# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1938_S54
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

54 Action Regarding Individual Institutions

tical Seminary was deeded to Synod in the first year of Synod’s
organization and thus became, officially at least, Synod’s first: in-
stitution for the education and training of its future pastors.
Graduates and friends in large numbers gathered on the cam-
pus June 7 for the celebration. Services were held in the morning
and in the afternoon, with Drs. Behnken and Lankenau preaching
the anniversary sermons. Dr. L. Fuerbringer personally conveyed
the greetings and congratulations of the sister seminary in St. Louis.
The celebration also afforded an opportunity to commemorate

‘in a fitting manner forty-five years of service as a member of the

Board of Control on the part of Mr. Fred Van Horn, Commissioner
of the city of Springfield, and also served to introduce the newly
elected president of the institution, Dr. H. B. Hemmeter.

While the hand which graciously reached over to these shores
from Bavaria toward the close of the first half of the last century
soon was withdrawn because of doctrinal differences, the seed
which it dropped has by the grace of God constantly and con-
tinuously borne blessed fruit these many years, and we pray that
under God’s blessing it may continue to bear fruit for many more
years to come.

Faculty, — Changes have again taken place in our faculty.
Shortly after the Cleveland Convention the Board of Directors
granted permission to fill one of the existing vacancies. The Elec-
toral College chose Prof, W. A. Baepler of the Edmonton Concordia,
and when the call was extended to him by the Board of Control,
Professor Baepler accepted. While preparations were being made
for the new professor’s transfer to Springfield, we were saddened
by the sudden translation of Director and Mrs. Kleii, who were
fatally injured in an auto accident during the Christmas holidays.

‘ It became necessary to call a successor to the sainted Director,
and eventually the choice of the Electoral College fell on Dr. H. B.
Hemmeter, who assumed the duties of the presidency in the sum-
mer of 1936. .

In the interim Prof. R. Neitzel served as acting director, and
the teaching of most of the subjects which had been in the hands of
Director Klein was temporarily assigned to Professor Baepler.

In the summer of 1937 Prof. F. Mayer accepted the call ex-
tended to him by the St. Louis Seminary. In order to carry on
during the vacancy thus created, a temporary rearrangement of
courses was made, and with the assistance of the Rev. George Klein
of Chatham, IIL, in the Academy Department we were enabled to
operate successfully until the Rev. C. W. Spiegel of Cleveland ar-
rived to fill the vacancy. No residence is available on the campus,
and Professor Spiegel must live in a rented house at some distance
from the seminary.