April 1997 Volume 42, Number 1
April 1997 Volume 42, Number 1
- German Dignitaries Visit Institute
- Museum Has New Exhibit, New Look
- New Project Archivist Takes Job in Organizing Collections
- History on the Air at KFUO Radio
- Director's Advisory Council Takes Advice-Giving Seriously
- CHI Joins Lutherans on Internet with First 'Web Page'
- CHI Book of Life Additions
- COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS: Stephan Cup and Saucer Set Has Interesting Heritage
- Membership and Donations Are Not the Only Ways to Help CHI Thrive
- Traveling Display to Hit the Road
- LLL Donates Book Collection
 Dr. Reinhard Hoeppner, minister-president of the German Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt (left), receives a CHI Luther medallion from Rev. Daniel Preus, director of Concordia Historical Institute, during Hoeppner's visit on March 7th. |
The minister-president of the German Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt
paid a visit to Concordia Historical Institute in March while on a trip
to the United States, a year after the transfer of the "Against Hans
Wurst" Luther document.
Dr. Reinhard Hoeppner governs the German state that is home to the museum
which received from CHI in February of 1996 a rare document written by
Dr. Martin Luther. The document, dating back to 1541, was considered war
booty and was returned to Magdeburg, the German city from which it came,
following its liberation from Communist rule, in keeping with the wishes
of the Lutheran chaplain who brought it to America.
Dr. Hoeppner expressed his appreciation again for the return of the document,
noting that he knew it was painful for the Institute to have given up the
document which had been in its care since 1950.
He also presented CHI Director Daniel Preus with numerous items which will
be displayed with the Melanchthon exhibit, including three of the latest
German books written on Melanchthon and a medal struck in honor of the
500th anniversary of Melanchthon's birth.
Dr. Hoeppner was accompanied by Mr. Wolfram Koenig, minister for regional
planning, agriculture and environment of the state of Saxony-Anhalt; Mr.
Matthias Gabriel, minister for economics, technology and European affairs;
Mr. Wolfgang Zeglin, head of protocol; Mr. Thomas Bergau, interpreter;
Renate Friedemann, consulate general of the Federal Republic of Germany
in Chicago; and Mrs. Anna Mayer Beck, honorary consul of the Federal Republic
of Germany in St. Louis.
 The opening of the CHI Philipp Melanchthon exhibit was held on March 7th. |
The Concordia Historical Institute Museum has a new exhibit and the
start of a new look, thanks to its new curator.
Rev. Mark Loest, who joined the CHI staff last fall as museum curator and
as reference and research assistant, has been busy since his first day
on the job evaluating the museum and its needs.
Some of the changes may not be noticeable to visitors because they are
not intended to draw attention to themselves, such as the changes in lighting
to better highlight the displays. There are also freshly stripped and waxed
floors and newly painted walls.
What is perhaps most noticeable is a trimmed down style. "My style
is a low-key, clean look," said Rev. Loest.
This is best reflected in the newest exhibit, celebrating the 500th
anniversary of the birth of Philipp Melanchthon, friend of Dr. Martin Luther
and author of the Augsburg Confession.
"This exhibit will acquaint our museum guests with the person and
work of Philipp Melanchthon," said Rev. Loest. "They will learn
about Melanchthon's contributions to the Reformation and to the theology
of the Lutheran Church. They also will better understand the Lutheran Church
as a confessional church."
The exhibit features rare books and documents from the Reformation era,
including Melanchthon's Loci Communes, Works and the Augsburg
Confession.
The Melanchthon exhibit is probably unlike anything that has ever been
done in the history of the CHI Museum, but is a taste of things to come.
Rev. Loest's vision for the museum also includes interactive displays using
computers and audio recordings, displays which can "transport"
the visitor to life in a cabin in the 1840s or to a worship service on
the frontier.
Work is now taking place in the lower level of the museum.
The CHI Philipp Melanchthon exhibit can be viewed between 8:30 a.m.
and noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. weekdays through November. Organized group
tours are available. Please call (314) 505-7900 to schedule.
There is also an online version of the exhibit this site! (http://chi.lcms.org/exhibits.html)
Concordia Historical Institute is a sort of treasure trove, overflowing
with some 1,500 different collections of archival records of the church
and personal papers of individuals.
Because only 200 or so of these collections have been cataloged in the
professional sense in a card catalog or other database, it isn't always
easy to quickly locate the "treasures" that researchers need.
But thanks to a generous grant from an anonymous donor, Concordia Historical
Institute has now hired a project archivist who will begin soon the huge
task of cataloging its backlog of materials.
Kristina Gray Perez of Columbia, Mo., will join the Institute staff in
early April. The grant which will pay her salary for three years also covers
the cost of assistance from seminary students and the purchase of a CD-R
(Recordable) drive. Coupled with a scanner, this technology will permit
CHI to place thousands of visual images and historic documents in CD-ROM
format.
Mrs. Perez has a master of arts degree in history and master of library
science degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind. She earned her
bachelor of arts degree in history from DePauw University in Greencastle,
Ind.
Her work in arranging and describing collections of personal, administrative
and organizational papers began as a student. Through the years she has
served as an assistant in the University Archives of Indiana University;
a public services assistant at Lilly Library, Indiana University; an intern
in the Lilly Special Collections and Archives at Indiana University-Purdue
University, Indianapolis; a library assistant and intern at the Indiana
University Society; and an intern at the Indiana State Museum.
In her most recent position as a manuscript specialist with the Western
Historical Manuscript Collection at the University of Missouri-Columbia/State
Historical Society of Missouri, she arranged and described political collections,
organizational records, and personal papers, provided reference services,
created exhibits and formulated exhibit policies, prepared collections
for microfilming and performed security supervision.
Mrs. Perez said she is looking forward to the challenges offered by CHI.
"I am accustomed to working with large collections," she said,
such as the Thomas F. Eagleton papers, a collection of over 400 linear
feet.
Since September, KFUO listeners have been getting a monthly history
lesson on Lutherans in America.
Noting that the 150th anniversary of the Lutheran Church-Missouri
Synod is an ideal time to look back in history, Concordia Historical Institute
and KFUO have joined together to produce a monthly radio broadcast addressing
historical topics.
The series began in the fall of '96 with an on-air discussion about the
150th anniversary and the conditions in Germany that led to
immigration by the LCMS founders. The first show featured the Rev. Daniel
Preus, CHI director; the Rev. Lawrence Rast Jr., a member of the CHI Board
of Governors; Dr. August Suelflow, director emeritus of CHI; and Dr. Karl
Barth, chairman of the LCMS 150th anniversary committee.
Over the months, Rev. Rast and Cameron MacKenzie, book editor for the CHI
Quarterly, have been interviewed for the majority of the broadcasts.
Topics addressed were "Emigration Issues" and "Perry County"
(October 9); "Other States - Michigan and Indiana" (November
6); "The 12 Founding Churches" (December 18); "Mission Work"
(January 22) and "Lutheran Schools" (March 3).
Audio tapes from these sessions are available through KFUO. Please call
the station at (314) 725-3030 for more information about the audio tapes
or the program air times.
Editor's Note: With this issue, we begin a series on some of the inner workings of Concordia Historical Institute, including the many committees and boards that help it to function.
 Members of the Director's Advisory Council include (seated, l. to r.): Dr. J. Hauptmann, Mrs. J. Sauer, Dr. E. Fincke; (standing) Rev. Preus, Rev. Kurowski, Rev. Scmelzer, Rev. Hess, Dr. Birkmann, Mr. S. Meyer, Dr. H. Olsen, and Mr. J. Knackstedt. Other members were not present for this photograph. |
Giving advice can be a tricky thing - not everyone wants it, even if
it is free.
Not so with the Director's Advisory Council. This group was established
specifically to offer guidance to the director of CHI, especially in financial
matters related to fund raising, gift solicitation, endowments and matching
grants, maintenance of the CHI plant and equipment, as well as publications
and staff.
The council enlists the help of knowledgeable people in providing long-
and short-range plans entailing financial issues - in short, in offering
good advice to the director.
The group has also been given assignments from time to time, such as studying
the new CHI Marketing Plan and assisting the director in determining what
parts of it should take priority over others. Previously, the council took
on the issue of changes in accounting standards.
Each member of the council serves a two-year term and is subject to re-appointment
by the director.
Rev. Daniel Preus, CHI director, said he is appreciative of the time and
energy members of the council devote to each task that comes to them as
a group.
Current members of the Director's Advisory Council are: Dr. Gerald P. Birkmann,
Dr. H. James Boldt, Dr. Eugene Fincke, Dr. Jerzy Hauptmann, Rev. Robert
M. Hess, Mr. James Knackstedt, Rev. Dennis Kastens, Rev. Peter Kurowski,
Mr. Scott J. Meyer, Dr. Harold M. Olsen, Mrs. Joyce Sauer, Rev. Dennis
Schmelzer, and Dr. Hugo Stierholz.
This past fall, Concordia Historical Institute took a big cyber-step
forward by getting an email address (chi@trucom.com).
Now, CHI has its own web page where those "surfing the Net" can
gather information about the Institute's holdings (http://chi.lcms.org/collections/index.html), provide instant feedback (http://chi.lcms.org/feedback.html),
find out how to become a CHI member (http://chi.lcms.org/membership.html), read the latest HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES (http://chi.lcms.org/publications/histfoot.htm)
and Regional Archivist newsletters, and even take a virtual tour
of the Institute's newest exhibit on Melanchthon (http://chi.lcms.org/exhibits.html).
"This is a very exciting time for the Institute," said Rev. Daniel
Preus, director. "It is a great opportunity for us to let more and
more people know about the work that is being done here to preserve the
past for the sake of the Church's future."
What is also exciting is the fact the CHI web page (http://chi.lcms.org)
is connected to The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) web page, which
was recently selected as one of "The 100 Premier" organizations
working with Internet technology by Forbes Magazine in their Computerworld
publication. The LCMS site (http://www.lcms.org) receives "more than 1,500
hits a day," meaning that people looking for information on the Internet
"visit" this site 1,500 times a day.
"When you consider the number of web sites being created and managed
around the world, this recognition certainly points out the good work being
done on behalf of the Church and something we can all be proud of,"
said Charles Hines, of the LCMS Office of Information Systems.
The LCMS web site was also featured in a Computerworld article about
evangelism opportunities on the Internet.
The author noted that the primary reason the LCMS put up a Web site a year
ago was to reach outsiders with the Gospel. "Who We Are" and
"What We Believe" buttons on the LCMS home page bring up information
to provide an introduction to the Lutheran faith.
The following memorials were received recently and will be added to the CHI Book of Memories:
Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of articles on the most popular and/or unusual items in the Concordia Historical Institute collection of items with a tie to Lutherans in America.
 This cup and saucer set, featuring Rev. Martin Stephan, was presented to Stephan shortly after the Saxons arrived in Missouri. (CHI Archives Photo by Paul Ockrassa) |
One of the more unusual items in the Concordia Historical Institute
(CHI) museum collection is a delicate cup and saucer of Meissen Porcelain,
bearing a picture of Pastor Martin Stephan.
Rev. Stephan was the Lutheran pastor who led the immigration from Saxony
to Missouri and was later deposed from office in Perry County, Mo., in
1839.
According to CHI's records, this cup and saucer set was presented to Rev.
Stephan shortly after the Saxons arrived in Missouri and it has an interesting
heritage. It was donated to the Institute by Miss Clara Loeber in 1943.
Miss Loeber inherited it from her mother Marie Loeber (nee Lochner), widow
of Rev. Christopher Henry Loeber.
"Stephan" is written on the under side of the cup. The saucer
features a cross and the words, in German, "I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ."
While the Stephan cup and saucer set is one of CHI's most unusual items,
it is not presently on display in the museum because it needs restoration
and is extremely fragile, said Rev. Mark Loest, museum curator and reference
and research assistant for CHI. The cup suffered damage prior to being
donated to the Institute.
For more information about this or other items in the museum collection,
please contact Rev. Loest at (314) 505-7930.
As April 15th rolls around, you may have taxes on your mind.
Did you know there are two "non-traditional" ways of giving to
Concordia Historical Institute that could help ease the load when tax time
hits?
Companies and even individuals who have upgraded their computer software
may be able to benefit from donating their outdated software. Often when
new software is purchased, the terms of software license agreements forbid
the further use by that person of the previous version. It may, however,
be donated to a nonprofit organization, such as CHI.
For more information on this option, please contact the Rev. Marvin Huggins,
assistant director of CHI, at (314) 505-7920, or write to him at 801 DeMun
Ave., St. Louis MO 63105.
Another option for maximizing your charitable gift is to donate stock to
Concordia Historical Institute.
In years past, there was no capital gains tax due on the sale of stock.
But regulations have changed. Individuals who have held onto stock and
seen it appreciate over time will find they must not only pay a commission
to a broker when trading or selling it, but must also pay capital gains
taxes.
Because the Institute is a nonprofit organization, it receives the full
benefit of the stock, while the giver avoids having to pay capital gains
taxes on it.
For more information on giving the gift of stock, please call CHI's director,
Rev. Daniel Preus at (314) 505-7910.
The Institute is not exactly taking its show on the road, but chances
are you will find CHI represented at the next district convention you attend.
A traveling display has been created to tell about the Institute and its
work. It includes brochures about individual and congregational memberships.
During the Synod's anniversary year, the display will also include many
resources available through the Institute regarding the anniversary and
the history of the LCMS in general.
For more information about the traveling display, please contact Rev. Mark
Loest at CHI at (314) 505-7930.
If books are a treasure, Concordia Historical Institute just became
a lot richer.
The Lutheran Laymen's League recently donated to CHI a collection of more
than 20,000 books, including Bibles, hymnals, catechisms, theological works
and pamphlets, as well as secular books. Most of the books are written
in German.
Rev. Daniel Preus, CHI director, said the potential value of the books
is very great for both CHI and the church. "We are indebted to LLL
for this gift, and particularly to Jerry Perschbacher who made this arrangement,"
he said.
The process of sorting through the books and estimating their value to
the Institute began in early March.
"Historical Footnotes" newsletter is published quarterly
by Concordia Historical Institute,
801 DeMun Ave., St. Louis MO 63105.
The Institute is a not-for-profit organization, serving as
the Department of History and Archives for The
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Historical Footnotes Editor-in-Chief
Rev. Marvin A. Huggins
Writer and Layout Editor
Chris Boshoven
