HISTORICAL NOTE

In 1907, the question of keeping Concordia Gymnasium in Hawthorne, NY or finding a new location was on the mind of influential members of higher education. The need for a society to improve living conditions for the students and promote Lutheran higher education in general was an imminent matter. Five well known names in the East Coast Lutheran education circle (Henry Ressmeyer, F. C. Heckel, Martin Walker, W. F. Schoenfeld and W. Koepchen) stepped up and formed The Lutheran Education Society (LES). When they took an objective look at the Hawthorne facility, they became aware of its lack of water and proper plumbing, as well as other problems. As a result, a plan was developed to move the institution to a better location.

After much preliminary work, a 14 acre site was purchased in 1908 in Bronxville for $53,000. The LES promised to raise $40,000 with the help of congregations in the East; the Synod appropriated the same amount and with the proceeds from the sale of the facility in Hawthorne, the ground for Concordia College, Bronxville was broken on February, 23rd, 1909. On November 9th of the same year, the first three buildings were dedicated.

This just highlights the beginning of the Lutheran Education Society; its active membership and the society became a very important entity of the Concordia System for Higher Education in the East. It was called upon innumerable times for major fundraising. Through its publicity committee, the awareness of the need for Lutheran Education was brought into many congregations.

Soon after the first three buildings at Concordia were dedicated, funds were raised for an athletic field; three years after the athletic field was fenced, a campaign raised $145,000 to build the Schoenfeld Gymnasium. Success continued over many decades, in fact all buildings on the present campus plus faculty housing can be attributed to the active fundraising role of the Lutheran Education Society.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The collection is organized into three major groups: Correspondence, Meetings and Publications. Each subject group is organized by topics in alphabetical order. The “Meetings” category is separated into Board of Governors and Regular Society meetings; the latter includes minutes of the dinner meetings as well. The collection does not seem to be complete as the correspondence portion contains large gaps. Additions to the collection will be incorporated into this series as they become available.

FOLDER LIST

Description	Years	Box #
Albany District Chapter		1
By-Laws, Constitution		1
Correspondence	1907-1908	1
Correspondence	1909	1
Correspondence	1910	1
Correspondence	1911	1
Correspondence	1912-1913	1
Correspondence	1914	1
Correspondence	1915	1
Correspondence	1916	1
Correspondence	1917	1
Correspondence	1918	1
Correspondence	1919	1
Correspondence	1920	1
Correspondence	1921	1
Correspondence	1922-1923	1
Correspondence	1924	2
Correspondence	1925	2
Correspondence	1926	2
Correspondence	1930-1931	2
Correspondence	1934-1935	2
Correspondence	1936-1937	2
Correspondence	1938	2
Correspondence	1939	2
Correspondence	1940-1945	2
Correspondence	1946-1948	2
Correspondence	1949-1951	2
Correspondence	1952-1957	2
Correspondence	1958-1962	2
Correspondence	1963-1969	2
Correspondence	1977-1992	2
Correspondence	undated	2
Financial Papers	various	2
General Information	1959 - 1960	3
Investment Fund	1971 - 1972	3
Meetings: Ballots		3
Meetings: Board of Directors	1930 - 1935	3
Meetings: Board of Directors	1936 - 1941	3
Meetings: Board of Directors	1942 - 1949	3
Meetings: Board of Directors	1950 - 1955	3
Meetings: Board of Directors	1956 - 1961	3
Meetings: Board of Directors	1962 - 1965	3
Meetings: Board of Directors	1966 - 1968	3
Meetings: Board of Directors	Membership Roster	3
Meetings: Promotion Committee	1949 - 1952	4
Meetings: Regular	Feb 1907 - Jul 1912	4
Meetings: Regular - handwritten	Feb 1907 - Jul 1913	5
Meetings: Regular	Sep 1912 - Jun 1916	4
Meetings: Regular	Mar 1916 - Dec 1917	4
Meetings: Regular	Dec 1924 - Dec 1928	4
Meetings: Regular	Mar 1930 - Dec 1935	4
Meetings: Regular	Mar 1936 - Oct 1939	4
Meetings: Regular	Feb 1940 - Dec 1941	5
Meetings: Regular	Dec 1943 - Dec 1949	5
Meetings: Regular	Jan 1950 - Sep 1955	5
Meetings: Regular	Oct 1955 - Nov 1960	5
Meetings: Regular	Apr 1961 - Mar 1970	5
Membership List	1949-1950, 1966,1986	5
Planning Book	ca. 1944	5
Publication: Bulletins	1909 - 1911	6
Publication: Bulletins	1911 - 1917	6
Publication: Bulletins	1918 - 1922	6
Publication: Bulletins	1923 - 1929	6
Publication: Bulletins	1944 - 1949	6
Publication: News Letter	1953 - 1959	6
Publication: Celebration 10th & 15th Anniv		6
Publication: Celebration 20th Anniversary	1927	6
Publication: Celebration 25th Anniversary	1932	6
Publication: Celebration 30th Anniversary	1937	6
Publication: Celebration 35th Anniversary	1942	6
Publication: Celebration 45th Anniversary	1952	6
Publication: Celebration 50th Anniversary	1957	6
Publication: Celebration 60th Anniversary	1967	6
Publication: Celebration Annual Dinners		7
Publication: Celebration Programs- various		7
Publication: Printed Material		7
Publication: Reformation Services		7
Publication: The First 50 Years of LES		7
Publication: Tickets, etc.		7
Various Memorabilia		7
Women's Committee - Benefit Invitations		7
Women's Committee - Correspondence		7
Women's Committee - Meeting Minutes		7
Women's Committee - Printed Material		7

Arranged by Brigitte Conkling; October 2006