Carl Lee

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Headshot of Reverend Carl Lee, c. 1956

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Reverend Lee administering communion during an all-campus communion service, 1979

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Carl and Ann during the Carl Lee Day Chapel service recognizing Lee’s contributions to the campus, 13 February 1986

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Lee and Morrie Lanning wear togas and share a light moment in the Centrum, spring 1979

Carl Lee (b. 1930 – d. 2003)

  • Campus Pastor 1961-1995

Biography

As a result of overwhelming student appeal for a campus pastor, Rev. Carl Lee became the first at Concordia in 1961 to hold such a position. A 1952 Cobber graduate, he had been serving a two-point parish in Big Sandy, MT when President Knutson called and asked him to return to his alma mater. Students had been pushing for a campus pastor feeling that they needed someone outside of the administration and faculty to serve their needs. Student Association even helped pay for Lee’s salary his first few years.

Lee had an extraordinary gift for being highly perceptive and for understanding student issues. His soothing voice and nonjudgmental listening was accessible to anyone at any time. Lee gained the confidence of students from the beginning of their college career with his well-known “Whobody” sermons aimed at freshmen. As well as being the campus pastor, Lee’s tenure at Concordia  included serving as the football team chaplain, the Director of Counseling, and an instructor in the Psychology Department.

In 1986, he was honored with “Carl Lee Day” in which the Campus Religion Commission solicited funds to send him and his wife Ann on a Hawaiian trip. Lee was awarded the Alumni Achievement Award in 2003, though he passed away before he could accept the honor. President Dovre stated in a 2003 Concordian article, “Carl taught us all how important it is to listen, to be patient, and to be gracious.” In 2007, the Lee Mediation Chapel was established in the Knutson Campus Center.