Eden Seminary Archives | #tbt in Eden History
April 2 | Anna Astroth, first female faculty member at Eden
Anna Astroth, the first woman on the faculty at Eden, died on April 2, 1976 (born Aug. 1, 1889 in St. Louis). She received B.A. and M.A. degrees from Washington University and did continued with studies in Christian Education at Boston University. She started her career as a science teacher at Wellston High School and was later the Field Secretary for the Y.W.C.A. in Mississippi for four years, Director of Religious Education at First Presbyterian Church in East St. Louis and worked as a social worker at Back Bay Mission, Biloxi, Mississippi from 1931 to 1936. She returned to St. Louis to join the staff of Caroline Mission (now Neighborhood Houses) from 1936 to 1960. From 1960 to 1968, she was a social worker at the Good Samaritan Home for the Aged and part-time Executive Secretary of the St. Louis Area Division, Missouri Association of Social Workers from 1962 to 1969.
Astroth was called to the faculty of Eden Seminary as Supervisor of Field Work in 1946 when a two-year Master of Religious Education was established. She supervised the field work of 89 women before retiring from the faculty in 1957. Eden honored Astroth with a Doctor of Humane Letters in 1966. Her portrait was added to the Eden chapel windows in the early 1990s.
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Just like the many binders and picture frames that we receive, we also get many items that do not fall within our preservation parameters. On this Good Friday I'd like to share one of these items. Found in a box of choir music was the book from the first, original concept recording of Jesus Christ Superstar, released in 1970. Did the church choir perform it at one time? Did they just use if for reference? Did they travel to see the show itself? I have many questions.
If you haven't seen or heard it, I highly recommend finding a copy this weekend of any of the many iterations of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's second attempt at a rock opera. It's an interesting take on the Passion Play and one of my personal favorites.
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The Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society is currently looking for volunteers to help support an extensive research project on the 2,716 Evangelical and Reformed Churches that were still in existence at the end of 1961. All work will be done remotely and volunteers will need to be comfortable using Google Sheets and entering data into a spreadsheet. Please see the attached flyer for more information and contact us if you are interested in helping. Thank you in advance for your help and support.
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