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Luther
College > Archives > Who's Who in the
Luther College Archives |
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Who's Who in the Luther College ArchivesThe Luther College Archives contains materials about many key figures in the college's history. Listed below are short biographies of a number of these individuals.
H. George Anderson (1932- ) Luther College’s seventh president, H. George Anderson, is known for being a quiet man with a matter of fact style. After receiving a B.A. from Yale and attending the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, he eventually became president of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 1970. Anderson came to Luther in 1982. Shortly after arriving in Decorah, his wife died after a long battle with cancer. In 1983, he married the former Jutta Fischer Herrmann. One of the major challenges he faced during his years at Luther was a decline in the number of high school graduates from the areas where Luther usually drew its students. In response, Anderson worked to overcome the demographic projections by attempting to maintain a stable enrollment of around 2000 students. One of the strategies he employed to accomplish this goal was to enhance Luther’s visibility. He also met this challenge by making it a top priority to increase Luther's endowment. In 1995 he left Luther College after being elected bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Jeffrey D. Baker (1941-1999) Luther’s eighth president, Jeffrey D. Baker, began his tenure at Luther in 1996. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Baker also held an MBA in Management and Labor Relations and a Ph.D. in economics. He married the former Shirley Watson in 1964. Before joining Luther College he was an Air Force pilot and instructor, air attaché to the American Embassy in Rangoon, Burma, professor of economics and later Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean at Carroll College in Montana, and Commissioner of Higher Education for the Montana University system. While at Luther, Baker reorganized the upper administration, centrally relocated the president’s offices, worked with the “Leadership for a New Century” campaign to increase the endowment and fund a new building campaign, and endeavored to move the school into the twenty-first century while still maintaining its character and traditions. In March 1999, the college announced that the new residential village would be named Baker Village in his honor and the commons area would be named the Shirley Baker Commons. President Baker died March 22, 1999 after a ten month battle with lung cancer. Diderikke Otteson Brandt (1827-1885) J. Th. Ylvisaker, in an early history of Luther College, wrote, “A history of Luther College, no matter how brief, would be incomplete did it not make mention of Mrs. Diderikke Brandt.” Diderikke Otteson was born March 9, 1827 in Sande parish on the Christiana fjord in Norway. She was well-educated and traveled Europe extensively in her youth. In 1855, she married Nils O. Brandt and joined him in his pioneer ministry in America. The Brandts moved to Decorah in 1865, where Nils became a teacher and pastor at Luther College. Diderikke took it upon herself to become a surrogate mother to the college boys. She organized sewing circles to mend the students’ clothing, raised money for cash-poor students by preparing and selling communion wafers and proved an able hostess for college functions. Her Christmas parties and Sunday teas were times for the students to enjoy themselves, engage in polite conversation, and practice good manners. In appreciation of her contributions to Luther, the alumni association had her portrait painted by Herbjørn Gausta in 1883. Diderikke Otteson Brandt fell ill in January of 1885, and passed away on January 21 of that year. Chellis N. Evanson (1896-1983) Chellis Evanson graduated from Luther College in 1918. After spending a year in the United States Navy, he returned to Luther as a history professor in 1919. The same year, Evanson became head of the history department after the death of Knut Gjerset. His teaching style has been described as unorthodox and unstructured and he is remembered as a lively and controversial history teacher. The Luther College News Service was organized by Evanson in 1928 and he worked as the director of the college news bureau from 1928 to 1950. While serving in World War II, Evanson wrote a newsletter called Scuttlebutt, which eventually reached all servicemen from Luther College. He served on the Luther faculty until his retirement in 1966 and was Dean of Men from 1925-1929. Along with David T. Nelson, Evanson raised money for a war memorial installed in the Main Building at Luther. Elwin D. Farwell (1919- ) The second century of Luther College was ushered in by its sixth president, Elwin D. Farwell. Described by Leigh Jordahl and Harris Kaasa in their college history as the most assertive of Luther’s presidents, Farwell’s presidency (1963-1981) has been called “democracy with a strong executive branch.” A 1943 graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in animal husbandry, he received a B.D. degree from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in 1959 and held the position of academic dean at California Lutheran College before his call to Luther. During the Farwell years the faculty expanded and diversified away from a homogeneous mixture of Lutherans, Luther graduates and Scandinavians. Enrollment increased and the building program started under J. W. Ylvisaker continued as Ylvisaker Hall, Miller and Dieseth Halls, the Center for Faith and Life, and Preus Library were completed. A strong commitment to a liberal arts curriculum was made by Farwell as the calendar was changed to a 4-1-4 system, along with the addition of the Freshman Core Program in 1964 and later Paideia in 1977. Disturbances, such as the early closing of school due to race relations in December of 1971 or the student occupation of Main in 1973, were handled coolly and competently by Farwell. His retirement in 1981 marked the end of an era for Luther College, one that saw much change but still retained the strong academic and social characteristics the school has always maintained. Clara Maude Hoyt (1890-1972) One of only three women appointed before World War II to become official “women of the faculty,” Clara Maude Hoyt joined the music department at Luther College in 1936. While at Luther, she taught voice lessons and was a choir director. She helped organize and became the director of a women’s chorus shortly after women were admitted to Luther. She remained the director of this group for ten years from 1936 to 1946. She was only the third member of the music department faculty when she began her career at Luther. A room in Jenson Hall of Music has been named for Hoyt. Elisabeth Koren (1832-1918) Else Elisabeth Hysing was born May 24, 1832 in Larvik, Norway to a distinguished, upper-class family. Although slightly deaf from childhood, this did not deter her education as she was privately tutored by teachers at her father’s school and also attended dance school. Elisabeth was married to Ulrik Vilhelm Koren on August 18, 1853. They left for America less than a month later. The Korens’ journey to American and their first two years in Northeast Iowa were recorded by Elisabeth Koren in her diary published in 1955. With courage and conviction, she faced all the hardships pioneer life afforded and emerged to become the kind and accomplished mistress of the Washington Prairie parsonage until her death in 1918. U. V. Koren (1826-1910) Ulrik Vilhelm Koren was born December 22, 1826 in Bergen, Norway. As a pioneer minister in American, he played a significant role in the development of the spiritual and intellectual development of Norwegians in America. An 1852 theology graduate from the University of Christiania, he married Else Elisabeth Hysing the next year and was called to the Little Iowa Congregation in America. The first Norwegian minister to settle west of the Mississippi, Koren’s pastorate included large parts of Northeastern Iowa and Southern Minnesota. He played an active part in the Norwegian Synod, holding various positions from secretary in 1855 to president of the synod in 1894 until his death in 1910. U.V. Koren was also instrumental in purchasing the land and locating Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. He was been described in the Luther College Semicentennial book as a man of “wide interests, excellent scholarship, and quiet dignity” and was rewarded in 1903 for these characteristics and other achievements with a doctorate of divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, and made a Commander of the Order of St. Olaf by the King of Norway. His prominent career ended with his death on December 19, 1910, three days short of his 84th birthday. Laur. Larsen (1833-1915) Peter Laurentius (Laur.) Larsen might arguably be the most influential person in Luther’s history. An 1855 doctoral graduate of Christiania University in Norway, Larsen emigrated to America in 1857 and became chair of Norwegian Lutheran Studies at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri in 1859. He was chosen by the Norwegian Synod to be president of their new Norwegian Lutheran College in 1861. During his tenure, Luther College expanded from six students to 197 in 1902, his retirement year. He supervised the construction of the college’s first Main building and its subsequent rebuilding after a devastating fire in 1889. Larsen also acted in a number of capacities as president. Not only was he the Chief Executive Officer, but he also directed admissions, financial matters, curriculum, and fundraising, served as campus pastor and taught a diverse range of subjects. After relinquishing the presidency in 1902, he continued to teach until 1911. Laur. Larsen died in his sleep on March 1, 1915. David T. Nelson (1891-1969) A Luther College graduate in 1912, David T. Nelson served on the Luther faculty from 1921 to 1963. He was a teacher of English and Latin and coached tennis from 1922 to 1933. Generally liberal in his views concerning rules for students, he helped introduce coeducation and advocated allowing dancing at Luther. He served as Business Manager in 1948 and was elected acting president in 1962 for one year. A Rhodes Scholar, Nelson translated and edited The Diary of Elisabeth Koren, translated and adapted Peer Stromme’s Halvor along with Inga B. Norstog, wrote the third chapter of Luther College Through Sixty Years: 1861-1921, entitled “Government and Administration,” and wrote the history of Luther, titled Luther College: 1861-1961. Weston Henry Noble (1922- ) Weston Noble has been one of the most influential people in the history of music at Luther College. He first came to Luther as a student in 1939 at the age of 16. Majoring in music education and history, he graduated early in 1943 to join the Army Enlisted Reserve Corps and fight in World War II. In 1948, Noble became a member of the Luther College faculty, and began his direction of the Concert Band and Nordic (Cathedral) Choir, as well as conducting annual performances of Handel’s Messiah. He began the Dorian Music Festival in 1950, and became head of the music department by 1953. Noble relinquished direction of the Concert Band in 1973. He served as director of the Nordic Choir until his retirement in 2005. He continues to recruit new students to Luther and serves as a guest conductor across the nation. Inga Bredesen Norstog (1885-1960) As the first curator and director of the Norwegian-American Historical Museum, Inga Norstog became part of the Luther College faculty in 1947. During her 13 years in this position, she made numerous improvements in the museum’s displays, and was highly successful in increasing its publicity. Norstog was director of the Norwegian-American museum until shortly before her death in 1960. In addition, she worked together with David T. Nelson to translate Peer Stromme’s Halvor from Norwegian to English. She translated other important documents from Norwegian which are located in the Luther College archives. Oscar L. Olson (1872-1956) The first layman to become president of a major Lutheran college, Oscar L. Olson was chosen to fill the position left by the death of C.K. Preus in 1921. Valedictorian at Luther in 1893, Olson went on to complete an M.A. at the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. in English at the University of Chicago in 1914. Olson returned to Luther in 1901 to teach English. During his presidency (1921-1932), expansion of the grounds continued the process begun by his predecessor. 1926 saw the addition of the C.K. Preus Gymnasium to the campus and acquisition of the Frank Jewell farm on the edge of the college. Nustad Field was dedicated in 1931. Hardships also came with the presidency as Olson had to cope with the stock market crash in 1929 and the Great Depression that followed. Enrollment began to fall because of the Depression and the college fell into serious debt as the endowment failed to keep pace with expenses. Olson advocated a change away from the classics curriculum to one of liberal arts and the admission of women to attract more students and funds to Luther. The curriculum change was approved, but not the admission of women. In 1932, with a college debt of $218,000, Olson was asked to resign. He continued to teach English at the college until retiring in 1952 and in 1955, the new men’s dormitory was named in his honor. His fifty-one year teaching career at Luther is both a record and a testament of his loyalty to the college. Hamlet Peterson (1897-1973) Hamlet Peterson, or Coach Pete, is renowned for his role in Luther College athletics. He entered Luther as a student in 1916 but his education was interrupted by his service as a lieutenant in the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. A 1922 graduate, Peterson was asked to teach in Luther’s preparatory department upon his graduation. By 1925, he had been made coach of the football, basketball and track teams, and later added baseball to the list. He taught both physical education and classical languages in addition to coaching. A member of the Luther faculty from 1922 to his retirement in 1967, he coached football and basketball through 40 seasons. In March of 1958 he was elected to the Hall of Fame (basketball section) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. In his 1972 book, The Noble Norsemen, Peterson narrated the story of Luther College athletics through the 1960s. C. K. Preus (1852-1921) Luther College experienced dramatic changes under the presidency of Christian Keyser Preus from 1902 to 1921. Born in 1852 to Herman Amberg Preus and Caroline (Linka) Keyser Preus, he had connections with the Norwegian Synod from childhood through his father’s involvement with the church. An 1873 graduate of Luther College and 1876 graduate of Concordia Seminary, he became a minister in Wisconsin. In 1898 Preus accepted a teaching job in the preparatory department at Luther College. Even after assuming the presidency of Luther in 1902, he continued to teach Latin, Norwegian, and religion. The changes to the curriculum and campus under Preus were momentous. In 1915, the college was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, and tuition was charged for the first time: twenty dollars per semester for the college department. Hebrew was dropped as a required course in 1919 and the curriculum revised to allow more electives and “majors.” The physical campus also changed. The gymnasium tripled in size with the addition of an auditorium in 1903. Larsen Hall was built in 1907 providing dormitory, office, and classroom space. In 1909-1910, Jens Jensen, a prominent landscape architect, suggested new landscape designs for the campus and in 1921 the cornerstone was laid for the Koren Library and Museum. Luther also celebrated its 50th anniversary, survived World War I, participated in the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, sent its Concert Band to Europe in 1914, and expanded the faculty and student enrollment during the Preus presidency. While overseeing many administrative aspects of the college, Preus was also active in the Norwegian Synod which later evolved into the Norwegian Church in America. C. K. Preus died in 1921, 40 days after the cornerstone for Koren was laid. Linka Preus (1829-1880) Born Caroline Dorothea Margrethe Keyser in Kristiansand, Norway, Linka and her husband, Herman Amberg Preus, arrived in Spring Prairie, Wisconsin in 1851. Her husband was a pastor and later president of the Norwegian Lutheran Synod in America. Christian Keyser Preus, her son, became the second president of Luther College. Linka is best remembered for her sketchbooks which contain her drawings of Luther College and the Decorah area from the 1850s and 1860s. In 1876, she suffered a stroke from which she never fully recovered. She died four years later in 1880. Her diary, translated in 1951, contains details not only about events in her life but also about her thoughts and feelings in entries recorded from 1844 to 1864. Ove Jacob Hjort Preus (1880-1951) Ove J. H. Preus was born into a prestigious Norwegian-American family on both sides of his family. His father, C. K. Preus, was the second president of Luther College (1902-1921), and his mother, Louise Augusta Hjort, was a member of an equally well-known Norwegian-American family. A 1901 Luther graduate, he earned degrees in theology and law and served as a pastor in Washington and Wisconsin from 1905 to 1929. He served as president of two colleges, Augustana College in South Dakota and Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, serving as Luther’s fourth president from 1932 to 1948. His term at Luther spanned a crucial period in the college’s history, which included declining enrollments, financial difficulties, the possible loss of accreditation and rumors of mergers with other colleges. Highlights of his term of office included the institution of co-education, the Diamond Jubilee, and major changes in the governance of the college. After weathering the Great Depression and facing World War II, he turned to teaching at Luther until his death in 1951. Orlando (Pip) W. Qualley (1897-1988) A member of the Luther College class of 1918, Orlando (Pip) Qualley became part of both the faculty and the administration at Luther between his graduation in 1918 and his retirement in 1969. During his years of service to Luther, he held positions of Vice President, Dean, Professor of Classical Languages, Registrar, basketball coach and football coach. Qualley was the first to hold the position of Dean, serving from 1946-1964. He was also the first Luther Vice President, a position to which he was appointed in 1936. He was Registrar for two periods, first from 1942 to 1946, and again from 1950 to 1956. Qualley worked especially closely with President J. Wilhelm Ylvisaker to assert direction and policy for the college. Often described as a workaholic, he was known for his firmness, directness and drive. He encouraged high academic standards, and recruited a faculty devoted to education. After he stepped down from the office of Dean he returned to teaching for five years before retiring. The first endowed faculty chair at Luther College is named for Qualley William P. Sihler (1865-1941) A member of the Missouri Synod, William P. Sihler was part of the Luther College faculty from 1890 to 1940. Although he primarily taught German, he also taught a wide variety of other subjects over the course of his tenure at Luther, including geography, religion, history, Greek, Latin, French, gymnastics, penmanship, music, and zoology. Known to most people as “Billy,” he also helped prepare the first tennis court at Luther. From 1890 to 1895, Sihler served as the organizer and conductor of musical ensembles and during those same years was curator of the Norwegian-American museum. He authored the first chapter of Luther College Through Sixty Years: 1861-1921 entitled “The Foundation of Luther College.” Carlo A. Sperati (1860-1945) Carlo A. Sperati is best known for his development of the Luther College Concert Band. He was a Luther student from 1884 to 1888. After his graduation from Luther, he attended the Norwegian Lutheran Seminary in Minneapolis. While a Luther student, he organized the Turning Club in 1886. In 1905, Sperati became the musical director at Luther College where he remained until 1945, the year of his death. While a member of the Luther faculty, he also taught religion classes, but was most well-known for his music activities. He led the Concert Band on extended European tours, and helping it win international acclaim. He also directed performances of Handel’s Messiah. Sperati was known for his strict discipline, demand for perfection, and patience when working with music students. J.W. Ylvisaker (1900-1981) Johannes Wilhem Ylvisaker, Luther class of 1921, became president of his alma mater in 1948. Before returning to Luther, he studied three years at Luther Theological Seminary, completing an M.Th. at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was married to Lucille Torgerson and worked as a teacher and a pastor. Ylvisaker’s presidency from 1948 to 1962 was marked by growth and development in almost every aspect of the college. Six major buildings were completed, attendance skyrocketed, the endowment grew, and a development plan was created and implemented for the first time. While many changes took place over his fourteen years in office, Ylvisaker tried to work within the traditions of the school to maintain the stability established by his predecessor, O.J.H. Preus. His patience, intelligence, and wit were assets to his office and college. J.W. Ylvisaker resigned in 1962 after developing Parkinson’s Disease and passed away in 1981. |
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