With great sadness, Seminary President Dr. Dale A. and Mrs. Diane Meyer said goodbye to their faithful friend, Ferdie, a golden retriever, Sept. 16. Ferdie was a beloved family member not just to the Meyers but to the whole Seminary community. “Ferdie was a major presence on campus. Four times a day Diane took him for a walk, and they'd always meet people,” said Meyer in his Sept. 17 Meyer Minute blog post. “Sometimes little children saw him and called out, ‘Ferdie!’ He went to them to be petted. Other times there would be a tour group on campus. Several thousand come to visit us every year, and when Ferdie saw them, he'd go right to them, get right in the middle, and in his own way welcome them.”

“We like to attribute human qualities to dogs, but Ferdie really did make Concordia Seminary a welcoming place.” Ferdie will be missed by the entire campus community.