Thank You, Lord!
Prof. Em. Robert Rehm reporting
On July 28, 2011, an hors d’ouvres potluck was held at the Immanuel Lutheran College Commons building (Eau Claire, Wis.) to honor Adelgunde Schaller. A group of past and present faculty, staff, and spouses gathered to thank the Lord for His hundred years of blessings to our dear friend, Gunde.
The family had prepared an interesting DVD with pictures of Gunde’s life from little on, and it was being played for all so that they could get better acquainted with her early life and her family history.
ILC President John Pfeiffer introduced his reading of Psalm 71 with a few questions. He asked for a show of hands from those who were alive at the time of the War in Viet-Nam and was greeted with all of the hands up. He then asked for a show of hands from those who were alive at the time of World War II and there were still quite a few hands raised. He then asked for a show of hands from those who were alive and could remember World War I, and that thinned the responses rather markedly—down to one holdout.
Prof. Pfeiffer called attention to the many parallels between the life of the Psalmist and that of Gunde. “O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.”
A bit later in the festivities, a handful of Gunde’s fellow faculty members from her days as an instructor at ILC serenaded her with the old favorite that was customarily sung for the ladies after they had served a meal to Convention delegates in the early days of the CLC, “Sie leben hoch…” (German for “Give a cheer for…!” – Ed.)
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your many years of grace and blessing to Gunde, and for allowing her to work for You as a humble, caring Christian at ILC for so many years.
From the Editor:
We add a few particulars gleaned from other sources, including from Throughout All Generations, a history of ILC (from 1959-2008) by Eunice Roehl.
On p. 122, where it is reported that the 2001 Lance (the school’s Yearbook) was dedicated to Mrs. Schaller, this is said:
“…Mrs. Adelgunde Schaller has been with our school from the days of its inception in Mankato [fall of 1959]. She was a member of the first faculty, and over the years has taught English, German, History, and Biology.”
During the 1990’s her teaching hours in the classroom were gradually replaced with responsibilities as ILC librarian, from which post she retired in 2001—her public service to her Lord and to ILC spanning
42 years!