Obituary: Dr. Ralph Schultz, former president of Concordia College New York

Schultz

Dr. Ralph Clarence Schultz, former president of Concordia College New York (CCNY), Bronxville, N.Y., died on Sept. 24 in Albany, N.Y., after a brief illness. He was 92.

Schultz was born to Clarence and Anna (Peters) Schultz in Dolton, Ill., on June 23, 1932. He graduated from Concordia Teachers College (now Concordia University Chicago), River Forest, Ill., in 1954, with a Bachelor of Science in Education. That same year he received a Bachelor of Music from Cosmopolitan School of Music, Chicago, and on June 20, he married Dorothy Nickel at Jehovah Lutheran Church in Chicago.

Schultz served as a teacher and musician at Trinity Lutheran Church, Cleveland, Ohio, from 1954 to 1961. In 1960, he graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music with a master’s degree in music, and in 1967 he graduated from Union Theological Seminary, New York, N.Y., with a doctorate in sacred music.

In 1961, Schultz accepted a call to CCNY, where he served for the next 37 years as music professor, choir director and, beginning in 1977, president. While in Bronxville, he served on the Bronxville School Board, Bronxville Rotary Club and as minister of music at Village Lutheran Church.

In 1966, the CCNY choir appeared on NBC’s “Voices of Christmas” radio broadcast. After the broadcast, Schultz — who was well-known for his high expectations of his students — received a letter from Rhoda Grady, supervisor of religious radio programs. Grady called CCNY’s appearance on the program “one of the very, very best of the series. … I saw enough of the standards you set the day of the recording to realize it will be a rare day when you are truly content with an undertaking like our ‘Voices of Christmas,’ but I do hope you were relatively satisfied with the final product.”

A 1992 press release from CCNY described Schultz as leading the university “through the transitions and transformations of the first ten years of its second century with stable, open-minded leadership and a lifelong commitment to quality education and the high ideals of integrity and service. Under Dr. Schultz the college has added numerous new degree programs, expanded its constituency, and increased the services available to the Westchester community through Concordia.”

Schultz retired from CCNY in 1998, at which time he and Dorothy relocated to Slingerlands, N.Y., where they became active members of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Delmar, N.Y. A prolific composer of choral, instrumental and orchestral works with a passion for sacred music, Schultz founded the Jubilate Singers and Orchestra. The group was active from 2002 until 2023, with only a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jubilate’s final concert was in 2023, with Schultz directing.

Schultz was a contributor to Concordia Publishing House’s Music Education Series. He helped inaugurate the Concordia University System. He served on the LCMS Convention Planning Committee and on Floor Committee 6 (1967), the LCMS Worship Commission (1969–1971), the LCMS Atlantic District Education Committee (1968–1972) and the U.S. President’s Task Force on Higher Education (1983–1986).

In a social media post shared by the LCMS Atlantic District, District President Rev. Dr. Dien Ashley Taylor wrote that “Doc,” as he was often called by those who knew him, “conducted music throughout the world, sharing his faith in Christ with humility, reverence, patience and respect as he led many to sing for joy. … A revered patriarch of his family and a commendable servant leader who was viewed by many as a mentor and father-figure, Dr. Schultz has guided generations in praising and serving the Lord with gladness.”

Schultz is survived by his wife of 70 years, Dorothy. The Schultzes had six children, 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Their son, Steven, entered his eternal rest in 1985.

A funeral for Schultz was held on Oct. 4 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Delmar, after which he was buried at Bethlehem Cemetery in Delmar. Memorials may be made to Bethlehem Lutheran Church or Capital City Rescue Mission.

Posted Oct. 30, 2024