This 1986 documentary tells the history of Lutheran Concordia College of Texas, later known as Concordia University Texas. The film includes a history of Lutheran higher education in Texas and describes how the new high school filled a need in the community. There are oral histories from several instructors and administrators, as well as men from early classes at the school. The film continues to document the history of Concordia as it expands to a junior college, accepts women, and finally becomes a four-year college, using old film clips, photographs, and oral histories from students and faculty.

Concordia University Texas was founded in 1926 in Austin as a high school for men intending to teach or join the ministry. It was originally called Lutheran Concordia College of Texas. The school was founded by Texan Wends, a sizable immigrant community from Germany. Concordia’s first building, Kilian Hall, was named for John Kilian, a leader in the local Wend community. The original campus was located north of the University of Texas at Austin, near what is now Interstate 35. It expanded during the 1940s and 1950s, began accepting women in 1955, and converted to a junior college in 1969. In 1980, Concordia began offering a Bachelor of Arts degree. The school has changed its name several times, most recently to Concordia University Texas in 2007. In 2008, the school moved its campus to northwest Austin and the original buildings have been demolished.

Travis County Austin

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