anywhere and at any time on a moving train. To keep from missing a train in lonely night hours he would lean forward in his depot seat with elbows on knees and his pocket knife held between his hands; if he slept too heavily the knife would fall on the floor and wake him. While others slept he traveled and toiled — and not in vain."

C. K. Preus had 5 sons, all of whom graduated from Luther College, and 2 daughters: Ove, Johan, Jacob, Paul, Henriette, Cathinka and Herman. The oldest son died at age 13, three daughters at ages 8, 22 and at birth. Ove Jacob Hiort (21 Jan 1880-13 Feb 1951), B.A. Luther College, C.T Luther Seminary, J.D. U. of Southern California, ordained 1904, President Luther College 1932-1948. King Haakon VII of Norway created him a Knight of the Order of St. Olaf, 1st Class. Johan Carl Keyser “Kalla” (5 Dec 1881-7 Dec 1993), B.A. Luther College, C.T Luther Seminary, ordained 1905, Knight of the Order of St. Olaf from King Haakon VII, 1952 Chairman of Commission on Higher Education-American Lutheran Conference. Jacob Aall Ottesen Oaken” (28 Aug 1883-24 May 1961), B.A. Luther College, Law Degree U. of MN, elected Governor of MN in 1920, Co-founder of the Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance Co., King Haakon VII created him a Commander of the Order of St. Olaf. Married Idella Haugen in 1908, daughter of K. I. and Minnie (Boyd) Haugen of Decorah. Paul Artander (23 Jun 1890-22 Jun 1941), B.A. Luther College. Married Alberta Mabel Haugen in 1914, daughter of K. I. and Minnie (Boyd) Haugen of Decorah. Henriette (19 Aug 1891-2 Feb 1974). Lutheran Ladies Seminary graduate, RN Northwestern Hospital School of Nursing, Minneapolis, 1922. Married Carl Teisberg of Stoughton, Wl in 1924. Cathinka Hjort (30 Dec 1893-30 Oct 1987) Decorah High School graduate. Married Knute Stalland of Willmar, MN in 1920. Herman Ambera (28 Jul 1896-17 May 1995). B.A. Luther College, C.T Luther Seminary, Law Degree U. of Minnesota, Ph.D. U. of Edinburgh, Scotland, ordained 1928. Ensign U.S. Navy, church organist, author, Fullbright Scholar and Lecturer U. of Oslo, Norway. Professor Luther Seminary. Married Florence Nesbitt of Stoughton, Wl in 1930.

(Refer to: Tingelstad, Norlie, Christian Kevser Preus. 1852-1921)

Preus, Ove Jacob and Amanda (Forde)

(Paul G. Preus)

Dr. O. J. H. Preus (21 Jan 1880-13 Feb 1951) was the oidest son of Christian Keyser and Louise Augusta (Hjort) “Lulla” Preus. B.A. Luther College, C.T Luther Seminary, J.D., U. of Southern California, Bishop Eastern District, Norwegian Synod, President Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD, President Luther College 1932-1948, King Haakon VII of Norway created him a Knight of the Order of St. Olaf, 1st Class. Active in community affairs Ove was a member of Decorah Rotary Club, the Decorah Chamber of Commerce, Symra, a member of Decorah Lutheran Church, an extremely busy public speaker, and because of his beautiful baritone voice was in his younger days invited to sing at many church and public functions-especially at Christmas time when he would sing the solos in Handel's Messiah. In most of these performances he would be accompanied on the piano or organ by his wife Magdalene who also was a musician of professional quality. Ove also earned some measure of fame as a first class baseball pitcher both at Luther and in the community.

On 30 Jun 1908 Ove married Amanda Magdalene Forde, the daughter of Pastor Nils and Nora Otilia (Erickson) Forde, of Starbuck, MN. Magdalene studied piano in Minneapolis, Chicago and Los Angeles. She was the church organist in DeForest and Norway Grove, Wl and wherever a keyboard artist was needed.

Ove Jacob Hjort Preus ca. 1940

Dr. O. J. H. Preus was elected President of Luther College during particularly trying times. The most immediate problem was a debt of catastrophic proportions. “Preus faced a truly desperate situation: declining enrollment, a financial crisis so serious that rumors circulated about institutional bankruptcy, reduced faculty salaries and four teachers dismissed for reasons of financial exigencies, built-up tensions (from the previous years), serious fears that accreditation would be lost, less than good will from some important people in the church, and proposals floating around that Luther should be merged with some other college (St. Olaf?) and the seminary in St. Paul be moved to Decorah. Despite all these problems the modern period in the history of Luther College coincides exactly with the beginning of the Preus administration.¹’¹ The advent of WWII created almost insurmountable enrollment problems and to add to what already seemed to be a cataclysmic predicament in 1942 Old Main burned to the ground. But the administration, faculty, staff and students, led by the indomitable spirit of O. J. H. Preus, managed to meet and finally to solve the myriad problems.

Ove and Magdalene had 6 children all of whom survive to this day, 1995: Christian, Nora, Paul, Nelson, David and Ove. Christian Keyser (b. 11 May 1909) B.A. Luther College, B.Th. Luther Seminary, B.Th. and Th.D. Princeton