"The Other Swedes"
~ Celebrating Them ~
~ The Smoky Valley Writers ~
~ Celebrating Them ~
~ The Smoky Valley Writers ~
Dr. Leon G. Lungstrom's
"Introduction"
transcription
page iii
"Introduction"
transcription
page iii
Following are the introductory words of Bethany College Biology Professor Dr. Leon George Lungstrom (1915-2000) regarding the writing of his book, "History of Natural Science and Mathematics at Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas" published in 1990.*
Introduction
"The author has worked on this project during his spare time from 1986 and has often wished during that period that he had begun earlier so that he could have obtained the vast amount of information Dr. Deere remembered about Bethany College. Also, probably much information was lost when the Carnegie library burned, and old Main was removed from the campus.
"This project was initiated for two reasons. First, the author, when a student at Bethany, had developed a very high regard and respect for his instructors, to the extent that he felt motivated to record some of the history of the institution to which they had made a life-long dedicated contribution. In the second place, the author began to realize that the time had come when he was one of the few still around who had been both a student and faculty member of the college, having had considerable experience in the building known as Old Main. Soon much of this information will be unattainable if not recorded now.
"Considerable amount of the information in this report was obtained from the Lindsborg News-Record, the Bethany Messenger, the Bethany Daisy (Bethanian), the Bethany Magazine, and the Bethany College Catalogues. Additional information was derived from personal letters and contacts with other people. For example, John Altenborg, with a good memory for detail, provided valuable information on the Old Main floor plan, and Mrs. Clara Tow graciously provided information on former faculty members.
"A number of other people helped to provide information. The author is appreciative and wishes to thank all who have helped and contributed to this project.
"Some information also came from unusual places and sources. Scraps of paper found in Dr. Deere's office on the fifth floor of Old Main provided a detailed floor plan of the Old Main Chapel. No doubt this could not have been collected anywhere else again."
"No doubt errors may have entered into this report that have escaped the attention of the writer. If such errors are found, the author would appreciate having the mistake brought to his attention.
"Since the early period of Bethany College, students have been able to major in biology, chemistry and mathematics. Later majors could be obtained in domestic science or home economics, physics and computer science. At the present time home economics has been discontinued and a major is no longer given in physics. The latter area of study is still important in the Bethany College curriculum. In addition to the studies already discussed, students have been able to study courses in mechanical drawing, geography, geology and astronomy. During its infancy, Bethany College offered course studies in manual training, but this was soon discontinued.
"This project was initiated for two reasons. First, the author, when a student at Bethany, had developed a very high regard and respect for his instructors, to the extent that he felt motivated to record some of the history of the institution to which they had made a life-long dedicated contribution. In the second place, the author began to realize that the time had come when he was one of the few still around who had been both a student and faculty member of the college, having had considerable experience in the building known as Old Main. Soon much of this information will be unattainable if not recorded now.
"Considerable amount of the information in this report was obtained from the Lindsborg News-Record, the Bethany Messenger, the Bethany Daisy (Bethanian), the Bethany Magazine, and the Bethany College Catalogues. Additional information was derived from personal letters and contacts with other people. For example, John Altenborg, with a good memory for detail, provided valuable information on the Old Main floor plan, and Mrs. Clara Tow graciously provided information on former faculty members.
"A number of other people helped to provide information. The author is appreciative and wishes to thank all who have helped and contributed to this project.
"Some information also came from unusual places and sources. Scraps of paper found in Dr. Deere's office on the fifth floor of Old Main provided a detailed floor plan of the Old Main Chapel. No doubt this could not have been collected anywhere else again."
"No doubt errors may have entered into this report that have escaped the attention of the writer. If such errors are found, the author would appreciate having the mistake brought to his attention.
"Since the early period of Bethany College, students have been able to major in biology, chemistry and mathematics. Later majors could be obtained in domestic science or home economics, physics and computer science. At the present time home economics has been discontinued and a major is no longer given in physics. The latter area of study is still important in the Bethany College curriculum. In addition to the studies already discussed, students have been able to study courses in mechanical drawing, geography, geology and astronomy. During its infancy, Bethany College offered course studies in manual training, but this was soon discontinued.
Dr. Lungstrom's informative narrative is a rare work and very important for the cultural history of Bethany College's earliest history. To add to its rareness, the Bethany College Archives reports that it has only two (2) copies in a September 25, 2017, email.
**Courtesy of Mrs. Leon (Linda) Lungstrom to share her husband's work, January 31, 2016.
**Courtesy of Mrs. Leon (Linda) Lungstrom to share her husband's work, January 31, 2016.
* * *
"Let Us Celebrate Them"
* * *
Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~
reconnecting past to present
* * *
All color photography throughout Swedes: The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated.
Copyright © since October 8, 2015 to Current Year
as indicated on main menu sections of
www.swedesthewaytheywere.org. All rights reserved.
"Let Us Celebrate Them"
* * *
Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~
reconnecting past to present
* * *
All color photography throughout Swedes: The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated.
Copyright © since October 8, 2015 to Current Year
as indicated on main menu sections of
www.swedesthewaytheywere.org. All rights reserved.
