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In 1921, a group of faculty women and wives at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota joined together to form a club devoted to both social activities and to raising money for students in financial need. In the almost seventy years that followed, the Concordia Women’s League formed successful student loan and scholarship funds, contributed to several worthwhile campus projects, and developed a long-lasting legacy.

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.  

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. 

Grace Berg is a Concordia alumna who served in the Army Nurse Corps during World War II. She earned the title “angel of mercy” by being a nurse who took care of many wounded soldiers. Her involvement in the war and her passion for music can serve as an inspiration for women today considering careers in nursing and music.

Martha Brennun was a Norse and math instructor at Concordia, who later worked as registrar. Brennun was the salutatorian of the first collegiate class at Concordia. She also helped establish the first literary society at the college.
 

In 1944, Anna Jordahl was appointed head librarian at Concordia College.  In this capacity she helped develop the plans for the Carl B. Ylvisaker library, built in 1956, which gave her the space to increase the collection size to over 100,000 volumes before her retirement in 1973.
 

Margaret Signora Callsen discovered a love of learning in her time as a student at Concordia that she carried with her throughout the rest of her life and career. This love of learning grew in Callsen and she became determined to spread it to others through her own teaching at several universities.  After her retirement she continued to encourage education by providing a generous donation to Concordia College to support junior faculty and undergraduate research.

Coya Knutson is a Concordia alumna who can serve as an inspiration for women across the United States, and especially from the North Dakota/Minnesota area. She was a strong-minded, independent woman in an era when women were often in the background of their own lives. Knutson was an effective member of Congress; however, her career as a U.S. Representative was unfortunately cut short.  She was defeated in her bid for reelection due to inherent sexism in politics at the time, accomplished through actions by her Democratic-Farmer-Labor party colleagues in collaboration her husband.