Remembrances of Dr. Frederick Spurgat
Dr. Lauren A. Wellen, Ed.D.
I feel that my life has been blessed by Dr. Frederick “Fred” Spurgat for the person he was and the faith that he lived and shared. It has been an honor to know and work with him. I have many remembrances from the time I met him until close to his peaceful passing to meet his Savior. When I think of Fred, I have to smile thinking about all of the special times that I have spent with him.
In 1984, I joined the Concordia University Chicago family and met my dear friend and colleague, Fred. When he and his lovely wife, Eunice, would bring or pick up their grandson, Jim, at my Kindergarten classroom in Concordia’s Early Childhood Education Center. It was a pleasure to get to know the two of them, see, and visit with them almost daily.
Several years later, a task force was created to design the Christopher Center. I shared time and experiences with Fred as we met to look at other Early Childhood centers to see how a building and curriculum influenced the design. I collaborated with him after I visited Concordia Nebraska’s new education building and an Early Childhood Center in Toronto, Canada. He was most interested in seeing the photos of both locations. This was an exceptional experience working with him and observing him using his knowledge to develop a design plan as we met with architects and others and will always be something that I treasure.
Not too long after that time, he took me under his wing when I attended the Northern Illinois District Convention on campus because it was my first time at the convention as an advisory delegate. He was a pro at this, and I appreciated spending the time with him and acknowledging his expertise.
Before he moved into the hallway so the Kreft Student Success Center could be built, I would always stop by his office to chat with him. It was the highlight of my day to visit with him and catch up on what was happening at Concordia and with his family.
In the summer of 2016, my husband, John, fell and had to go to into rehabilitation. Almost every Sunday, Fred would visit him, share books, and talk to him about familiar things. My husband looked forward to these visits. We made a point to return the kindness when Fred was in Bethesda Nursing Home. Again, books were the topic of conversation, and I found two books on the wars in the bookcase for his reading. I am glad that we had the opportunity to talk and visit him.
Each remembrance was quality time with Fred. He was a kind, thoughtful, intelligent man who put Christ and his family first. I wish that all faculty, staff, and students could have the remembrances that I have of him. What a blessing!
Lauren A. Wellen, Ed.D.
Distinguished Professor of Education
Program Leader, Dept. of Literacy and Early Childhood
College of Graduate Studies
