school was becoming more concerned abouT accrediTaTion wiTh The prop- er auThoriTies. To achieve full accrediTaTion, The faculTy, many of Them quiTe old, wenT back' To school To obTain advanced degrees. The Univer- siTy of Illinois granTed accrediTaTion To The firsT

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1 W TZ ln 1950, the high school department was dropped, but there were still insufficient facilities. ln October, 1951, the music building and Mary-Martha North were dedicated. The relocation of the music facilities enabled the Student Union to open in 1952. Professor Thomas Gieschen was sembuck at this time 11951-521. 1958 was the first year the student body elected representatives to Senate from the dorms. The Cougars ioined the Badger-lllini Conference in 1948 and went on to win the conference basketball title in 1950. Several years later Dr. Kenneth Domroese was a valuable member of the basketball squad. Football still was not flourishing, but to brighten up the Homecoming fes- tivities, the first Homecoming queen was elected in 1949. ln 1950, the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools accredited the four year program of the school. In 1953, after 14 years of leading Concordia, Dr. Arthur Klinck accepted a call to the St. Louis Seminary and President Martin L. Koehn was called. He came from a position as counselor to Parish Education in the Texas District and was installed in September, 1954. At this time the enrollment at Concor- dia was about 550 students taught by a faculty of 50. ln 1953, Synod officially named the dorms on campus after the former presidents, a movement to this same effect has been started by the students as early as twenty years before. The science building, named after former Professor Eifrig, was dedicated in 1955. Klinck Memorial Library received its name after Dr. Klinck's death in 1959. Faculty homes were converted into