Alumni of the Year
Established in 1984, the Alumnus/a of the Year Award is presented to a graduate whose service to the church and community has brought honor to Concordia University Chicago. The honoree, selected by the faculty, is recognized publicly for his or her accomplishments during Concordia's spring commencement ceremonies each May.
2008 Alumna of the Year
Dr. Judith C. Meier, B.S.'62
Judith Claire Meier was born in Bloomington, Ill. At the urging of her mother, she attended Concordia Teachers College, River Forest, Ill., and in 1962 received a B.S. in education. Professors at River Forest encouraged her to pursue an M.A. in history at Northwestern University and then called her back to be a teaching assistant at CTC. This confirmed her calling as a teacher in a college environment. Meier completed a Ph.D. in history at the University of Iowa in 1977.
In August 1971, Concordia College in Edmonton called Meier to teach one class in European History and to be Dean of Women (dormitory house mother). By 1975, the college enrollment was large enough to support a full-time history teacher. From 1980 to 1990, she was also Dean of Academic Affairs and Vice-President Academic. Her position included membership on the Alberta Government’s Private Colleges Accreditation Board, which approved Concordia’s first three-year degrees in arts and science in 1987. Concordia’s first convocation took place in 1988 and recognized the achievements of 13 graduates. In May 2008, spring convocation plans included at least 370 graduates.
Meier has one brother, James, and a sister-in-law, Marilyn, who live in Stillwater, Minn. Her nephew, David, and his wife, Michelle, live in Minneapolis; her niece, Elisa, and her husband, Olivier Bariau, live in France with their children Lucy and Emile. In addition to her Concordia family, Meier also has a parish family at Bethel Lutheran Church in Sherwood Park, where she has been a member for thirty-seven years. Meier is the inaugural recipient of the Judith C. Meier Excellence in Teaching Award, established at Concordia in 2005 and named in her honor.
Alumni of the Year Recipients
| 1984 Dr. Roy G. Kaiser '54 1985 James Aylesworth ‘78 1986 Raymond L. Schilling '55 1987 Daniel J. Leikip '69 1988 Reverend Robert W. Smith '64 1989 Geraldine L. Brazeal '70 1989 John Brazeal ‘71 1990 Robert G. Miles '65 1991 Dr. Ronald F. Zernicke '70 1992 Guenther K. Herzog '50 1993 Melba J. Hanssen '63 1993 Lloyd C. Foerster '49 1994 Thomas L. Roemke '65 1995 Clifford T. Johnson '93 1996 Ralph L. Kohrs '58 1997 Elizabeth F. Kurth '75 1997 Mark A. Hasenwinkel '89 |
1998 Steven T. Isoye ‘95 |
