Victor Emanuel Bittner attended Bethany Lutheran College from 1938-40 where he played baseball and basketball earning letters in both sports both years. He set the single-game scoring record at that time in basketball with 26 points and was elected captain of the basketball team in 1939-40. Bittner went on to school at Eau Claire State Teacher’s College in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He returned to Bethany in 1946 after serving as a captain in the U.S. Air Force in the SW Pacific Theater during WWII. He remained at Bethany until 1952 serving as Athletic Director, Dean on Students, professor of physics and mathematics, and coach for baseball and basketball (both high school and college), tennis, and golf. In 1950, Bethany won its first SMJCC (Sothern Minnesota Junior College Conference) Championships in basketball and baseball. During those years Bittner also spent many hours developing athletic fields, facilities, and programs at Bethany.
After leaving Bethany, Bittner moved to Duluth, Minnesota, where he served as teach, administrator and athletic director at Duluth East High School. He was executive secretary of the Lake Superior High School Conference, served on Minnesota State High School League committees and managed district and regional high school tournaments in various sports.
In his private life, Bittner has served as congregation president, financial secretary and on assorted church committees besides singing in church choir for decades. He served three terms as a member of the Minnesota North District Board of Directors of LCMS and was a delegate to the LCMS National Convention in Anaheim, California, in 1975. He has lobbied in the Minnesota legislature on behalf of issues confronting senior citizens and is a volunteer at Lakeshore Lutheran Home in Duluth, Minnesota. Bittner and his wife are the recipients of the “Options North” Volunteer Award for Northeastern Minnesota.
Bittner has been married to the former Lydia U. W. Busch (HS ’34) since 1949. They have two sons, James and Jon, and nine grandchildren (one of them now deceased). Bittner is retired and lives in Duluth, Minnesota.
