SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - A humble Lutheran pastor who devoted his life to ministry and scholarly pursuits, the late Rev. Paul Luther Keil desired to make a difference at Wittenberg University, the college that set the course for his career. On Friday, Sept. 19, Wittenberg will recognize Keil's desire as it officially names the new Paul Luther Keil wing in the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center.
"Pastor Keil understood the importance of higher education throughout his life," said Charles A. Dominick, vice president for advancement. "He loved his time at Wittenberg, and his generous bequest to his alma mater helped make possible the completion of the new wing to the Kuss Science Center."
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A native of Fort Wayne, Ind., Keil matriculated to Wittenberg in 1942 from Oberlin College of Ohio. As a student, Keil participated on the debate team and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. In 1945, he graduated magna cum laude from Wittenberg with a B.A. in English and psychology. He then enrolled in postgraduate courses at the Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary, later returning to Springfield to complete his studies at Hamma Divinity School in 1946. Ordained in May 1946, he was appointed as a teaching fellow at Hamma Divinity School from 1948-49.
For more than 50 years, Keil was committed to Lutheran ministry, serving as pastor to congregations around the country, including at Trinity Lutheran Church in Canton, Ohio; First Lutheran Church in Nashville, Tenn.; St. Mark's Church of Louisville, Ky., and Messiah Lutheran Church in Miami, Fla. He was also pastor emeritus of the King of Kings Lutheran Church of Port Richey, Fla., which he served until his retirement in 1995.
A leadership benefactor to Wittenberg University, he also endowed The Paul Luther Keil Chair in Psychology in 1999. Keil died Sept. 21, 2000 at the age 77.
