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Rein & Ella Sommerfeld (2014)
Did You Know?
Luther College students are U of R students and receive all the same benefits. Upon graduation you will receive a U of R degree.
The priority deadline for academic application is March 15. To book a personalized enrolment counselling appointment, contact our Recruitment Office at 1-306-206-2117.
Luther College students are eligible for nearly $100,000 in academic awards – in addition to scholarships and bursaries awarded by the U of R.
Living in The Student Village at Luther College, our student residence, comes with a choice of healthy, nutritious meal plans. That means no grocery shopping, no meals to cook, and no dirty dishes to worry about. You can focus on your studies and wellness!
Eating better means studying better. The Luther Cafeteria offers fresh, healthy, nutritious meals seven days a week with a self-serve “all-you-care-to-eat” concept students prefer.
Smaller class sizes at Luther College means more individualized attention and better connections with your professors, classmates, and academic advisors.
Luther College is recognized for its high standards of teaching, focused research, and one-on-one academic advising. We value and protect this heritage of excellence in scholarship, freedom of inquiry, and faithful seeking after truth.
Luther students can register in Arts, Science, or Media, Art, and Performance. Luther students are U of R students and receive a U of R degree.
Rein & Ella Sommerfeld (2014)
Rein and Ella Sommerfeld made a tremendous impact on the Luther community – their labours of love helped Luther evolve into the vital institution it is today. They shared a deep love for family and constantly lived out their values of personal integrity, deep faith and passionate work ethic.
Rein and Ella had three children: Eric (HS’70, U’79) and Ralph (HS’73, U’78) who both attended the High School and University campuses, and Ruth (Sommerfeld) Dempsey (HS’74) who attended the High School campus.
An accounting course had brought Rein to Regina in the fall of 1947. He joined Luther College in 1950, the day after New Year’s. Rein's financial acumen and dedication led him through a rewarding 38-year career. Luther life became interwoven with family life, as the Sommerfelds frequently invited Luther staff and faculty into their home for fellowship and hearty food. Everyone felt at home with the Sommerfelds, who welcomed each guest with warmth and genuine hospitality.
The melding of their family and community lives increased when Ella started working at Luther in 1964, at first on a part-time basis, and later as a full-time assistant. Ella had trained in secretarial work and she agreed to help out in the “front office.” While providing occasional secretarial support to President Morris Anderson, her main contribution was in building alumni relations. She was a tremendous help to Don King, Luther’s first Development Director, by researching alumni.
Ella’s memory was fantastic – she easily recognized names of Luther alumni mentioned in newspaper articles. Her warm-hearted rapport with people, efficient competence and persistent efforts at establishing connections helped Luther forge good relationships with students and alumni alike. Her work helped lay a firm foundation for successful fundraising for the College. She even got the children involved – son Eric remembers all the Sommerfeld kids being recruited to help stuff envelopes on more than one occasion! He also remembers his mother being the one who brought together the alumni list in 1968 to ensure that the chief fundraiser of the time (Don Duff) had something to work with as fundraising for the building of the University campus began.
As for Rein, he was a remarkably good steward. His ability to make the best use of scarce resources meant that he was extremely helpful to the President, the school administration and the Board of Regents. As the College’s Treasurer and later as Business Manager at the University campus, he governed financial resources with great care. Having a no-nonsense attitude and down-to-earth outlook served him and Luther very well.
Rein had a great love of history and he acted as Luther’s unofficial archivist. His instinct was to preserve things so they wouldn’t get lost. He kept all kinds of memorabilia.
Ella and Rein’s love for Luther did not end with their retirement. They continued to support Luther with regular donations and no doubt with their prayers, even after moving to British Columbia in 1994. Ella passed away in 1996 and Rein passed away in 2013.