Life-sized Martin Luther Playmobil figure is a new addition at Luther College

Luther College professor of German Ruth Kath applied for a grant from the German embassy to host a "Campus Week" in support of the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Luther was one of 4 colleges to be chosen for the award.

As a part of the grant opportunity, the German Embassy / German Information Center in Washington, D.C. sent Luther a generous number of "give-aways" including German-American friendship pins, caps, water bottles, information booklets. In addition, they included 100 mini Martin Luther Playmobil figurines to be used in a national photo contest. Kath said she knew the little figures would be popular at Luther, so she decided to add an order for an additional 200 figures to her grant application budget.

In addition to the mini Martins, the German embassy sent Luther College a giant Martin Luther Playmobil figure. Professor Kath says, "The life-size Martin Luther Playmobil was a gift to Luther College from the German Information Center / German Embassy, so he gets to stay with us forever!" The giant Martin made his debut at the Martin-in-the-Union student event in March and has several more appearances booked on campus as well. He resides in the Language Learning Center in the Main Building for the time being--where he reminds students of the importance of the German language in the history of both the Reformation and the College. Professor Katth suspects he will make appearances at summer registration events, fall orientation, and the Reformation Day conference in October. According to Kath, "He is a very popular fellow!"