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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.  

Double standards in the regulation of student conduct at Concordia College placed the liberties of women below those of men.  Dress codes and smoking policies in particular explicitly treated female students differently than male students.  A combination of student action as well as changing social views brought an end to these sexist differences in regulation over the course of the 1960s and 1970s.

Literary societies were once a common feature at Concordia.  Alpha Kappa Chi (AKX) was the first all-female literary society at the college.  Even as its focus shifted from literary pursuits to social events to charitable activities, AKX provided a way for Concordia women to engage with their campus and their community for over eighty years.  Phi Kappa Chi (PKX) was another major women’s society at Concordia College from 1946 to 1969.  Although PKX was relatively short-lived, it provides an interesting look at some of the factors that influenced the rise and fall of women’s (and men’s) societies at Concordia.

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Richard Green attended Concordia College during the tumult and excitement of the early modern Civil Rights Movement, becoming the college’s first African American graduate in 1961. A chemistry major, Green went on to earn a master’s degree in science at North Dakota State University (1963) and his PhD in the field of inorganic chemistry at the University of Louisville (1969). In 1964, Green married Dorothy Reed and began work at a chemical firm in Louisville. Richard and Dr. Dorothy Green have two adult children, Richard Clayton and Kim Elizabeth and three grandchildren. Richard C. is a graduate of Stanford University and Kim a graduate of Northwestern University. Green returned to Concordia in 1969 as an assistant professor in the department of chemistry. He became the first director of the college’s new Office of Intercultural Affairs in 1971, helping to make Concordia a more welcoming place as Black and Native student enrollments increased under his leadership. Green served on the Board of Regents from 1972 to 1981 and aided Concordia College by acting as a mediator during the Black Student Strike of 1976. Green’s career followed numerous industry, faculty, administrative, and academic leadership posts across the nation, earning him the highest esteem as a respected and sought-out leader in higher education.

Kathryn “Kathy” Benson spent fifty years of her life employed at Concordia College. Through her work at the Kjos Health Center and beyond, she touched the lives of many and supported both students and staff in their physical and mental wellness. Benson was a deeply valued and beloved figure during her time at the college.

Florence Kruger served as the head of the Home Economics program for much of her thirty-year career at Concordia College. In those thirty years, she made a name for herself, as well as making a lasting impact on the lives of the students that graduated from the program.

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.