website watertownhistory.org
ebook History
of Watertown, Wisconsin
Theological Seminary - Wisconsin Synod
Wisconsin University
Northwestern University
Northwestern College
Luther Preparatory School
1845
Richards’ Estate
Watertown Cemetery
The
site of Northwestern is property that originally was owned by John
Richards (Octagon House builder) and that was also the location of Watertown’s
first cemetery.
1863
o
Traveling by St. Mark’s Pastor (and Synod
President) Johannes Bading to Germany and Russia to
gather funds for establishing of Northwestern College. The Theological
Seminary of the Wisconsin Synod was formally opened in the fall of 1863 in
Watertown. Instruction was initially
given by Professor Edward Moldehnke, Ph.D., in the
school building of St. Mark's congregation.
On September 14, 1865, the Synod's college, first known as
"Wisconsin University" and then as "Northwestern
University" opened its doors, and for five years the seminary was operated
in conjunction with it. In 1870, the
students of the theological department were transferred to Concordia Seminary
at St. Louis, Missouri in accordance with an arrangement made with the Missouri
Synod to conduct a seminary jointly
1864
Daniel Kusel Sr. helps establish Northwestern College
1866 -
1870
Adolf Hoenecke
(1835-1908) received his theological training at the University of Halle in
Germany. He served as pastor of
Wisconsin Synod congregations in Farmington, Watertown, and Milwaukee. His learning and confessionalism
made him the natural choice to head the Wisconsin Synod seminary, first from
1866 to 1870 in Watertown, and then again from 1878 to 1908, first in Milwaukee
and then in Wauwatosa.
1873
08 14 John Kaltenbrumm,
a teacher at Northwestern, appointed Principal of Union School No. 2 WD
1885
Portion of birdseye view
1886
1886, Main
building (the Kaffeemuehle)
1890
1894
07 04 Democratic candidate for governor, talk
regarding President A. F. Ernst WG
07 30 Main
Building Fire (the Kaffeemuehle)
At 10:30 in the evening lightning struck the
flagstaff on the belfry of the Main building of the Northwestern University and
within a short time the entire building was in flames.
Then came the disaster of
1894. During a thunder storm a bolt of
lightning sought the flagpole on the cupola of the old college building as an
object of its fury; the fire left nothing but the naked walls, rent and
blackened. It was a sore trial, and if
the men that saw so much of their work laid low by this turn of fate would have
shown their dejection no one could have blamed them. But, as is often the case, the hour of need
calls up resources that are unsuspected in the placid times of unbroken
serenity. One short year passed and the
synod had replaced the building with a modern structure erected at a cost of
$18,000. The new recitation hall in
almost every way is superior to the old one if one considers the uses to which
it is put, though the older students will not have it that any building can be
quite as fine and splendid as the one which typified their alma mater. The new hall contains nine class rooms, the
faculty room, the chemical and physical laboratories, the assembly hall and
chapel on the third floor, and the library room, which has ceased to be
adequate to the increasing demands of the expanding library.
Soli Deo Gloria, 1865-1915. By Arthur Hoermann and Hans Koller Moussa.
Northwestern Publishing House, Milwaukee, p 61.
10 24 Cornerstone
ceremony for new addition to building
WR
11 28 First
matched football game between the Northwestern University and Sacred Heart
College WG
1904, 11 02
Members
of the Wisconsin synod met at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in this city, about
225 ministers and laymen being present.
The matter up for consideration at the meeting was the erection of a
$50,000 addition to Northwestern University in this city.
The
matter of looking after the construction of the building was left in the hands
of fifteen members, composing the board of trustees, three of whom reside in
Watertown, being, Rev. Julius Klingmann, Fred. W. Gamm and John Schlueter. Plans
are now being drawn, and it is expected that the contract will be let and work
on the building begun early next spring.
Daniel Kusel, Sr. instrumental
in founding of Northwestern
1905, 05 12
The
faculty of Northwestern University takes this opportunity of extending to the
people of Watertown and vicinity an invitation to participate in the ceremony
of the cornerstone laying of the new dormitory Sunday,
May 28. Mayor Wertheimer and the city
council will be present as well as visiting clergy and alumni. The ceremony will begin at
1905, 05 18
Owing
to delay in work, the ceremony of laying the cornerstone for the dormitory at
Northwestern University has been postponed until Tuesday afternoon, May 30,
Memorial Day. Arrangements are being perfected to make the occasion a memorable
one. At least one, possibly two excursion trains will be used to bring the
hundreds of Milwaukee visitors here. A
choir of several hundred voices from Milwaukee is also expected to take part.
1905, 05 23
The
cornerstone laying of the new N.W.U. dormitory will
take place next Tuesday afternoon. This
important event in the history of the University will be marked by interesting
and impressive ceremonies. The committee
on arrangements reports that thousands of visitors will come to Watertown on
this occasion. Excursion trains will arrive during the forenoon from Milwaukee
and from points on the Northwestern road.
The visitors will be escorted from the depots to the University by the
college band, military company, and reception committee. The ceremonies will begin at 2 o'clock. Prof. A. F. Ernst, president of N.W.U., will
deliver an address of welcome while the main address will be made by Rev. Christian
Dowidat of Oshkosh.
The cornerstone will be laid by Rev. Ph. von Rohr, president of the
Wisconsin synod. Musical selections will be rendered by the N. W. U. Band, a
mass choir of 200 voices from Milwaukee and St. Mark's mixed choir.
1905, 06 03
The
ceremony of the laying of the cornerstone of the new N.W.U. dormitory Tuesday
afternoon was witnessed by an immense crowd of visitors and home people. It was
an ideal day for this important event and nearly 2500 people were present. A
special train of twelve coaches brought many of the visitors from Milwaukee,
but other neighboring cities were also represented by good-sized delegations.
The visitors arrived at about 11 a.m. and were escorted to the N.W.U. by the
college band and the reception committee
A
collection for the building fund amounted to several hundred dollars. In this
connection it might also be stated that the institution has been exceedingly
fortunate in securing liberal subscriptions from people all over the state, and
the committee in charge anticipates no difficulty in securing all the funds
needed to pay the new dormitory, which will cost completed $50,000.
1905, 08 09
The
fall Semester of the Northwestern University will begin September 6. The indications
are that the student body will be very large the coming year, much more than
heretofore, as there will be greater accommodations for the students. The work
on the new dormitory is nearing completion, the masons are engaged in
plastering the same, which is no small job, as it is a very large building and
when occupied, will be a credit, not only to the University, but the city as
well, and a monument in brick testifying to the energy and industry of the
president and his assistants.
1905, 09 02
It is
expected that the registration at the Northwestern University for the First
semester beginning September 6, will be much larger than last year and may
possibly reach three hundred. The rooms in the third story of the new dormitory
at the Northwestern University have been plastered and the masons are now at
work on the walls of the rooms in the second story. The way the work is
progressing the masons will be through by September 5th. It is expected that
the building will be occupied at a much earlier date than was anticipated in
the early summer.
1905, 09 06
The
faculty, and the hundreds of N. W. U. students who arrived for the opening of
the new school year, were greatly shocked Monday evening by the unexpected and
sudden death of one of the younger students, Fred Braamstadt,
whose home is at north La Crosse. It appears that the young man had been
confined to a hospital for some weeks; he was convalescent, however, and
returned home, full of hopes and plans for his studies at the University. He
had been advised not to resume his studies at once, but finally obtained
permission to be here with his fellow students on the opening day. He arrived
on the 5:20. The journey to Watertown proved much however, for the unfortunate
- he was only seventeen - and at 10:30 p.m., five hours after his arrival, he
succumbed to heart failure. The deceased was popular and esteemed by is fellow students, and his death has cast a gloom over
all.
1905, 09 21
The
enrollment of the Northwestern University beginning of the present semester was
the largest in the history of the institution. Nearly 300 students are enrolled
and in attendance and the prospects for the University were never brighter than
at the present time, which is certainly gratifying to those who have worked hard
to build up the school and make it a successful educational center. The costs
to the students in the Northwestern is so moderate and the advantages so great,
there should be and undoubtedly will be, in time, twice as many students in
attendance, for the expenses of the entire four year course will hardly exceed
the cost of one year in many of the other institutions of learning in the state
and the instruction imparted is not more solid and important than in the
Northwestern, except in special lines.
The
faculty is composed of able men who are enthusiastically devoted to their work
and the students come under their personal supervision, which tends to give
them moral stamina and nobleness of character and prepare them for the higher
and better ideals of life.
1905, 10 17
Great
was the joy of the friends, students and professors of the Northwestern
University on Sunday, the 15th inst., for on that day they were permitted to
celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the old dormitory and at the same time the
dedication of the new dormitory which replaces the old one destroyed by fire.
Early
in the morning a goodly number of visitors arrived from the neighboring
villages and cities and the surrounding country. They spent the morning hours
in going through the several buildings used for educational purposes. For the
accommodations of the visitors dinner, was served in the spacious dining
hall There are
now 250 students in the school, and for some those accommodations have been
much too small. In 1894 lightning struck the building, which burned down and
was supplanted by a modern structure. This temporarily may relieve the pressing
need for more room. In 1904 this synod decided to erect the building which was
dedicated Sunday.
1905, 11 02
There
was a unique and attractive advertising device Friday evening and Saturday in
one of the front windows of Gamm's drug store,
representing a fire, and was very realistic, over which there was a frying pan
in which there were several little figures representing football players being
roasted to a turn, who were supposed to portray members of the Marquette
College team who played the N. W. U. Team in this Saturday afternoon, the game
resulting in a victory for the home team by a score of 18 to a goose egg.
1905, 11
10
In
spite of a snow-covered field the Northwestern University appeared on the
checkerboard today and yesterday, running through hard practice for the
Lawrence game which will be played at Appleton Saturday for the state college
championship. All men are in good condition with the exception of Kumm and Pankow, but who will
most likely be in trim by Saturday. A scrimmage took place between the first
and second team today and Capt. Wendland paid special
attention to speed and pulling the man along carrying the ball.
1905, 11
16
On
Saturday, Nov. 11, the N. W. U. football team met an overwhelming defeat at the
hands of the Lawrence team at Appleton. After the first few minutes of play
Lawrence had everything its own way and their goal was never in danger. Several
inexcusable fumbles on the part of Northwestern helped to bring up the score.
Lawrence is surely the best small College teams we have ever met, their
interference being well nigh perfect. We have no excuses whatever to offer, we
were simply beaten because we met our superiors
1906, 01
24
Dr. Wenth takes the place in the faculty at Northwestern
University made vacant by the passing away of the late Prof. Otto D. Hoyer. The
Doctor is a native of Germany where he was educated having attended the
gymnasium. After completing his studies there, he served one year in the German
navy. Then he came to this country and studied English in an American college,
afterward attending the Lutheran Seminary at St. Louis for three years and was
then sent as a missionary to Canada where he labored for some time and then
returned to Germany and was honored with the degree of Ph. D. at the University
at Rostock. He then returned to this country and became pastor of the Lutheran
congregation at Halfway where he remained until called to take the
professorship at the University.
1906, 05
30
Under
direction of Dr. Ott, F. H. Ullerich
acted as chef at the big picnic dinner at the Northwestern University
Wednesday. He understands the business, never missed a cog, the multitude was
fed and yet there was plenty left. They don't do things in a small way up at
the university and the people of this city are beginning to appreciate the
institution for only words of praise are heard, relative to the faculty and
students.
1906, 07
11
The
fire department was called out shortly before
To
some of the members of the fire department and interested citizens outside the
companies, it was another excellent illustration of the fact that the fire
engines should not be sold, as is being advocated by some. The hold that the engines should be kept in
possession of the city and in good repair in case of calls to the outlying
districts, where the service of the engines are necessary, owing to the
defective pressure or the absence of water mains. Such a position is well taken and that both
engines are absolutely necessary to give all necessary fire protection.
1907
Northwestern
University is again alive and students have taken hold of their books after two
weeks of vacation. Recitations commenced Thursday morning at the usual time
o
Yesterday was a day of joy for the Northwestern University, that the
quarantine was raised after two weeks of almost isolation. It is true, students were permitted to walk
about on the college grounds, but in the course of time that became rather
monotonous, and as the hour and minutes when they again would be declared at
liberty could hardly be waited for.
After doing a hard day's work studying and then not take a little
outdoor exercise will probably not be noticed very much for one day but to be
cut off the world for two whole weeks, work hard mentally and take no more
exercise than a walk around the Northwestern university campus would soon be
enough for any young man. 02 06
1907 Class of,
Otto Emil Plath, father of Sylvia Plath
1908
03 20 The reference room
in the new dormitory of Northwestern University has recently been equipped with
a fine oak book shelf. During a recent
visit to the Varsity; Rev. Machmueller noticed the
dilapidated condition of the shelves and immediately acquainted the Ladies' Aid
Society of his congregation with the facts on returning home. In a comparatively short time Alexander Sitz, president of the Senior
class, received a check for thirty-five dollars from the treasurer of the
society with the aid of which the improvement was made possible. The reference room now presents a neat and
inviting appearance. However, there is
still room for other societies to give proof of their interest in Northwestern
as the many rows of empty shelves will testify.
Dr. Ott for his part has contributed his share
in placing all works of reference that could be spared in the library at the
disposal of the boys.
03 26 Tennis
courts repaired WL
04 11 Senior class not obliged to complete the
entire year's work to graduate. WL
05 13 Military company drilling daily in
preparation for the sham battle WL
06 17 Seniors smoke the pipe of peace; end of seven years war
at Northwestern WL
06 26 1908 Commencement / Farewell to the Senior of 1908!
Northwestern
University celebrated its commencement at the university chapel yesterday
forenoon, the exercises commencing at 10:00 o'clock. Many relatives and friends of the graduating
class and of the institution were present, the chapel being filled to its
capacity.
The
decorations for the occasion were neat and appropriate and consisted of the
college colors as the college colors, black and red, and of the graduating
class colors, purple and gold, above the stage was placed the motto of the
class reading “Poscimur '08.” The letters were in gold on a purple
background.
The
exercises consisted of three orations by members of the graduating class,
selections by the band, orchestra, choir and quartette of the university,
addresses by Prof. A. F. Ernst, prayer by Rev. O. Hoenecke
of Milwaukee and the hymn, “A mighty fortress is our God,” sung by the assembly. All the numbers were listed to with intense
interest by the audience and were a credit to the institution. Watertown Weekly
Leader
08 14 Schlueter
and Mouffa appointed professors. WG
10 16 Fourth
artillery, US Army camped on campus
WG
10 23 Northwestern University football team
defeated Sacred Heart College WG
11 27 Banquet for football team
1909
University building, 1909
02 15 Lincoln Day Celebration, cadets and
band take part in WG
04 02 Annual banquet of university paper,
''Black and Red" WG
05 07 Marchout at Lake
Mills; band and military company WG
05 14 Interurban excursion to Watertown on
Memorial Day, Milwaukee Northwestern University Club WG
05 28 Memorial Day observance, University
Band, Cadets and Students WG
06 04 Students injured; explosion of powder
while loading shells for a sham battle WG
06 04 University Co. and band gave a fine drill and
a sham battle WG
07 02 Northwestern University to be renamed; purchase land for professors’ residences WG
08 20 Enrollment, number of alumni WG
09 24 President William H. Taft stops at depot and
speaks; students on hand WG
--- 
Male Chorus, 1909
1910
02 11 New gymnasium,
campaign to raise $25,000 for WG
02 25 Students celebrated Washington’s birthday;
auspices of Lyceum and Philomathian societies WG
06 03 Decoration Day observance, band,
cadets and students, Oak Hill Cemetery WG
06 03 Cadets and band marched to Juneau WG
06 24 Dr. John Henry Ott, 25
years of professional activity in educational fields
07 15 Prof.
William Notz declines call WG
1911
02 23 Recall Student Days. Former students of Northwestern College,
Watertown, will hold their fifth annual reunion in the Republican House on Feb.
28. Invitations have been extended this
year not alone [only] to the “grads” but also to those who attended the
institution for a number of years only.
The college faculty will be represented and the Northwestern Club of
Chicago will also send a delegation.
WG
03 02 Dr. F. W. Nott is 70. Dr. F. W. Notz,
professor of Greek at Northwestern College, observed his 70th birthday
anniversary Saturday. Receiving his
degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Tuebingen
in 1863, he later accepted the chair of ancient languages with Pennsylvania
College, and a few years thereafter with Muehlenberg
College of the same state. He will have
completed fifty years of work in pedagogical fields at the close of this
year. Former students of Northwestern,
now residing in Milwaukee, gave him a special reception at their annual reunion
at the Republican House Milwaukee, on February 28. WG
05 04 The
Bee-Dee Co. team opened the season with a victory by defeating the strong North
Western College team on the college campus by the score of 6 to 3. George Richards did the twirling for the
Bee-Dees and pitched first class ball while Miller did good work behind the
bat. Berg, Masch
and Mahnke were the batteries for the college
boys. Unfortunately the stunt Creuz tried to perform and pick up the ball with his
teeth turned out to be a fizzle and allowed the N.W.C. team their runs, who
might have left the diamond with but one run to their credit had it not been
for this incident.
06 22 Last
Friday evening Prof. J. H. Ott very hospitably
entertained the senior class of the Northwestern College at a 6 o'clock
dinner. WG
1911 College Champs
1912
05 16 Cadets March to Jefferson
Cadets
March to Jefferson
The
cadets and military band of Northwestern College, this city, marched to
Jefferson Wednesday morning on their annual “hike'' where they were the guests
of St. John's Lutheran Church congregation Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday afternoon was devoted to outdoor
exercises at the county fairgrounds.
Following is the program for that afternoon.
1:30
ball game, Jefferson vs. Northwestern.
3:15
dress parade and drill, cadets.
3:45
sham battle, cadets.
Band
concert afternoon and evening.
Thursday,
Ascension Day, the young men attended services at St John's Lutheran Church in
a body and will arrive home this evening.
WG
05 30 Watertown Cadets in Jefferson. The cadets and the military band of the
Northwestern College at Watertown were the guests of the local Lutheran
congregation last Wednesday and Thursday.
With very few exceptions they all started on the march from Watertown at
about five o'clock in the morning and arrived here shortly after ten
o'clock. The cadets numbered 64, the
band 31 members, and besides these there were also some ball players here, all
told over 100 guests from Watertown, who found a royal welcome at the homes of
the members of St. John's congregation . . .
WG
05 30 Memorial Day / New Gymnasium
The
laying of the corner stone of the new gymnasium at Northwestern College took
place today, and hundreds of visitors are in the city for the celebration. The program opened at 10 a.m. with speeches,
chorus singing and music by the college band and the laying of the corner
stone. Luncheon was served in the
college refectory.
In the
afternoon the military company gave a parade, drill and sham battle at 1:15. Following this a double header baseball game,
the first one between Northwestern College and St. Mark's young men of
Milwaukee and the second one between Northwestern and Watertown. The ball games were followed by a series of
athletic events. WG
1912
07 18 Appointments
at N. W. C.
Prof.
Edmund Bliefernicht of the Lutheran seminary of New Ulm,
Minn., and formerly of this city, has been appointed to fill the vacancy left
by Dr. F. W. A. Notz, retired, at the Northwestern
College. The Rev. Hermam
Gieschen of Wauwatosa has received the call to fill
the vacancy left by Prof. M. Sprengling, who will go
to Harvard University as an instructor.
They will teach the ancient languages.
The above appointments were made at a meeting of the board of regents
held in Milwaukee Tuesday, of which William Gorder,
Sr., Fred Gamm and John Schlueter
of this city are members. WG
08 15 Business Education [paid advertisement]
Why go
to a different city for a business education when you can get it in your home
town for less money?
The
Commercial Department of the Northwestern College offers a thorough and up-to-date
business education. Thorough
courses in Shorthand (Gregg System), Touch Typewriting, Bookkeeping,
Penmanship, Arithmetic, Spelling, Geography, Banking, Business Law, Political
Economy and Civics.
Students
in the Commercial Department may also take courses in such branches as
Mathematics, Natural Sciences, History, German, French and English.
FIRST
TERM BEGINS AUGUST 27TH
This
school is open to young men and young women
Catalogues
will be sent on application by
PROF.
A. F. ERNST
519 College Ave., Watertown, Wis. WG
08 15 Gymnasium – A
gymnasium which is being erected at a cost of $30,000 will be finished Sept.
1st WG
12 07 Splendid New Gymnasium
Northwestern
College is to be congratulated on the splendid new gymnasium presented by the
Milwaukee alumni. The handsome building
pictured and described in the current issue of Black and Red, the college
periodical, cannot but add to the attractions of the college, and what means
far more, to its usefulness, to its equipment for meeting all the needs of the
young men who go there to fit themselves for the work they will have to
do. So universal is the recognition
today of the need of real physical training and development that one does not
have to argue for athletics in college.
The function of the college today is to develop every side of a man that
it is able to reach, and only as it does this will it earn its right to appeal
as a place that fits men for life. WG
1913 Rev.
Christians attended Northwestern, graduating in 1913.
Northwestern College Band
in 1913. Irvin Gamm is standing
fourth from the right in the second row from back.
Sprinter Statue
1915
06 26 Northwestern’s Fiftieth Anniversary Golden Jubilee, six
thousand at services
06 29 A
meeting of the board of trustees of Northwestern College will be held in
Watertown on Wednesday when the matter of selecting a successor to Prof. Martin
Eichman will be considered. At this meeting it is proposed to devise a
scheme whereby the duties of inspector will be lessened and it is with the
probabilities that the former onerous duties will be divided. WDT
Campus map, 1915
1919 Prof. E. E. Kowalke
appointed president of the college
1919 
Auditorium
1920
Dormitory and Gazebo
1922 W H Graebner,
Northwestern College Board of Trustees, 26 years
1940s
Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, ambassador from
the Philippines, spoke at College during the darkest days of World War II WDT
1946
College Band
1947
1955
Watertown Daily Times, 08 10 1955
Northwestern
College will begin razing two buildings on its campus
Monday to make room for scheduled further expansion of the college. The two buildings to be removed are the old
classroom building and the residence at 1300 Western Avenue, which many persons
identify as the "old Dr. John H. Ott
residence." The late Dr. Ott was for many years a member of the college
faculty. The home has not been occupied
for some time. The two buildings will
provide the site for a new classroom and chapel building. Plans for this project were announced some
time ago, but no starting date has been set.
However, the site is being cleared and it is hoped work on the new
structure can be started perhaps before the end of this year
1955
Watertown Daily Times, 11 28 1955
Northwestern
College, now in the midst of its biggest building project since the college was
founded, is making plans for the formal dedication of its three newest
buildings sometime next summer or early autumn. Excavation work on the latest
of the three new units was completed some time ago. It is the new
classroom-chapel building. Footing for the classroom hall has been poured and
form setting for the walls was started recently.
1955
Watertown Daily Times, 11 30 1955
The
new classroom-chapel building to be erected on the Campus of Northwestern
College will cost an estimated $360,000. Work on the new building has started
and it is to be completed in August of 1956 at which time dedicatory services
are being planned for the unit, together with that of two other new buildings
constructed on the campus, the refectory and the dormitory. In addition to the
permit for the classroom-chapel building, college authorities have been granted
a building permit for a new $16,000 residence for faculty use. Construction of
the new classroom-chapel building will bring the Northwestern College new
building outlay on its campus to well over one million dollars.
1956
Watertown Daily Times, 03 02 1956
The
cornerstone for the new chapel and classroom building now under construction at
Northwestern College will be laid at a ceremony to be held at the college gym
next Sunday afternoon, March 11, at
1956
Watertown Daily Times, 05 08 1956
When
the Wisconsin Synod of the Lutheran Church meets in Watertown Aug. 21 to 23 for
a recessed convention session a final decision on the long and controversial
issue of breaking ties with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is due to be
taken, according to press dispatches from Milwaukee today. The sessions here
will be at Northwestern College Gymnasium and the program as now prepared will
include the dedication of new college buildings including the refectory,
dormitory, class building and chapel. The Wisconsin Synod has been marking time
since it passed its resolution at Saginaw
1959
02 18 Prof. E. E. Kowalke
resigned his office as president of the college effective next July 1. President since 1919 WDT
02 20 Prof. Carleton A. Toppe
expected to accept the call to become president of the college WDT
08 25 1959-60 term began; Prof. Carleton Toppe, new president
WDT
1961
Rev.
Paul Kuehl joins faculty; taught Greek in the
college department and Latin in the prep department.
09 19 Molding football teams out of
players who often have only the slightest idea of what the game is about has
been the lot of Coach Len Umnus for a full 24 seasons
at Northwestern College. The veteran
mentor will be sending his 25th into combat Saturday in a nonconference opener
at Elmhurst, Ill., and any intelligent bettor would wager that the Trojans will
win. He’d have solid backing from
history. Over the 24 years Umnus has been at the helm “up on the hill” the Trojans
(formerly the Goslings) have won 115 games, tied 7 and lost only 36. Records
hardly come any better than that. WDT
10 26 Northwestern College, an original member of
the Badger-Gopher Conference which was formed in 1957 with eight teams from
Wisconsin and Minnesota, is leaving that league to join a new 12 team circuit
that includes colleges in Wisconsin and Illinois. Dropping out of conference
competition will be Northland of Ashland, Wis., Bethel of St. Paul and
Northwestern of Minneapolis. WDT
1962 Uncertain Future
1963
01 25 A new pipe organ for the chapel
was delivered by truck from Buffalo, New York.
Technicians from the factory of the builders of the instrument will
begin the installation immediately. The
organ is a two-manual and pedal pipe organ of twenty-one ranks containing a
total of 1,152 pipes. Its acquisition
has been made possible through the gifts and bequests received from friends of
the college over a period of years. WDT
03 05 Arnold
O. Lehmann, a professor at Northwestern College, has been awarded an Aid
Association for Lutherans Faculty Fellowship to do additional graduate work
during the 1963-64 school year. He will
also study during the 1963 summer session.
Prof. Lehmann will study for his doctor of philosophy degree at Western
Reserve University, Cleveland. WDT
03 09 Northwestern College at a special
service held last night in the college chapel dedicated its newly installed
organ. The rite of dedication was
pronounced by Prof. Hilton C. Oswald, who also served as liturgist. The sermon was delivered by Prof. Carleton Toppe, president of the college, and Prof. Arnold O. Lehman
was at the organ. The two-manual organ
which was recently installed consists of 19 stops, and 20 ranks of pipe. It was designed as an instrument to accompany
hymns and play worship service music. WDT
03 14 Coach Leonard J. Umnus was named an award winner recently by the Sports
Trail Century Club, an organization maintained by the Kendall Company, to
recognize the contributions of dedicated coaches throughout the nation. Coach Umnus was made a member of the Sports
Trail Century Club for his record of 143 victories in football. WDT
1970
Athletic Director Lloyd Thompson hired WDT
1972
Franklin Frederick Zabell
accepted the call to teach music and direct choir, 1972-1995.
1981
03 30 Northwestern
Professor Edgar Pieper has announced his retirement after 21 years of coaching
and classroom work. Pieper was called to NWC in 1960 primarily to share the
coaching load with Professor Emeritus Leonard Umnus,
who at that time had sole responsibility for both the college and prep athletic
programs. Since then, Pieper's schedule has included coaching college baseball
for 21 years, college basketball for 10 years, college wrestling for 11 years,
prep football for 15 years and serving as assistant college football coach
since 1974. He has taught mathematics on both the college and prep levels as
well as geography at the prep school. Pieper was born near Juneau
1984
08 25 120th
year opening service; new faculty announced WDT
10 28 Professors honored;
Gerhard Franzmann, Paul Kuehl
and Richard Strobel WDT
12 04 Athletic
Director Lloyd Thompson retires WDT
1985
03 01 Basketball: 62-45 victory over University School
of Milwaukee WDT
1986 Carleton Toppe
Resigns
07 11 The sign attached to the door in the administration office
proclaims, “Northwestern College President — Carleton Toppe.” Since 1959, the words between those quotation
marks have been linked together. But at
the conclusion of the 1986-87 school year, those words
will be severed. An era will end when Toppe resigns in 1986.
The American society has changed exponentially since 1959, and
Northwestern College has also changed.
But with Toppe at the helm, Northwestern’s changes have been implemented at a
“controlled pace.” Toppe
has been affiliated with Northwestern in one way or another since he enrolled
in its prep school in 1926. After four
years in the prep school, he attended the college, graduating in 1934. He attended the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
in Mequon from 1934-37, before beginning a pastoral career in 1939. He eventually accepted a call to join the
faculty at Northwestern in 1948. As a
teacher, he mainly instructed courses in Latin, Greek, English and religion,
before beginning his tenure as president of the college. WDT
10 29 Pastor
Robert J. Voss will succeed Prof. Carleton Toppe as
the president of Northwestern College.
Voss, who currently serves as the executive secretary of the Board for
Worker Training, will assume duties at Northwestern on July 1, 1987. Toppe has been president
of the college since 1959. Voss
graduated from Northwestern College in 1947.
He graduated from the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon in 1950. After graduating from the seminary, Voss
taught history and Latin at Northwestern for one year before entering the
parish ministry at Faith, Fond du Lac.
He accepted a call to Siloah, Milwaukee in
1955, and became president of Wisconsin Lutheran College in 1963. Wisconsin Lutheran College was merged with
Dr. Martin Luther College in 1970, when Voss was called to become executive
secretary of the Board for Worker Training.
Voss completed his doctorate work at Marquette University WDT
1987 Rev. Luther Voss
10 09 Robert
J. Voss can’t help but wink and smile when he speaks about his father. “My dad was what I guess you would call a
‘man’s man.’ But inside, he was so soft
that it was funny,”
Voss said of his elder, the late Rev. Luther Voss. Robert Voss and his father share a lot of the
same qualities, including vocations.
Voss will be installed as the new president of Northwestern College at a
service Tuesday night. At the age of 61,
he will become only the fourth Northwestern president in the past 116
years. WDT
1993
10 22 Plans for the merger of Wisconsin
Evangelical Lutheran Synod schools are moving ahead at a rapid pace. The synod
voted earlier this year to consolidate Northwestern College of Watertown and
Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN, into one college at the New Ulm
campus and to consolidate Northwestern Prep School of Watertown and Dr. Martin
Luther Prep School of Prairie du Chien into one high
school at the Watertown campus. WDT
1994
10 22 Accreditation
continued for 10 years
WDT
1995 Luther Preparatory School
08 19 Students flocked to their first day of
classes at Luther Preparatory School this morning, marking a new era at the
campus. Rev. Mark Schroeder is president
of the school. Once the home of
Northwestern College and Preparatory School, Luther Prep now serves high
school-age students. The transition to the preparatory school was finalized
during a ceremony in the school's gymnasium which included the school's opening
service, dedication of the expanded facility, installation of the staff and
ordination of several staff members. WDT
1999
03 06 Professor Ron Hahm,
Latin instructor, also for Watertown High School WDT
2003 Luther Preparatory School
03 08 A local teacher will be trading in her school
books for a uniform to proudly serve her country. Hedy Gnewuch, 26, a teacher at Luther Prep in Watertown, is also
a member of the 1158th Transportation Company of the Army National Guard in
Black River Falls which has been called to active duty. She has been ordered to report to Fort McCoy
in Black River Falls on March 15. After
spending a week receiving shots and new uniforms, her unit will be deployed but
the destination of the deployment is classified information. “We won’t know until the plane lands. So as far as leaving my family and friends in
the dark, they will be for awhile,” Gnewuch said,
adding she could be gone a minimum of one year to a maximum of two years. WDT
2007
08
09&17 Luther Prep
football facility is upgraded
[WHS_005_553] A
new press box, concession and rest room facility is the centerpiece of an
ongoing upgrade to the athletic facilities at Luther Preparatory School. On September 17 Luther Prep dedicated the
football complex. WDT
2008
03 26 Professor/Rev. Cyril Spaude,
1930-2008. He served as professor of
Greek and Hebrew at Northwestern College from 1966 to 1995. Upon retirement from NWC served in WELS
ministries including St. Mark's WDT
10 01 Homecoming game played on a Friday night
and under the lights, for the first time WDT
2009
Daniel M. Deutschlander: The
Theology of the Cross: Reflections on
His Cross and Ours
02 20 Luther Prep String Ensemble
participated in St. Mark’s
dedication of new school, music center WDT
08 24 2009-10 school year registration; total of 353 students in the 9th through 12th grade
college preparatory high school WDT
10 31 Ron Hahm to be inducted into hall of fame; former
Northwestern Prep and Luther Prep head football coach
WDT
2010
04 10 Meinhardt
Raabe, famous munchkin, NWC grad, dead at 94
WDT
2011
07 22 WELS Biennial Convention
held on campus; 400 delegates attended WDT
2012
10 12 Show to honor Luther Prep auditorium
Milwaukee-native
Fricke, the cousin of Trinity-St. Luke’s Principal Jim Moeller and the late
Watertown Rev. Jim Fricke, will lead the performance, which features show tunes
from productions that graced the Luther Prep auditorium stage. The performance will happen on Sunday, Oct.
21, 100 years and one day after the Luther Prep auditorium was dedicated. WDTimes article
Image Portfolio
Click upon to enlarge
1902,
from Picturesque Watertown booklet
1965, aerial view of campus
Weltburger, 07 26 1890, drawing
1911, Dining hall
Cross
References
Schoenike home at 423 College Ave torn down during
expansion (WHS00003)
Max Gaebler, one of the first
three students to enter Northwestern College
Weltbuerger Printing Co. printed the Northwestern College monthly magazine, The Black and Red, as well as the
college high school paper.
