In April 1847, a group of German Americans from around the Midwest assembled in Chicago and formed the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Over the next century, the Missouri Synod grew to become the second largest Lutheran body in the United States, and in 1992 it formed the Concordia University System to oversee the 2 seminaries and 10 colleges affiliated with its teachings. Concordia University is one such school. Established in 1864 in Addison, Illinois, the school initially focused on training educators. In 1913, Concordia relocated its growing student body of both undergraduate and graduate students to a 40-acre campus in River Forest, a tree-lined suburb 10 miles west of Chicago.

Sarah Fenton