Established on 12.22.2004 by Ida Malde '65
Jurgis and Anna Maciulaitis were farmers in Lithuania. When the communists moved in during WWII, they fled. Jurgis was conscripted into the German army and ended up being stationed in the Mediterranean area. His ship was sunk by the British and he ended up as their POW at the Suez Canal.
Anna and her daughter, Ida, made their way to Poland and worked for a farm family. Eventually they ended up at the refugee camp in Lubeck, Germany, and that’s where Jurgis found them. In October, 1949, Jurgis, Anna, Ida (6 yrs.), and Ben (6 mths.), immigrated to the United States on a troop ship. They were sponsored by the Lutheran World Federation and began their life in Latrobe, PA. When they became citizens, they Americanized their name to George and Anna Mitchell.
George worked for several farmers and eventually saved enough money for a down payment on a farm in Newell, SD. After about 20 years, they sold the farm and bought land in Sturgis, SD, which turned out to be a good investment. Ida and Robert acquired the property and after selling various plots of the land, set up the George and Anna Mitchell Memorial Endowed Scholarship at Concordia College in 2004.
George and Anna felt strongly that an education with a Christian emphasis is important. Both Ida ’65 and Ben ’71 graduated from Concordia. Ida received scholarships, which eased the financial burden on the family. She loved her time on campus and it prepared her for a successful career in medical technology. Robert and Ida Malde want to “pay it forward” by providing scholarships for students to attend Concordia while celebrating the legacy of Ida’s family.
The Ida ’65 & Robert Malde and George & Anna Mitchell Endowed Scholarship is awarded by the Office of Financial Aid to one or more students of any class pursing any major or minor.