When the United States decided to forego their neutrality to the first World War in 1917, thousands of American men were drafted into the armed forces. Although women were unable to enlist, their services were required and appreciated in Red Cross work either as nurses or as citizen volunteers simply rolling and packing bandages. Women of Concordia College were quick to participate in the Moorhead chapter of the Red Cross by rolling bandages and knitting sweaters, mittens, caps, and scarves.
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 In the midst of World War II Concordia College adapted to wartime restrictions and decreasing enrollment. Due to the military draft the number of male students enrolled dropped, while the number of females attending the college increased dramatically. Accordingly, Concordia established programs and courses that allowed and encouraged women to contribute to the war effort.
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 Women’s athletics thrive at Concordia, but the varsity programs currently known and loved did not have their beginning until 1972 and have undergone some dramatic changes in management over the decades, from the Women’s Athletic Association (WAA) and the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Women have fought for the chance to have their talents shine on the court, on the field, in the pool, and more, and while this trend towards gender equality is still ongoing, women’s athletics have nonetheless gained great strides.
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 Imogene Baker Dogeagle was an extraordinary Cobber who went on to continue a legacy of excellence following her graduation from Concordia in 1939. During her time at Concordia, she was a very accomplished student, and was involved with many activities on campus. Her most notable accomplishments were achieved during her senior year when she served as the president of the Woman’s Athletics Association, president of the largest women’s dormitory on campus, and was chosen Homecoming Queen. Her election as a homecoming queen was especially momentous, as she was the first indigenous student to attend Concordia, thus making her the first indigenous woman to receive the honor.
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Greek society life has been part of Concordia’s campus for many years, despite only one Greek society remaining at Concordia in 2022. Lambda Delta Sigma (LDS) has outlasted other student organizations on campus and has had a deep and complex history since its founding.
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 Jean Ahlness Stebinger was a 1943 graduate of Concordia. She was stationed in the American Embassy in Cairo, Egypt during World War II and arranged meetings between North African leaders and President Franklin Roosevelt. She also travelled the world and participated in humanitarian efforts.
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In 1888, Joachim Murie and Marie Frimanslund moved from Yavick, Norway to Moorhead, Minnesota and married almost immediately. Together with Marie’s brother, Henrick, they purchased a homestead. Their first child, Olaus, was born on March 1, 1889. Marie gave birth to five more children, including Martin (1891) and Adolph (1899). In 1895, Joachim died at the age of thirty-seven likely due to tuberculosis. In April of 1899, Marie married Ed Winstrom, a Swedish bartender in Moorhead. Unfortunately, Ed died from tuberculosis two months into their marriage, but Adolph was already conceived. In 1909, the family also adopted a girl named Clara. To help with family finances, they cut grass for their neighbors, worked for local gardeners, and hunted and fished alongside the Red River. Olaus and Adolph both attribute this time of camping, hunting, fishing, and canoe-making to stimulating their fascination with the natural world.
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 Elsie Mallinger was born near Sabin, Minnesota on March 2, 1903, the seventh of nine children. Her parents, John and Elizabeth Mallinger, moved to a farm near Ada, Minnesota when Elsie was young. Elsie entered country school at age four. Eventually she started teaching other students in the back of the class while the teacher continued teaching in the front. Elsie graduated high school at age sixteen and returned to her family’s farm for some time. She then attended Dakota Business College in Fargo, graduating in seven weeks.
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 The construction of Park Region Hall in the mid-1950s as a women’s dormitory was part of Concordia’s response to increasing post-WWII student enrollment as well as the availability of government loans. From 1951 to 1955 the college’s enrollment increased by fifty-two percent, with 1354 students registered for the 1955-56 academic year. In addition to providing a new housing option for students, Park Region Hall experimented with a new form of residence governance that was eventually adopted across campus. In the twenty-first century the dormitory remains a place to test new ideas. During the 2016-2017 academic year Park Region was the first Concordia dormitory to offer a sexuality- and gender-inclusive floor.
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 In 1968, Concordia College opened Hallett Hall, an all-women’s dormitory, along with Erickson Hall, an all-men’s dormitory. The dormitories were built as different sections of one complex. It was the first time since the college’s very early years, when its single building was home to both sexes by necessity, that men and women lived in such close proximity. Hoyum Hall was a former women’s dormitory that became the first building on campus to house both male and female students in 2008.
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