Reflections Upon a Blessed and Exciting Life – No.14: Concordia College (Academy) Austin

Even before I was in grade 1 of my elementary school I knew what I wanted to be/do when I grew up. I was going to be a teacher in a Lutheran parochial school. That’s what my Dad was and he was my ideal. So it was an unquestioned given that Melvin was going to be a Teaching Minister. Only once (maybe when I was in the fourth grade) was this plan ever discussed. Mother was very sad and I recall her looking at me with loving eyes and saying, “Melvin, are you sure you want to be a Lutheran school teacher? There must be something better than that!” I was shocked. My guess is that Dad had not been paid even his meager $60 a month salary and that it was hard for Mom to feed and clothe her children and she really did not want her oldest son to go through that. Of course, I protested, “I want to be a teacher, just like my Papa!”

So there was no question about it. The first step was Austin College, now Concordia University, Texas. It was also called Concordia Academy. It was never called Concordia High School, although the only grades it included were grades 9-12 which were always called freshman sophomore, junior or senior. It was a prep school for recognized ministers in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. There were two classifications: “Ordained Minister” and “Commissioned Teacher”.

It was small. I don’t think that in my days the total school enrollment ever exceeded 100. It was for “boys” only. And it was 100% residential. So at the age of 13 I left home for Concordia.

My memories are almost all positive. I loved sports and the school was so small that I could, of course, play all varsity sports. The professors all knew and respected my father who was chair of the All Texas Lutheran Teachers Conference, my Uncle Reinhold was on the Board of Control and the Director of the school (Studtman) was often a dinner guest in my home.

We lived in dorm rooms on the second floor; had our meals, classes, and chapel on the ground floor. There were two students in each room. We each had our “Murphy beds” which folded up and rolled into the closet each day. There was a central shower and toilet. To this day my high school friends all know that “Room 210” means shower and rest room.

As was typical of the day, there was some hazing to lower classmen. Any senior could scream, “Freshman! Sophomore!” and we were expected to run to the person who screamed and follow his orders. I escaped physical attacks and really had very few assignments beyond shining the shoes of the upperclassmen.

The day was highly routinized. Breakfast at 7:00, bed inspection at 8:00, classes till 4:00. Chapel services every morning and every night at 9:00. Lights out at 10:00 with the Dean making inspection every night to be sure we were in bed.

So from 1940-1945 that was the routine and the “stuff” that made up the routine will be the subject of the next few blogs.