Georg "Rector" Schick (February 25, 1831 – January 3, 1915) was a German-American

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

pastor, scholar, and professor of classical languages. He was one of the first Rectors (Headmaster) of the Concordia College in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

Life

Early years

Georg Schick was born in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe on February 25, 1831. Having shown signs of unusual talents, he was permitted to enter the Gymnasium at

Frankfurt-am-Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian dialects, Hessian: , "Franks, Frank ford (crossing), ford on the Main (river), Main"), is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as o ...

for his secondary education. He was confirmed under , who was a Lutheran pastor and composer of hymns.

University education

Schick matriculated from

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

on May 10, 1851. He also did coursework at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin, and at the University of Erlangen. He sat for his examinations and passed with special honors on July 29, 1851.

Immigration

In the mid 19th century in Germany, a clergyman named

Wilhelm Löhe Wilhelm may refer to: People and fictional characters * William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm" * Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Other uses * Moun ...

made public appeals regarding the shortage of German-speaking Lutheran clergy in North America. Moved by these appeals, Schick moved to the United States.

Pastor at Emmanuel Church in Chicago

On September 10, 1854, Schick was installed as pastor at the Immanuel Church in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. He served the congregation there for two years until he was sent to Concordia College in St. Louis to teach classical languages.

Teacher at Concordia College

On March 31, 1856, Schick was installed as Conrector (vice-principal) along with Director Professor Biewend at Concordia College in St. Louis.

C. F. W. Walther Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther (October 25, 1811 – May 7, 1887) was a German-American Lutheran minister. He was the first president of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) and its most influential theologian. He is commemorated by that ...

spoke at the ceremony. However in the spring of 1858, Biewend became ill and died on April 10. Schick took up the teaching position vacated by Biewend's death while Subrector Saxon assumed the administrative duties. Later in his life, Schick would be known by his students and colleges as "Rector", in recognition of his leadership after Biewend's death. Schick moved with the college when it was relocated to Fort Wayne, Indiana, due to the turmoil of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. He began teaching in Fort Wayne on September 9, 1861, and would remain a teacher at the institution until his death in 1915.

Legacy

Schick Street in Fort Wayne is named in his honor. The street formed the western border of the Concordia College campus and now bisects the campus of

Indiana Tech Indiana Institute of Technology (Indiana Tech) is a private university in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was founded in 1930 as Indiana Technical College by John A. Kalbfleisch, who was also the school's first president. The university today is organ ...

, which purchased the campus when the college closed. Several of Schick's students achieved significance as scholars, including Ernest G. Sihler, a prominent classicist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schick, Georg 1831 births 1915 deaths People from Bad Homburg vor der Höhe 19th-century American Lutheran clergy German emigrants to the United States Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod people