I will be spending another day today on the campus of Concordia University-Chicago (I still have trouble calling it by that name). I am going to highlight two past professors at that university that have connections to East Perry County. First of all, I am republishing a story that was first placed on this blog in June of 2023 about Theodore Kuehnert, who was born and raised in Altenburg. Later in his life, he became a professor at Concordia Teachers College in River Forest. I encourage you to read his story.
Another name that is prominent in the history of Concordia University-Chicago is Johann Theodore Julius Gotthold Brohm. This Theodore Brohm was the son of another Theodore Brohm, who was one of the original immigrants to Perry County and also one of the builders of the Log Cabin College. Theodore, Jr. would eventually become a professor in 1879 at what was called Concordia Teachers Seminary located in Addison, Illinois. He even became the president of that teachers seminary from 1906-1913. Later the campus for this institution was moved to River Forest, which is also part of the Chicago metropolitan area. On the present-day campus, a building even honors him with his name, Brohm Hall. I took a photo of that building yesterday.
Here are photos of Rev. Theodore Brohm, Sr. on the left and Dr. Theodore Brohm, Jr. on the right.
Theodore Brohm, Jr. would marry the daughter of another rather prominent early Lutheran leader, Rev. J.M.G. Schaller, who was one of the early pastors at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis. He served along with Dr. C.F.W. Walther at that congregation. Dr. Brohm married Lucie Schaller.
On a modern-day map of the Concordia-Chicago neighborhood, we can find Brohm Hall highlighted in yellow, along with a red pin indicating where Professor Theodore Kuehnert had lived. You can also see the football field/track area on the left where this weekend’s Illinois State Lutheran Track Meet is taking place. I will back there again later this morning.
Although this story is very short, it still managed to mention three different Theodore’s with ties to Altenburg, Missouri. My granddaughter participated in the triple jump yesterday. I guess you could say that she jumped once for each of the 3 Theodore’s.