Walter C. Schnackenberg Endowment

Dr. Walter C. Schnackenberg (1917-1973) graduated from Pacific Lutheran College in 1937 and received his B.A. from St. Olaf College in 1939. He received his M.A. from Gonzaga University in 1947 and his Ph.D. from Washington State University in 1950. He taught at PLU from 1942 until 1944, and at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, from 1950 until 1952. He returned to Pacific Lutheran University in 1952 as Associate Professor of History and Political Science, and became Professor of History in 1958. He was chairman of the Department of History from 1963 until 1973, and served as faculty representative to the Board of Regents during the 1972-73 academic year. He was author of The Lamp and the Cross: Sagas of Pacific Lutheran University from 1890 to 1965 (1965) and Now or Never: Reflections of the Fullness of Time (1957), and contributed numerous articles to historical and religious journals.

One of Dr. Schnackenberg’s most frequently expressed wishes was that Pacific Lutheran University might establish a lectureship which would, on a regular basis, bring to the campus distinguished members of the world academic community to discuss significant topics of historical interest. Accordingly, the Department of History and the Schnackenberg family announced on February 8, 1974, the creation of the Walter C. Schnackenberg Memorial Lecture, to be inaugurated during the 1974-1975 academic year.