Established on 12.18.2021 by David '58 and Phyllis '58 Stageberg; James '88 and Cheri '88 Stageberg; Dr. John '90 and Christine Stageberg; Paul Stageberg '86; Jakob Stageberg '18; and Elizabeth Stageberg '16 and Hans Peter '17
Phyllis and Carolyn Moen, daughters of Howard and Muriel Moen, grew up on a farm near Madison, Mn., appreciating every aspect of rural living including rising early each morning, a habit we brought to Concordia. Phyllis attended rural school for eight years prior to high school in Madison, but it was Green Lake Lutheran Bible Camp where she met Dave.
The only exposure Phyllis had on a college campus was a successful Luther League Convention at Concordia College. It was enough! She enrolled in 1954 and graduated from Concordia in 1958 with a B.S. in elementary education and psychology.
David Stageberg, the son of Chester and Violet Stageberg, grew up in Madison, Mn., participating in many sports in elementary and high school. He began working in the eighth grade for an aerial spraying business at the local airport where he also learned to fly, a skill used for many years. He began his college education in pharmacy at South Dakota State After one year he changed his major to education and transferred to Concordia College where he earned a B.A. degree in biology and physical education in 1958. He was employed by Air Activities Inc. at Hector Airport while attending Concordia to help fund his education.
After their marriage, they traveled to the multi-cultural community of Wapato, WA. David taught and coached at the junior high and Phyllis taught second grade.
After three years they began anew in Willmar, Mn., until retirement. Phyllis taught second grade and fifth grade and David taught junior high life science and health along with coaching and later taught senior high biology. He was on the Concordia golf team and eventually taught private golf lessons for many years. The highlight of his career was teaching junior high students field biology with a culminating activity of five days at the Isabella Environmental Learning Center and later at Wolf Ridge. Envious parents convinced him to do the same for adults resulting in summer and winter excursions.
Together they attended National Science Conventions and presented at Washington D.C. on teaching environmental education. David attended Nobel Conferences at Gustavus and received National Science Foundation grants for graduate study at Macalester College. Phyllis took graduate courses on the Holocaust, environmental education, and a reading conference at Concordia.
Phyllis and David Stageberg are grateful for Concordia’s liberal arts education along with sons, Paul ’86, James ’88, John ’90, and grandchildren Elizabeth ’16 and Jakob ’18.
The Stageberg-Moen Family Endowed Scholarship is awarded by the Office of Financial Aid to one or more students majoring in education who feel called and dedicated to the teaching profession.