F.W.J. Sylwester leads Concordia through beginning years
By Elizabeth Braun
Believe it or not, Concordia University – Portland, a now sizeable campus with more than 1,200 students, had one of the most humble beginnings imaginable. In 1903, it was a small group of Lutheran pastors and teachers who began talking about the need to fill pastoral vacancies in rural Oregon. Feeling that they could do something to help, this small group of delegates proposed opening a three-year high school to prepare students for the seminary. And against many odds, they were able to do just that. Starting with an annual budget of only $800, 16 students, a humble church basement, and a young president named F.W.J. Sylwester, Concordia was able to open its’ doors nearly 100 years ago.
As this small yet promising school began to grow, President Sylwester began to suspect that the school would need a larger and more suitable space. Thus, he began to negotiate the purchase of a five-acre stretch on the corner of NE 27th and Holman on which he hoped to build a $6,000 dormitory for his budding constituency. Luckily, the purchase was approved and construction on Concordia’s first dormitory began. Still a very remote site, Concordia’s first campus was quite different from the campus we know today. Amid miles of untouched pasture, Concordia’s first buildings were only accessible by foot or horse and buggy; they also lacked what we today would call absolute necessities, such as electricity and telephone service.
But these primitive conditions didn’t last for long. In 1911, the then-sole teacher, administrator, and custodian, Sylwester, began propositioning the national church to assume control of his burgeoning school. While still unprepared to assume absolute control, the national church did agree to help the budding program by underwriting faculty salaries. Accordingly, in that same year, a second professor, Lorenz Blankenbuehler, was installed to ease Sylwester’s burden. Blankenbuehler was later succeeded by E.H. Brandt, and Karl Lorenz was added in 1923. It was these three men, according to later President Weber, who virtually "carried the school for the next twenty years." And to their credit, the next 20 years were indeed noteworthy. Despite the depression, the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, fluctuating enrollment, and persistent threats of closure, the school continued to survive and even flourish. The next few years were met with the introduction of many exciting additions, including new buildings, electricity, telephones, and the school’s first gymnasium.
Historically, many have ascribed the success of Concordia’s beginning years to then-President F. W. J. Sylwester. Reflecting on those first years, later President E.P. Weber even went so far as to say that Concordia was “Dr. Sylwester’s school.” And such remarks do make sense. After all, Sylwester not only served as Concordia’s sole teacher and administrator for a time, but also as its doctor, counselor, and superintendent of building and grounds. Concordia was indeed privileged to have called and installed such a hard-working and dedicated leader. And in honor of this man’s expert guidance, today you can visit Concordia – Portland’s “F.W.J. Sylwester Library.”
Works Cited
Weber, E.P. “History of Concordia Portland: 1905-1995.” Concordia Historical Institute. St Louis, Missouri. 1998.