When one thinks of Concordia’s historical connections, China does not often come to mind. However, Concordia has a unique, unsuspected link to China dating back nearly 100 years: four women that eventually came to work at Concordia served as missionaries there, predominately in the 1920s.
Ruth Gilbertson, who came to Concordia in 1949 to serve as the residential head of Fjelstad Hall and later served as postmistress from 1960 to 1973, was a missionary from 1920 to 1949. Gilbertson’s interest in missionary work began in her youth, particularly after a severe case of scarlet fever. In an oral history interview, she recounts that her mother and her grandmother prayed by her bedside, bartering that if her health improved, they would help her become a missionary. After graduating from St. Olaf College, she embarked to China. Her main duty was teaching at Kikungshan in Honan Province, which was a school for missionaries’ children. During World War II, specifically from December 1941 to February 1945, she was imprisoned in a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines along with many other missionaries. A 1959 Concordian article summarizes Gilbertson’s experiences and concludes that if she could withstand the trials and tribulations she experienced while abroad, the challenges of being a resident head of a dormitory would be minimal.
Ruth Gilbertson
An instructor in the sociology department, Hannah Hoff taught social work courses at Concordia from 1955 to 1966. Similar to Gilbertson, Hoff’s interest in missionary work began in her youth. Her father, a clergyman in the Church of Lutheran Brethren, was a significant source of inspiration for her as were visits from missionaries that she encountered. Hoff went to China in the 1920s before she completed her undergraduate studies and taught courses at missionary schools in Honan Province. When she returned to the United States, she earned a master’s degree in social work. While she taught social work courses at Concordia, she also served as director of Social Work Services with the Lutheran Welfare Society of North Dakota.
Frida Nilsen, dean of women from 1930 to 1939 and English professor from 1929 to 1962, served as the principal of a girl’s boarding school in China from 1919 to 1925. Nilsen was inspired to become a missionary at the young age of four when a missionary visited her family’s home. Keenly interested in the missionary’s stories, she vowed to pursue this field when she became an adult. Several years later, her promise was fulfilled. While in China, she studied Chinese at the International Language School in Peking, which assisted her in conducting faculty meetings in Chinese and ensuring Chinese customs were part of her students’ daily life.
Unlike the other women highlighted above, Cora Martinson was raised in China by her missionary parents. She moved to the United States in 1921 when she was eight years old. Martinson returned to China as a missionary in the 1930s but came back to the United States when the commencement of World War II presented safety concerns. During her stay in the U.S., Martinson lectured throughout the nation and in Canada about her experiences and eventually came to Concordia to serve as dean of women from 1943 to 1946. She went back to China for a second tour of missionary work from 1947 to 1972. While there, Martinson remained in contact with Concordia, sending at least two letters to the campus via The Concordian. She concluded one of these letters with “Kindest greetings from one who loves Cobbers and Concordia dearly!”
Contributed by Lisa Sjoberg, former college archivist