Luther College - Pioneer Yearbook (Decorah, IA)

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LUTHER? FOUR PRIESEIDIENTS LAUR. LARSEN 1861-1009 .0 OS , 'Q 99 C1115 I 0 -xg' A969 199 J' OLSO, 0 vlx -V XLBQ 2 1,932 O. J. H. PREUS 1932- 6

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.A DR VVILLIAM SIIILER DEDICATION 0 the memory oj one, whose name zs mzsepavable flour, that of hm rolloge we cledzcafe tim, om book TVe well thmlf of hun, 'not 177, levms of the passmg of Clays, the span of yeons, fum the clmatzon of tame, but we mll wemembeo a man, an zcleal aml a clecbzeatzon to seowee emcl aehzevemefnt We who lfmgev have to tveacl fhegse walks, wlll feel That majesty and that awe of has pvesfmce, as wz the cleav etao Qfuclclecl ought we we the spnes of Old Maw somewhele an that baehqvouozcl LS One who wfzll keep favth wwlh us, though men and bufzlflmgm pef wh Lzhe mznom of hm wovh we pvesenf om eolenm moments of qmet homage fo those who have aaassefl away, om happy momeoztv of ploy, ozw hows of leammg afncl study VVe who oemam cavmof weep noi .stop If as oms to' eofn lmao bmldmq and magwvfywg cm ever gleatev Lulheo to whzeh he eonseevated his lflfe It zs za thzs spwlt that we rleclzeate fhvs book fo Do l5Vlbl'1Cll7l Mhlev, seholav, teaeheo, and learlw among mow 5 I , ', -4, . - V I -. I f', - I I1 I. fffyln -,V I f 1 outlinecl against a baehgrouml of blue eatermty rmcl believe as he bellevecl that

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An Acknowledgment of I.nthe'r's Eiglitieth Anniversary Although Norwegian immigration to America began in 1825, the influx of clergymen did not commence until the early forties and not until 1853 did the pastors and leading laymen meet at East Koshkonong near Madison, Wisconsiii, and organize the Norwegian Synod. It soon became evident, however, that the ministerial needs of the far-flung Norwegian settlements would not be gratified alone by the pastors who were coming from the state church of Norway. To meet this demand the Norwegian Synod, meeting in 1857 at the Little Iowa Congre- gation near Decorah, decided to establish a higher institution of learning and to collect a university fund of Si50,000. In 1861 at Luther Valley near Orfordville, Wiscoiisiii, the Norwegian Synod decided that a permanent building should be erected at Decorah and that the institution should make its temporary home in a parsonage at Halfway Creek near La Crosse, Vllisconsin. Here in September, 1861, were opened the doors of a school, small in enrollment and material assets, but great in those qualities which make institutions successful: devoted students and teachers with learning, ability, and high purposes. The students, 16 in number during the first year, were under the tutelage of the Reverends Laur. Larsen, serving as president of the school, and F. A. Schmidt. Both of these men were well trained, Reverend Larsen having received the degree, Cand. Theol., in 1855 from the University of Christiania, Norway, and Reverend Schmidt a similar degree in 1857 from Con- cordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. In 1862 the school was moved to Decorah and occupied a building later known as the St. Cloud Hotel until 1865. In 18641 on an eminence overlooking the Upper Iowa River and a little northwest of the village the construction of Old Main was begun. The cornerstone was laid on June 30, 1864. To assure the new institution of a sound legal status it was incorporated on February 1, 1865, under the laws of the state of Iowa. Suificient progress had been made by the following fall so that this new 875,000 building could be occupied by the student body and appropriately dedicated on October 14, 1865. The Reverend H. A. Preus, president of the Norwegian Synod and grandfather of the College's incumbent president, delivered the dedication sermon, his text being taken from Psalm 126 : The Lord hath done great things for usg whereof are we glad. Since the chief objective of the institution was to train young men for the ministry, the subjects of study were primarily linguistic and classical. The curriculum was changed in 1881 to a seven-year course of study which consisted of three years preparatory or high school work and a four-year college course. In 1905 the fourth year was added to the preparatory department. Hitherto the curriculum and methods of instruction had been modeled after the Latin Schools i11 Norway. The addition of buildings and equipment and an increased enrollment are milestones of the unceasing progress which the institution has experienced. These advancements, however, have been interspersed with discouragements. In 1889 Old Main was gutted by fire. The resiliency of the founders is demon- strated by their response to President Larsen's solicitation of funds with which to reconstruct the interior of the building. His difficulty is partially conceivable in view of the withdrawal of 72 ministers with their congregations in 1887 from the supporting organization of the College, the Norwegian Synod, because of dissension over a question of conversion and election. Dr. Laur. Larsen served the college most faithfully as both president and instructor until 1902 when he was succeeded by the Reverend C. K. Preus who retained the position until his death in 1921. lVith the death of these pioneer presidents the college and church lost two noble leaders. Dr. Oscar L. Olson succeeded the Reverend C. K. Preus and since 1932 the office has been filled by Dr. O. J. I-I. Preus, a son of the second president. The aims and ideals of the institution, which the administrations have striven to maintain. are well expressed in the motto of the school, Soli Deo Gloria, C To God alone the Gloryb and the inscription on the College seal, Verbum Dei Manet in Aeternum, CThe VVord of God endures foreverj. 7