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Graduation 1949
The six pioneer men who met under the Prayer Oak in October 1925 prayed not only for a Christian camp, but also for a Christian training school. W.S. Cummings predicted that "someday there will be a school here." He died 14 years before this prophecy was fulfilled. After two decades of camp and mission work, the Lord led the Fellowship to launch out on the second part of the vision -- the establishing of the Oak Hills Christian Training School. Its purpose: "to give north woods young people a thorough knowledge of God's Word and prepare them for Christian service." In 1946 Don Wagner came from Park Rapids to Oak Hills for the founding of the Christian training school. Wagner helped design the curriculum to be offered and he became the school's first dean of education. On October 7, 1946, the Oak Hills Christian Training School opened for classes in Old Main. Bessie Degerman Simonson, one of the students, recalled those days. "There were 15 students and almost as many teachers and staff," Bessie said. "The enrollment included some part-time students, two married couples, four single girls who lived in a little cottage, four single fellows who lived in another. There were no modern facilities in these cottages."
"Mr. Don Wagner was principal of the school," Bessie said, "and he taught many of the Bible subjects; Mrs. Schreiber taught missions; Mr. Arthur Anderson, music; Miss Theodosia Sweet taught Christian education and visual aids; some of the pastors from the chapels came and taught other subjects, such as church history. We got to know our teachers intimately. I feel the close relationship between teachers and staff and students had a very wholesome effect on the students. Music was an important part of the curriculum that first year. Most of us took piano lessons; and whether or not we could play anything, we had to perform in a recital. We also received singing instruction from Mr. Anderson." "We all had work chores to do every day around the school, but found time for study and social life. On the weekends we did practical work, teaching Sunday school and helping with church services." "Everything was new and on a trial basis," Bessie explained. "It was fun to be in on the formative stage of the school. We used to joke about being famous some day -- we were in the very first graduating class of Oak Hills!" Along with his job as principal of the school, Donald Wagner taught Bible survey. Bible analysis, and Bible mechanics (not "mechanical Bible study" as one student expressed it). Vernon Bliss, pastor of the Northern Bible Chapel, taught principles of Bible study; Robert Page, pastor of the Carr Lake Bible Chapel, personal evangelism; and Mrs. Fern Severson, English. James Schreiber was dean of men and Jemima Schreiber, dean of women. Theodosia Sweet served as registrar. This was the beginning of a new ministry at Oak Hills. And three years later on Friday, April 8, 1949, seven of those first students received diplomas at commencement exercises of the school. About 500 friends gathered at the Bemidji High School auditorium to honor the graduates. Dr. Curtis B. Akenson, president of the Fellowship Board of Directors, brought the commencement address, Donald Wagner presented dipomas to Lois Conat, Bessie Degerman, John Gren, Robert Grover, Gene James, and to married students J.B. and Gladys Fuller. (Mission to the Northwoods: The Story of Oak Hills Fellowship, by Ruth McKinney) |
"Old Main was a large building, and was divided by
screens and curtains. Around the fireplace in the far end of the building
we had chapel. In the middle, tables were placed in a U-shape for our
classrooms. In the front part of the building we ate our meals at two
round tables. It was a cozy, family-like atmosphere. It was hard to
study about 11:00 o'clock in the morning when we could smell the dinner cooking
in the kitchen or smell Grandma Nelson's homemade bread baking.
