SWEDES: TheWayTheyWere
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    • The Bethany Artist & the Bethany Scientist: Lydia & Emil ------------------------- \\// >
      • Lydia's and Emil's Smoky Valley Swedish Immigration Background ​ ~ With a far larger account of why Swedes were leaving Sweden by Mr. Holmquist >
        • Their 1869 Swedish Lutheran Galesburg Colony and Olsson Colony Smoky Valley Arrivals, ~ With a Galesburg account by Mr. Holmquist >
          • Their Värmland Swedes ~ The "First Swedish Agricultural Company" Lindsborg Founders, 1868, ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
            • Swedish Pastor Olof Olsson Emigrating to Lindsborg 1869, June 27th Arrival ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
              • Pastor Olsson ~ Founder of Lindsborg's Bethany Lutheran Church, 1869-1876 ~ An account by Dr. Emory K. Lindquist
      • Their 1869 "Bethany Lutheran Church" ~ Accounts by Dr. Lindquist and Mr. Carlson >
        • ​Their 1860-1962 "Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Synod" ~ Gaining and losing its Swedish identity >
          • The 1860 Formation of the Augustana Synod ~ An Account by Mr. Holmquist >
            • Their 1892 "Augustana Women's Missionary Society" ~ An account by Ms. Humphrey >
              • The 2000 - 2016 "Augustana Heritage Association"
      • Their 1879 "Swedish Mission Church" formation by former Bethany Lutheran Church members ​ due to the "atonement" issue ​ ~ An account by Dr. Emory K. Lindquist, 1 of 2 >
        • Their 1879 "Swedish Mission Church" formation by former Bethany Lutheran Church members ​ due to the "atonement" issue ~ An account by Mr. Bill Carlson, 2 of 2
      • Their 1907 "Bethany Home" ~ With LINKS to the Swedish King's visit and "The Bethany Home Story" >
        • 2020, "Bethany Home Association" changes its name to "Bethany Village" ~ From the "Lindsborg News-Record:" September 3, 2020
        • 2022, "Bethany Home to Bethany + Village" ~ A History of Caring ~ A Presentation to the SVHA by Mr. Kris Erikson and Mrs. Andrea Johnson
      • Their 1909 and 1919 Swedish Smoky Valley Community Chronicles ~ Compiled and written by Bethany Lutheran Church Rev. Dr. Bergin, members and others
      • Their 1910 English speaking "Messiah Lutheran Church" formation by former Bethany Lutheran Church members ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist, 1 of 2 >
        • An account on the 1910 Messiah Lutheran Church formation from Rev. Dr. Bergin's 1909 ​"Pioneer Swedish-American Culture of Central Kansas," 2 of 2
      • Their 1916-1920 Sohlberg House ​ - Emil's and Lydia's - After their honeymoon
      • Their 1919 Lindsborg Historical Society's "Coronado Heights" ~ Emil's 1907 thesis and Lydia's photographs >
        • The ​1919 formation of the "Lindsborg Historical Society" ~ The Smoky Hills' "Smoky Hill" christened "Coronado Heights" May 8, 1920 >
          • G. N. Malm's role in the development of the Lindsborg Historical Society and Coronado Heights ​~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
            • Lindsborg Historical Society and Coronado Heights History ~ Three (3) accounts by Mrs. Jaderborg, former SVHA secretary >
              • Author Bill Carlson, Smoky Valley Historical Association member reports on Coronado Heights history
      • ​Their 1920-1940 Old Main Apartments of Bethany College - Emil's and Lydia's - Living on campus with the students for 20 years
      • Their 1936 1873 Swedish Homestead - Emil's and Lydia's - Our Peaceful Acres >
        • Their 1873 Swede House ~ A close twin to Lindsborg Founder Rev. Olof Olsson's stone house >
          • Peaceful Acres Smoky Valley descendant friends and helpers ~ Honoring them and remembering them
      • Their 1940-1943 Deere Home - Emil's and Lydia's - With new occupants after Lydia >
        • Emil's and Nina's 1961Thunderbird on the Bethany Campus ~ Promoting 21st Century Bethany College in Silicon Valley with alumni and students
      • Their 1941 "Svensk Hyllningsfest" and Dr. Holwerda's Role ~ Accounts by Dr. Lungstrom, Mrs. Jaderborg, Dr. Holwerda & Mr. Lundstrom >
        • Their 1964, "Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers" founded by Mrs. Jaderborg ~ An account by Mr. Chris Abercrombie
      • 1943, After Lydia, Emil's part planning Lindsborg's "first" hospital and Dr. Holwerda's role ~ An account by Dr. Lungstrom
    • Their 1881 "​Bethany Academy" founded with its 1882 First Academy Building -- Swensson's Bethany's Beginnings
    • Their 1882-1966 "Bethany College Museum" ~ The Natural History and Pioneer History Collections >
      • LINKS to Deere's Swensson's Bethany College Museum Collections ​~ 1882 to 1966 >
        • Fossils Collection ~ From Old Main to the McPherson County Old Mill Museum, 1966, ~ “The Find”
        • Taxidermy Collection ~ From Old Main to the McPherson County Old Mill Museum, 1966
        • 900 item Emil O. Deere Pioneer Collection ​ ~ From Old Main to the McPherson County Old Mill Museum, 1966
        • Cliff Dwellers' Pottery Collection ~ From Old Main to the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery, 1966
        • Coronado Expedition Chain Mail and Bethany College Museum History ~ An account from Dr. Lungstrom's book - by Matt (Kermit) Moline
    • Their 1882 on . . . Bethany College Handel’s “Messiah" Performances >
      • "Messiah" Performers, Venues & Audiences, Press & Broadcasts >
        • Special 20th Century "Messiah" Performances >
          • "The Notables, Messiah Week, . . . ~ An account by Mrs. Jaderborg >
            • Handel's "Messiah" & Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" ~ Described for viewers unfamiliar with these oratorios
    • Their 1899 on . . . Bethany College “ 'Swedish Artists’ Midwest Art Exhibition” ​~ An account by the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery
    • Their 1902 "I WAS THERE" Coin ~ Bethany College 21st Year Celebration
    • Their 1903 on . . . Bethany College "Rockar Stockar!" and the 1902 on . . . "Terrible Swedes" ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist
    • Their “1904 on . . .” Bethany College St. Louis World's Fair “Swedish Pavilion”
    • Their 1937 Bethany College's Introduction to 1638 New Sweden >
      • Deere's Introduction to New Sweden
    • Their Bethany College Anniversary Celebrations ~ "1895 to 1981" ~ 15, 20, 25, 100 years >
      • Their Celebrating 15 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1896. ~ The First "Bethany Annual," 1895-96
      • Their Celebrating 20 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1901. ~ The "Forget-Me-Not," 1902 >
        • The King of Sweden's Emissary, 1901 ~ To "knight" Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson >
          • The Yale University's Bethany Club
      • Their Celebrating 25 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1906 ~ "Souvenir of Lindsborg and Bethany College"
      • Their Celebrating 100 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1981 ~ "The Centennial of Bethany College"
  • Swedish Immigration Story, 1854
    • "The Story of the Old Spoon" by Ingrid Anderson Sohlberg & Daughter Lydia Sohlberg Deere, 1937
    • Who They Left Behind
    • From Sweden with Love Collections >
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Kosta Portraits, 1867 >
        • The Swedish Sohlberg Kosta Glass >
          • The Swedish Sohlberg Letters
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Royal Gold Thread Embroidery Sampler (c1890s)
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Post Cards (c1890s)
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Magazines, (c1940s)
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Books, 1819/1886 to 1899
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Albums ~ Late 19th early 20th centuries
      • The Swedish Deere Coins -- 1801-1929
  • Artist Lydia Sohlberg Deere
    • Lydia's Lindsborg Photography, 1900-1925 >
      • The Hats
      • The Smoky River
      • The Smoky Hills >
        • Coronado Heights -- One Winter's Day
      • In and Around Lindsborg
      • Sohlberg House with Parents >
        • Our Sohlberg Home and Neighbor Alma Luise Olson
      • Sohlberg House with Emil 1916 to 1920 >
        • Lydia's Travels with Deere 1916 - 1930s
    • Lydia as Bethany College Lane Hart Hall Dean of Women, 1906 - 1913
    • Lydia's "Bethany Campus Association," 1912 ~ Creating "The Gateway to Bethany College" of 1917
    • Lydia Sohlberg Deere's 1927 "Lindsborg Swedish Club's" Handwork and Members >
      • The Lindsborg Swedish Club's "Allers Monster-Tidnings" magazine, 1940 >
        • Lydia's Signatured Black Book of Her Handwritten Sewing Instructions >
          • Nina Sohlberg's Child's Sewing "Little Dots" PICTURE BOOK
    • Lydia's Art Professor Sven Birger Sandzén, 1871-1954 >
      • Lydia's Assignments for Professor Sandzén >
        • Students of Sandzén 2019 Exhibition >
          • Bethany Home ~ Celebrating Artist Birger Sandzén through his students' paintings
    • Lydia's Art Professor Birger Sandzén's "Art Exhibitions" and "Reviews" .. 1893-1940 >
      • Lydia's Art Professor Sandzén's Exhibition at the Babcock Gallery in New York, 1922 >
        • Lydia's Sandzén's Body of Work Reviewed by N.Y.C, 1984 "American Impressionism," author William H. Gerdts
    • Lydia's and Sandzén's Swedish Artist Friend Charles Edward Hallberg, 1855-1940 >
      • Lydia's and Sandzén's Swedish Artist Friend Oscar Brousse Jacobson, 1882-1966
    • Lydia’s Sohlberg Family Connection to Sandzén, 1880-1894-1993
    • LYDIA'S Art, 1919-1938 >
      • Lydia's Art: The Kansas Collection >
        • The Sketches - Kansas
      • Lydia's Art: The Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, South Dakota Collection >
        • The Sketches ~ Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota
      • Lydia's Art: The California Collection >
        • The Sketches - California, Texas, Arizona
      • Lydia's California Photographs for Painting >
        • Lydia's California Pressed Wild Flowers, c1930 >
          • Lydia's "Palm Springs Pictorial Magazine, 1938-1939
    • 2005, LYDIA'S Photography Exhibit at Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery >
      • 2007-2010 LYDIA'S Photography Exhibits at the "Sundstrom Windows Sidewalk Gallery" become 'LYDIA'S WORLD"
      • 2011 "LYDIA'S WORLD" exhibition at Studio 113, Lindsborg
      • 2005-2012 ~ Friends of Lydia's World
    • 2021 "Prairie Fire: Lydia Sohlberg Deere Discovers the Desert" by Ann Japenga
  • Scientist Emil O. Deere
    • Deere's & Lydia's Bethany -- Lydia's Bethany Photography, 1906-1925 >
      • Bethany College "Campus from Above"
      • Bethany College "The Gateway," 1917 and "Bethany Campus Association," 1912
      • Bethany College "College Street," today's "North First Street"
      • Bethany College "Campus Life"
      • Bethany College's "Earliest Building Lydia Photographed" >
        • Bethany College "​Ladies Dormitory" / "Lane Hart Hall" 1883 - 1899 - 1983
        • Bethany College "Old Main" 1887-1968 >
          • Lydia's and Emil's Old Main Apartments, 1920 to 1940
          • Deere's Bethany College Classes in Old Main
          • Old Main Plates ~ From Dr. Lungstrom's unknown book
        • Bethany College "Messiah Auditorium" / "Ling Auditorium" / "Ling Gymnasium" 1895 - 1946
        • Bethany College "Swedish Pavilion," 1904
        • Bethany College "​Carnegie Library" / "Bethany Library," 1908 - 1980
        • Bethany College "​Bethany Academy" 1882 -- Swensson's Bethany's Beginnings ~ Not photographed by Lydia
    • Deere's 1959 Interview on Rev. Dr. Carl A. Swensson (On YouTube) >
      • Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson, 1857-1904 ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
        • Swensson's "Bethany Lutheran Church" and the "Augustana Lutheran Synod"
        • Swensson's Bethany's Beginnings: "The Bethany Academy of 1882"
        • Olsson's Influence ~ The Swenssons,' the Musicians' and Singers,' "Messiah," 1882 on … >
          • Mr. Thure Olof Jaderborg, Sr. ~ One Lindsborg "Messiah" Commitment from 1901-1954
        • Swensson's Swedish Artists of the 1890s
        • Swensson's "Bethany College Museum," 1882 - 1966
      • In Memorium**Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson, 1904 ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist
    • Deere's Rev. Dr. Ernst F. Pihlblad, 1873-1943 ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
      • Rev. Dr. Pihlblad on Bethany College History, 1904 - 1941
      • In Memoriam**Dr. Ernst F. Pihlblad, 1943
    • Deere's Swensson's "Bethany College Museum" 1882-1966 >
      • Article -- 1962 November "Kansas City Star" article noting Dr. Emil O. Deere: "He Watches Museum Expand" for 54 Years"
      • The 1966 Bethany College Museum Collections Move to the Old Mill Museum ~ The planner, the movers, the "contractual stipulation" >
        • Article -- 1966 Autumn "Bethany Magazine" article -- noting Bethany College Museum Collections move ~ Showing Biology Professor Dr. Leon G. Lungstrom with "Old Dobbin Moves" story
        • Article -- 1976 September article by Lindsborg resident Mrs. Betty Hanson -- noting growth of County Museum after receiving College Museum collections
      • ​1990 Bethany College "Museum" Chapter 2 by Dr. Lungstrom ~ Transcribed >
        • Scanned pages from Chapter 2 ​ on​ Bethany College "Museum"
    • Deere's College Students' Smoky Valley "Expeditions" ~ Some of which added to the College's Museum's Natural History Collection
    • Deere's Smithsonian Institution's Souvenir, 1904
    • Deere's College Military Involvement for World War 1 and 2 ~ An account by Dr. Lungstrom >
      • 2016, "Lindsborg During World War I: Service, Sacrifice and Dissent" ​~ By Dr. Thomas F. Jorsch, Bethany College history professor, and Honors Students >
        • Dr. Thomas F. Jorsch: Reluctant Nationalism: Lindsborg during the Great War ~ Including Professor Dean Emil O. Deere and his colleagues on Americanism and more
    • Deere's 1940 Presidential Address to the Kansas Academy of Science
    • Deere's 1955 Letter to President Eisenhower re Tuttle Creek ~ To protect the Blue Grass Valley of Kansas where he lived as a child
    • Deere's Service, 1901-1966 ~ The bullet points >
      • Deere's Education & Degrees
    • Deere's Old Main Office ​ ~ SVHA secretary Mrs. Jaderborg in charge of cleaning it out
    • The Deere's Library ~ What remains of 2,000 volumes -- pending
  • "The Other Swedes"
    • ~ Celebrating Them ​~ The Smoky Valley Writers ~ >
      • Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson ~ Prolific writer in America and Sweden from approximately 1879 to 1904
      • Bethany Church, Bethany College, Augustana Lutheran Synod Writers ​~ Remembering Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson and Rev. Dr. Ernst Frederick Pihlblad
      • Rev. Dr. Alfred Bergin ~ Wrote, compiled and printed Swedish foundational history on the 1869 Smoky Valley Augustana Lutherans of Bethany Church and settlement of Lindsborg, for 1909 and 1919 >
        • 1909, Renamed in 1965 to "Pioneer Swedish-American Culture in Central Kansas," and translated ~ By Mrs. Ruth Bergin Billdt, Editor Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg >
          • 1965, "Table of Contents" for “Pioneer Swedish-American Culture in Central Kansas”
        • 1919, Renamed in 1969 to "The Smoky Valley in the After Years," and translated ~ Part 1 by Mrs. Ruth Bergin Billdt and Part 2 by Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg >
          • 1969, "Table of Contents" for “The Smoky Valley in the After Years"
      • ​Prince Wilhelm of Sweden ~ A 1928 "royal" one-time Smoky Valley Writer - "A Swedish Oasis" ~ Recalling his 1927 Bethany College Presser Hall Groundbreaking Celebration Visit
      • Dr. Emory K. Lindquist ~ "Fourth" President of Bethany College ~ Chronicling Swedish Augustana Lutheran Lindsborg and Bethany College from their earliest years >
        • ​1953, "Smoky Valley People, A History of Lindsborg, Kansas" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist and Contents & Illustrations
        • 1975 "Bethany in Kansas, the history of a college" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist >
          • "Bethany in Kansas" PART I ~ Contents & Illustrations
          • "Bethany in Kansas" PART II ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1984 "Hagbard Brase, Beloved Music Master" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist >
          • "Hagbard Brase" ~ Contents and Illustrations
        • 1989 "G. N. Malm - A Swedish Immigrant's Varied Career" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist with chapters by Hasselmo, Holm, Skårdal, & translation by Van Boer >
          • "G. N. Malm" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1993 "Birger Sandzén, An Illustrated Biography" ~ Introduction from the "Lindsborg News-Record" News Release >
          • "Birger Sandzén," ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist ~ Contents, Photographs, Figures & Color Paintings >
            • "Birger Sandzén" ~ "Foreword" by Dr. William H. Gerdts
            • "Birger Sandzén" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist ~ Preface and Acknowledgments
            • “Birger Sandzén” The Words of Dr. Lindquist ~ Concluding Observations
            • ​“Birger Sandzén” ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist ~ Appendix: Works in Selected Public Collections
      • ​Rev. Bror Carlsson's 1955, 350-page manuscript "Jag Sökte Icke," "I Did Not Seek My Own" ~ Tracing Lindsborg's Spiritual Founder Rev. Olof Olsson's life in Sweden and America with the 1860 Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod >
        • Mr. Alf Brorson's 2001 "He Gave God Glory" - "The Story of Olof Olsson" >
          • "He Gave God Glory" ~ The Story of Olof Olsson ~ Contents & Illustrations >
            • "He Gave God Glory" ~ Transcriptions of "Foreword," "Translator's Foreword" "Acknowledgements," "Postscript" for scholars and scholars-to-be
      • Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg ​ ~ Chronicling the Lindsborg of her day, its early histories and citizens [Remarks on Superintendent Dr. Einar Jaderborg and "Messiah" Bass Soloist Thure Jaderborg] >
        • 1965 "Lindsborg On Record" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1967 "Living in Lindsborg and Other Possibilities" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1973 "Talk About Lindsborg" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1976 "Why Lindsborg" ~ An introduction: H. M. Carl XVI Gustaf of the Kingdom of Sweden >
          • 1976 "Why Lindsborg?" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • ​1990 "Two Reprints" ~ Contents & Illustrations
      • Mr. A. John Pearson ~ Chronicling the "first" 8 Bethany College presidents, "Messiah" history and much more >
        • 1981 ​On "Bethany College" History for 100 Years ~ The Words of Mr. Pearson
        • ​​1982 On " 'Messiah" Centennial History for 100 Years ​ ~ The Compiler, and the Words of, Mr. A. John Pearson ​
      • Rev. Eugene K. Nelson and The Bethany Home Writers ~ Chronicling the beginnings of the Bethany Home​ of 1907 to 1986 >
        • 1986, "The Bethany Home Story," Table of Contents, including listed photos >
          • 1986 "The Bethany Home Story" Foreword and Epilogue, by Rev. Nelson
          • Chapters 1 & 2: "The Origins" & "The Buildings That Have Been Bethany Home""
          • Chapter 3: "The Board and the Sponsoring Church"
          • Chapter 11: Memories of Bethany Home by Residents and Friends
          • "The Gentle Art of Caring" - Poem by Verna Todd, 92
          • "O Bethany Home" - Poem
      • Dr. Leon George Lungstrom ​~ Chronicling Bethany College natural science and mathematics, the professors and societies, the Museum, Old Main and Nelson Science Hall, 1881-1990 >
        • ​1990 "History of Natural Science and Mathematics at Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas" ~ "Table of Contents" >
          • Dr. Lungstrom Chapters ~ Transcriptions of a few of these >
            • "Introduction"
            • "Bethany College History Concerning the Natural Sciences and Mathematics"
            • "Bethany College Museum" ​ >
              • "Museum" Chapter 2 ~ Scanned from Dr. Lungstrom's book, pages 23-32
            • "Societies on the College Campus Associated with Mathematics and Natural Sciences"
            • ​"Tabulation of Teachers and Assistants in Natural Sciences and Mathematics"
            • "Bethany College Catalogue Covers"
            • "The Old Main Building and Nelson Science Hall"
          • Dr. Lungstrom's References ~ Listings from 1893 to 1990 of four publications >
            • "Lindsborg News-Record" ~ Science and mathematics' headlines ~ 1901 to 1990
            • "Daisy" and/or "Bethanian" ~ List of Science & Math Faculty Photographs ~ 1908 - 1990
            • "Bethany Messenger" ~ Science and mathematics' headlines ~ 1893 to 1987
            • "Bethany College Magazine" ~ Science and mathematics' headlines ~ 1954 to 1990
        • Dr. Lungstrom ~ "Master Teacher" "Master Learner" >
          • Dr. Lungstrom ~ His Värmland Swedish ancestry and tough years on the McPherson County family farm
        • Dr. Lungstrom's "Three Pioneer Scientists of Swedish Descent"
      • The Smoky Valley Historical Association Writers ~ Chronicling 1993 "Where Did They Live?" "Early Residences of Lindsborg, Kansas"
      • Mr. Thomas N. Holmquist ~ Chronicling Lindsborg's neighbors, the Galesburg Augustana Lutheran Swedes of Salemsborg and Freemount, with a personal connection, since 1868 >
        • 1994 "Pioneer Cross: Swedish Settlements Along the Smoky Hill Bluffs" ~ Contents & Illustrations >
          • "Pioneer Cross:" ~ The ​ Dedication, Acknowledgements, Preface, Introduction
          • "Pioneer Cross:" ~ The 1869 Swedish Christmas Ljuskröna Story ~ From "The Peaceful Mountain" chapter​
          • ​ "Pioneer Cross:" ~ The Epilogue
      • Mr. Alf Brorson ~ Promoting Lindsborg in Sweden - The "Sweden Letter"
      • Mr. Chris A. Abercrombie ~ President of the Smoky Valley Historical Association (2010-2017), creator of its "First" website in 2013; ​ a historian, writer, researcher, taping & filming interviewer, video producer, and collector of local important >
        • ​The 2006 Abercrombie interview with Ken Sjogren on Bethany's challenging times,1960s to early 70s
      • Mr. Bill Carlson ~ Chronicling Lindsborg's earliest and later histories with a personal connection, since 1867 >
        • 2011 ​"Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now" ~ Contents & Illustrations >
          • ​ "Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now" ​ ~ Foreword, Preface, Introduction
          • ​ Part 1 "Lindsborg Then" Chapters 1 - 5
          • Part 2 "​Lindsborg Now " ​Chapter 24: ​"Lindsborg Now In 2010"
          • The "Conclusion" Chapters: Part 1 & Part 2
        • 2016 Mr. Bill Carlson's "Special Visitor to Lindsborg, April 17, 1976, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden"
      • Ms. Karen A. Humphrey ~ Chronicling highlights of Swedish Augustana Lutheran Lindsborg and Bethany College culture in the earliest years >
        • 2012 "Grace, Faith and the Power of Singing: The Alma Christina Lind Swensson Story" ~The Words of Ms. Humphrey
        • "Grace, Faith and the Power of Singing" ~ Contents & Illustrations
      • Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy ~ Chronicling the Lindsborg, Bethany College and Smoky Valley Photography of Swede Bror Gustaf Gröndal, 1887-1945 >
        • 2013 "Through the Lens of B.G. Gröndal: Keeper of His Time" ~ Contents and Photograph Titles ~ The Sohlberg Deere Portraits >
          • "Through the Lens of B.G. Gröndal:" ~ Dedication, Foreword by Mrs. Lorna Nelson, Preface by Mr. Don Weddle, Acknowledgments
          • "Through the Lens of B.G. Gröndal:" ~ The Words of Mrs. Eddy ~ "Life Experiences" "The Smoky Valley"
          • "Through the Lens of B.G. Gröndal:" ~ The Words of Mrs. Eddy ~ "Studio Cameras," "Studio Remembered" "Gröndal's Career" "Photography as an Art Form" "Professional Organizations"
          • "Through the Lens of B.G. Gröndal: Keeper of His Time" ​~ Selections from Swede Bror Gustaf Gröndal's Photography from 1887 to 1945​
      • Mr. Tim Stewart ~ 2016 author of the Smoky Valley Historical Association’s "Vår Historia Newsletter" when Board VP, and as President creator of the 2024 SVHA website
      • Dr. Thomas F. Jorsch & Bethany College Honors Students ~ 2016 "Lindsborg During World War I: Service, Sacrifice and Dissent" >
        • Dr. Thomas F. Jorsch: "Reluctant Nationalism: Lindsborg during the Great War " ~ Including Professor Dean Emil O. Deere and his colleagues on Americanism and more
      • ​ Mr. Kenneth Sjogren ​~ Saving and serving Bethany College; preserving college and Swedish history and culture; writing college history ~ The "Hemslöjd" >
        • ​2019 "6 Decades with 12 Bethany College Presidents"​ ~ The words of Mr. Sjogren
        • "6 Decades with 12 Bethany College Presidents"​ ~ Illustrations and Chapters
      • ​Digitalize the Smoky Valley Writers' Swedish and Swedish American histories ~ For their generations to come and for research accessibility
    • ~ Celebrating Them ~ The ​Smoky Valley History Research Writers Website Designers
    • ~ Celebrating Them ~ The Lindsborg Swedes, Their Neighbors & Friends ~ >
      • ​Rev. Dr. Olof Olsson ~ Remembering Swedish Lutheran Christian Founder of Lindsborg and of Bethany Lutheran Church ​~ LINKS to accounts by Rev. Bror Carlsson, Mr. Alf Brorson, and Dr. Emory K. Lindquist
      • ​​Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson ~ Remembering “Founder” and "Second President" of Bethany College ~ LINKS to accounts by Dr. Emory K. Lindquist, and much more
      • ​Mrs. Alma Christina Lind Swensson ~ Remembering her as Mrs. Rev. Dr. Swensson, the “First Lady” of Lindsborg, ~ "Highlights" from Ms. Humphrey’s book
      • ​Rev. Dr. Edward J. Nelander​ ~ Remembering "First" President of Bethany College ~ Accounts by Dr. Lindquist and Dr. Lungstrom
      • Dr. Johan August Udden ~ Remembering "First" Bethany College professor, founder of the Museum and Spanish Chain Mail, led UT to over $300,000,000 ~ An account by Dr. Lungstrom
      • Mr. Bror Gustaf Gröndal ~ Remembering him and his photography in the earliest years of Lindsborg and Bethany College, beginning in 1887 >
        • Photographers' Bror Gustaf Gröndal & Sarah Margaret Noyd Gröndal ~ Accounts by Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg with LINK to Mrs. Eddy's 2013 Book
        • ​"B G GRÖNDAL PHOTOGRAPHER" ~ 2007, 2009 video account by Mr. Chris Abercrombie​ with LINK to Mrs. Eddy's 2013 Book
      • ​Mr. Samuel Thorstenberg ~ Remembering him as the "first" internationally acclaimed Bethany College "Messiah Chorus" conductor
      • Dr. Hagbard Brase ~ Remembering him as the "second " internationally acclaimed Bethany College "Messiah Chorus" conductor
      • Rev. Dr. Ernst F. Pihlblad ~ "Third" President of Bethany College ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist
      • Miss Alma Luise Olson ~ Remembering her as "First Honored American Woman by Sweden" ~ The 1965 account by ​Mrs. Jaderborg >
        • Miss Alma Luise Olson ~ Remembering her and the extraordinary life she led at home and abroad ~ The 2012 account by Ms. Humphrey
      • Artist Birger Sandzén ~ Remembering him for "sharing his art with the world," starting "first" at Lindsborg's Bethany College >
        • Sandzén's introduction to lithography ~ From McPherson, Kansas, Carl J. Smalley, considered greatest art dealer in the world at that time
      • The Greenoughs ~ Margaret & Pelham ~ Their greatest contribution to the little Swedish city of Lindsborg and to honoring the Swedish Artist ~ The Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery >
        • Artist Dr. Margaret​ Elisabeth "Greta" Sandzén Greenough ​~ Her life of collecting her father's art, promoting it and establishing a gallery in his name ​
        • Dr. Charles Pelham Greenough, 3rd. ~ ​ His life of embracing the Sandzén family, establishing and financing the Gallery and supporting the community
      • Dr. Arthur. W. Lindquist , internationally known entomologist ~ An account by Dr. Lungstrom
      • Mr. Gustaf Nathaniel Malm ~ Remembering Lindsborg's Swedish Renaissance Man ~ Accounts by Dr. Lindquist >
        • G. N. Malm and all he did for the Lindsborg community ~ An account by Mrs. Jaderborg >
          • G. N. Malm and his Lindsborg's national interior decorating company ​​~ An account by Mrs. Jaderborg​ >
            • G. N. Malm's 1916 Christmas Greetings to His Lindsborg Friends
      • Mr. & Mrs. Hilding Jaderborg ~ Remembering them and their “Swedish Crafts Shop” of 65 years and 50 trips to Sweden
      • The Swedish Lindsborg Builders ~ Remembering them for the lovely homes they built
      • William Holwerda, M.D. ~ Remembering him as "Doc Bill," a city father and loving citizen ~ Accounts by Dr. Lungstrom and Mrs. Jaderborg >
        • Dr. William Holwerda ~ Remembering their family doctor with Messiah Lutheran Church tributes ~ An account by Dr. Lungstrom
      • Artist Lester Raymer ~ Remembering him as the renowned virtuoso artist and "behind the scenes" community supporter
      • ​Mr. Max Muller, 1959 Founder of "Broadway RFD" and 1976 Author of "Prairie Carnegie" ~ By Tim Stewart, 2016 creator of the SVHA's "Var Historia Newsletter" publication
      • Dr. ​& Mrs. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering them and their 29 years of dedication to that Bethany College "Messiah" tradition of excellence >
        • 1976 Dr. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering him as the “Messiah” conductor for the Bethany College "Swedish King’s," Carl XVI Gustaf's, performance >
          • 1981 Dr. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering him as the "Messiah" conductor for the Bethany College "Centennial Celebration" performance >
            • 1986 Dr. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering him as the “Messiah” conductor for the Bethany College televised Holy Easter Week "American Easter"
      • ​Dr. Arvin W. Hahn ​~ Remembering him, Ken Sjogren and others ​for saving Bethany College from going under! -- "A Miracle in the Making" >
        • Dr. Arvin W. Hahn ~ Remembering him handing me my Bethany College "Bachelor of Arts" Degree on Sunday, May 26,1968
      • Dr. Greta Swenson and Mr. & Mrs. Mark Esping ~ Remembering them for founding Lindsborg's “only” "Swedish-American Folklife Institute of Central Kansas," 1986 >
        • The Espings - Mark & Mardel ~ Remembering their Lindsborg's Folklife Institute's "Swedish-American Heritage Center," 1996
      • ​Mr. Claude Koehn ~ Remembering him as restorer and preserver of Smoky Valley stone farmhouses and other stone structures
      • ​Ms. Rebecca Copley ~ Honoring her as Bethany College's “first” graduate to become an "International Concert and Opera Soprano" >
        • Ms. Copley's International Reviews
      • Mr. Bruce Karstadt ~ Honoring him as a Bethany College graduate for heading up a major national Swedish American institution
      • Dr. Mark Lucas ~ Honoring him as Messiah conductor for bringing the Holy Easter Lindsborg “Oberammergau of the Plains" to a “new” world audience in 2020
    • ~ Celebrating Them ~ The Groupings, including Swedes from Sweden ~ >
      • 1881 on: ​Some Bethany College Science Professor by Dr. Leon G. Lungstrom Biology Professor, from his 1990 book
      • ​1882-1966 Bethany College Museum Science Professor Curators ​~ Their earliest collectors and the taxidermists >
        • 1962 McPherson County Old Mill Museum leaders receiving and caring for the 1882 to 1966 Bethany College Museum Collections
      • 1894-1962 Bethany College Graduates in Augustana Lutheran Synod World Mission Work ~ An account by Dr. Emory K. Lindquist
      • 1901-2014 The ​Bethany College Swedish Knights and Ladies ~ Honored by the Kings of Sweden
      • ​​1919 "Lindsborg Historical Society' (LHS) ~ Earliest leaders and supporters >
        • 1963 "Smoky Valley Historical Association" (The reformed 1919 Lindsborg Historical Society) ~​ The "Minutes," the leaders and supporters >
          • 1963 SVHA Leaders & Supporters ~ Their restoration/preservation projects
          • ​SVHA VP Barbara Buskirks Takes On the Hogland Dugout Project, 1987 >
            • Mr. Bill Carlson on the Hoglund Family ~ Leaving $600,000 for Bethany Lutheran Church, the Lindsborg Hospital and Bethany Home
            • Mr. Bill Carlson on Other Smoky Valley Dugouts
      • ​1971 "American Scandinavian Association of the Great Plains" Leaders ~ Providing cultural history and heritage programs with significant links to Sweden and Swedish America
      • 1976 His Majesty the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf's Visit to Lindsborg April 17th >
        • The Lindsborg & Bethany College "Swedes" ~ Honored by the King of Sweden, June 6, 1976
      • 1977​ Swedish Emigrant Institute Staff from Växjö, Småland, Visits Lindsborg October 16-18 >
        • 1977 Swedish Emigrant Institute Documents
      • 1978 Swedish Documentary Film Crew Visits Lindsborg October 2-9
      • 1992, Esping and Holmquist Bethany College alumni in DC's Smithsonian's National Folklife Festival ~ Representing "Kansas Agriculture and Swedish Culture"
      • 1998 - 2015 ~ "​The Pearson Distinguished Professorship of Swedish Studies Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas"
  • Contacts +
    • For 1869 Lindsborg "CONTACT" Today to Yesteryears >
      • ​Lydia's Lindsborg Photography​, ​1900 - 1925
    • ​For 1881 Bethany College "CONTACT" Today to Yesteryears >
      • Lydia's Bethany College Photography, 1906 - 1925
      • "Bethany Campus Walk”
      • "A Time to Celebrate" 1882 - 1988 ~ "Messiah" performances recognized nationally and internationally
      • A Historical Count of Lindsborg Residents ~The Bethany College Presidents & Swedish Kings Honoring Bethany Swedes
    • For 1957 Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery CONTACT Today >
      • Sandzén: "Ecstasy of Color" ~ PBS Doucmentary ~ Aired 6/11/21
    • SOME REVIEWING REMARKS >
      • LISTS: RECONIZING "OTHER SWEDES" "OTHER SECTIONS"
    • ​ The 1941 Smoky Valley "Pioneer Cross Memorial" ​~ ​By Mr. Thomas N. Holmquist
    • The 2009 "Smoky Valley Swedish People's Virtual Memorial"
    • TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ Traveling thro SWEDES "The Outline Online"
    • ​February 13, 2025 ~ Lindsborg Proclamation for SWEDES by Mayor Clark Shultz
"The Other Swedes"
~ Celebrating Them ~
~ The Lindsborg Swedes, Their Neighbors & Friends ~

​
On Dr. Greta Swenson: "She used her intellect and rapier wit to guide the Folklife Institutes future."

                                                                                                                                                                               -- Mark and Mardel Esping, 2020

Dr. Greta Swenson and Mr. & Mrs. Mark Esping
~ Remembering them for founding Lindsborg's
"only" 
​"Swedish-American Folklife Institute of Central Kansas" 1986

​
Lindsborg, already historically known for its music and art culture through its Bethany Lutheran Church and College, starting at the end of the 19th century and continuing through the 20th century in America, was certainly more than ready for a turnkey institution like the Swedish-American Folklife Institute to shine a professional and broader light on its Swedishness, on its folklife and folk art cultural heritage.

And, for a long season, that is just what the Institute did, as it drew folklife experts from around the country and Sweden to visit Lindsborg, while its members traveled within the United States and to Sweden to share and to teach the Swedish folk art found in this Kansas community and its neighboring Smoky Valley communities.  


The Institute, established in 1986, successfully showcased this Swedishness and accomplished much, such as hosting three (3) renowned, internationally known, and well credentialed lifelong American experts in the folklife field.  They were Dr. Alan Jabbour, Director of the Library of Congress Folklife Institute; Dr. Michael Owen Jones, Director of the Department of Mythology and Folklore at the University of California at Los Angeles, and Dr. Robert Teske, Director of the Cederburg Center at Cederburg, Wisconsin, author of the 1998 
Wisconsin Folk Art : A Sesquicentennial Celebration.

From Sweden, the Institute hosted, the also renowned, internationally known, and just as well credentialed, Dr. Barbro Klein, scholar and professor of Folklife at the University of Stockholm, a professor emerita of ethnology and a director emerita and permanent fellow at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study. She served on the American Folklore Society Board and was a member of the Royal Gustavus Adolphus Academy in Sweden.  Much later, she would return in 2012, not as the Institute's guest but that of Bethany College, as that year's Pearson Distinguished Professor of Swedish Studies. 
Swedish Costumes from the 2019 Svensk Hyllningsfest
Provided by Mrs. Marla Ann Elmquist and the Hyllningsfest Costume Ladies
The Projects and Programs
Funded by many grants including being awarded two National Endowments for the Arts Grant, one to document Wood Working and the other for slide presentations and exhibition development of several previously unstudied areas of folk art.  Some of the Institute projects and programs included: ​​​​​
  1. ​​​"Folklife in the Schools Seminars" which provided presenters from Florida, Mississippi, Iowa and the Amana Colonies for Teachers in the State of Kansas.  (Among those attending were Kansas teachers from Pratt, Wichita, Hays, Manhattan, and Kansas City, Kansas.)
  2. Three years of presentations and/or workshops on "Immigrant Culture for Bethany College Elderhostel," including topics of Metalwork, Woodworking, Ljuskröna,* Apples Trees, Storytelling, Swedish Costume, Swedish Dancers and History at the Old Mill Museum.
  3. The weeklong Folk Art Intensive Workshop taught by 12 Master Folk Artists, including Kepka Belton on Czech Eggs; Sonia Domsch on Bobbin Lace; Margaret Pitzer on Cherokee Basket making; and Beth Walker on Inkler loom.
  4. Swedish Folk Craft Workshops in knifemaking and woodworking by renown Kenneth Bengtsson from Varby, Sweden who also teaches chip carving, Tine Box making and slojd knifemaking.
  5. The sponsored storytelling contest with a trip to Sweden as a prize.
  6. A handmade traveling exhibition that included ten photograph panels and ten Ljuskröna for destinations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and several locations in Kansas including presentations, and, at most stops, lessons on making Ljuskröna.
  7. ​The ongoing weeklong "Swedish American Culture as it exists in the Midwest" program.
  8. The 1992 fieldwork entry at the Smithsonian Institution's annual National Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. in the "Family Farm" section of a Lindsborg farm representing "Kansas Agriculture and Swedish Culture."  
  9. Travel to Sweden for:  A research and presentation trip, hosted by Dr. Barbro Klein at the University of Stockholm, to deliver a speech at Stockholm's Nordiska Museet on the Ljuskröna family collections from Lindsborg and other Swedish American regions, and to further research and photograph the Ljuskröna in twelve museums throughout Sweden; also, the presentation with slides of "A Remnant Folk Art Object" at the Institutet for Folklivsforsking, Nordic Museum, Stockholm; and, as well, for the “Jubilee Year" of 1996, the presentation of exhibited works of local Lindsborg artists at the Leksand Sweden Cultural Center.
  10. The ongoing projects:
  • Creating a research and resource library on folklife and folk art
  • Collecting stories from rural Kansas areas
  • Acquiring slides, negatives, video and audio tapes and objects that reflect the folklife of central Kansas
  • Reprinting books
  • Publishing research conclusions
  • Providing direction to those applying for Kansas Folk Arts Apprenticeship Grants
  • Acquiring Lindsborg Svensk Hyllningsfest Swedish costumes worn at each biennial celebration honoring Swedish immigrants
  • Passing on Lindsborg Svensk Hyllningsfest Swedish costumes to Mrs. Marla Ann Elmquist and the ladies who are restoring and preserving them

-------------------------------------------

A Word About the Ljuskröna
Highlighted above in red font is the Swedish word Ljuskröna, that in English means "light crown" which is a paper constructed candelabra.  It became a piece of Swedish folk art as a result of the Swedish 1869 emigration into the Kansas Smoky Valley.  The first known Ljuskröna was created for the first Christmas for the Lutheran Church in Salemsberg, a small settlement, north of Lindsborg.  To study, the unstudied field of this Swedish folk art would be one of the goals of the 1986 Swedish-American Folklife Institute of Central Kansas.  This intense research and study of the Ljuskröna for many years would introduce the Institute team, Ms. Greta Swenson, Mr. Mark and Mrs. Mardel Esping, to Swedish professionals of folk art, to many museums and families in Sweden and those in Swedish America, while this also generated much travel from such groups to Lindsborg and to Bethany College that were organized by the team.  As a result, their findings, their stories, and their collections of the Swedish Ljuskröna are found HERE.  Also, included, is Mrs. Esping's instructions HERE, on how to create these beautiful Ljuskröna pieces. ​

​Replica of Salemsberg Church Style 
Ljuskröna 
created by
 Mark Esping, ​Director of the Swedish-American Folklife Institute of Central Kansas
Picture
Courtesy of the Swedish-American Folklife Institute of Central Kansas.

​Furthermore, author Mr. Tom Holmquist in his 1994 Pioneer Cross, Swedish Settlements Along the Smoky Hill Bluffs, beautifully writes about that Ljuskröna and the first 1869 Christmas of the Salemsberg Lutheran Church in his last chapter, "The Peaceful Mountain." Here are two of those most touching paragraphs:

    "Ljuskröna, translated into English means" light crown."  These paper-wrapped candelabras were common in Sweden and positioned in a place of honor according to Swedish tradition.  [Pastor] C. J. Brodine built this special ljuskröna, in the days just prior to Christmas, as his gift to the new congregation.  It stood approximately two-feet tall at the base and about four inches in diameter.  Near the top were eight arms extended like the spokes of a wagon wheel.  Each of the arms held a candle-holder, with a long white taper at the end.  The entire piece was wrapped in white paper which gave it a festive appearance.

     "This piece was not simply a candle-holder on the altar that first cold December morning in Kansas.  To the Swedish people, the ljuskröna was the symbol of the light of Jesus Christ coming into the world.  In the mist of the midwinter snows they found the light, the glory of Jesus Christ and the hope of the renewal of the life sure to come.  This beacon of light led them to the end of their journey.  After years of tribulation and many difficulties, they had found a home."


To read more on Mr. Holmquist's most significant 1869 Swedish Christmas Ljuskröna story, go HERE. 
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​


The Team

Those responsible for the Institute were Swedish American Lindsborg resident and Minnesota's Gustavus Augustus College graduate American Folklorist Dr. Greta Swenson, President; and Kansas' Bethany College graduates -- artists, crafts makers and teachers -- Mark Esping, Director, and Mardel Esping, a "Master Weaver," whose weavings have hung in the Governor's Mansion in Topeka, Kansas, and in the Saline County Offices in Salina, Kansas, and many of which are in private collections. 

​The early endeavors of these three (3) devoted Lindsborg Folklife Institute pioneers resulted with the Institute receiving a not-for-profit status in 1989.  In the first year each of them held Board of Directors' positions and were employed on the grants as field workers. 

Before the forming of the Swedish-American Folklife Institute for Central Kansas, Dr. Swenson held the position of the State Folklorist for North Dakota.  Here, some of her research for the State included "exploring cowboy poets and Indian culture."  However, due to kidney failure, she was forced to return home to Lindsborg to be with her family and to receive kidney dialysis.

All three grew up in the Swedish Augustana Lutheran faith.   

Greta Swenson
Picture
Dr. Greta Swenson, a National Scholar graduate from Lindsborg High School, graduated from Lutheran Gustavus Augustus College on May 27, 1973, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a double major of Russian Studies and History and with a minor in Political Science.  While there, she spent a semester in Yugoslavia to continue further study of the Russian language which at the same time brought her face-to-face with Gypsy culture and folklore.  Thus, this was her introduction to folklore studies.  As a result, in 1980, she was awarded a Doctorate Degree in Folklore at the University of Indiana at Bloomington where many of the nation's experts in folklife and folklore studies received degrees as well, one being the current Director (since April 2013) of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage American Folklorist Dr. Michael Atwood Mason who was also awarded a Doctorate Degree in Folklore.  
​
​
Mardel and Mark Esping
Picture
Mr. Mark Esping graduated from Lutheran Bethany College in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a double major of Business and Sociology, and with a minor in History.  He continued his studies at Flagstaff's Northern Arizona University where he earned a Master of Arts Degree in Art Education with "glass blowing" being the area of study.  He later earned a Master of Science Degree in Educational Media at Manhattan's Kansas State University.  Of his varied career experiences, Mr. Esping was an international wholesale jewelry buyer traveling to Europe and Asia, while then Stateside setting up wholesale international jewelry shows across the country.  His extended non-tour travels have included Mexico, Europe, Tunisia, Nepal, China, Thailand and Japan where he taught conversational English for four months.  Together, he and his wife, Mardel, are the former owners of the Lindsborg, Kansas crafts store, "The Tomtegubbe," and the art gallery, "Sven & Me."

Mrs. Mardel Esping graduated from Lutheran Bethany College in 1968 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and continued her studies at Dine College which serves the Navaho Nations in Arizona and New Mexico.  Here, she studied "weaving" under master Navaho artist Mable Burnside Myers and "basket making" under master Navaho artist Alah Chee Yellow Hair.  Her study of basket making continued at Mills College, Oakland, California, with American curator, fiber artist, Virginia I. Harvey, who would later author the 1987 The Techniques of Basketry.  At Flagstaff's Northern Arizona University, she would earn a Master of Arts in Art Education, and would continue on with additional studies at Manhattan's Kansas State University.  Mrs. Esping taught at Lindsborg High School; Fort Wingate Bureau of Indian Affairs High School; throughout Kansas City, Missouri Elementary Schools; and privately, providing workshops on Navajo weaving and on Swedish Ljuskröna making.  She is a charter board member of the Kansas Alliance of Weavers and Spinners; and she was a key player in the establishment of the Smoky Valley Fiber Guild.  Together, she and her husband, Mark, are the former owners of the Lindsborg, Kansas crafts store, "The Tomtegubbe" and the art gallery, "Sven & Me." 
The Plan
Early on, before the Institute was established, as Dr. Swenson was receiving kidney dialysis treatments she began to mentor Mr. and Mrs. Esping on knowledge she acquired through her folklore studies at the University of Indiana.  The Espings absorbed it all, and, in time, the Swedish-American Folklife Institute of Central Kansas was born.  Together, these three had a good five years of setting the Institute on a firm foundation with a future promise of permanently serving the various Swedish cultural heritage and folklife needs of Central Kansas.
​

Paraphrased from an Esping email, the following sums up why the Institute start-up and future were so successful:
​"Greta passed on her knowledge to us. 
She faithfully taught us how to interview. 
She used her intellect and rapier wit to guide the Folklife Institutes' future."

​-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

                                           President Dr. Greta Swenson
              Swedish-American ​Folklife Institute of Central Kansas
                                                  1986 - 1992

     
        "... Folklife Institute ... [she] worked long and hard to establish ..."       
  (The photograph and article were submitted by Institute member historian author Elizabeth Jaderborg.)            
Picture
  " Greta Swenson, 1951-1992: . . .  This photograph was taken last week in the office of Folklife Institute of Central Kansas, an organization which Greta had worked long and hard to establish and maintain.  In spite of the many physical problems Greta had to bear she continued to work hard at retaining the heritage and folklife history of this area. 
  "Through her efforts and others, nationally known folklife experts found out about Lindsborg, many visiting or participating in seminars here.  She was also instrumental in bringing folk artists to Bethany College for Elderhostels last summer.   
  "At the time of this photo, Greta had just wrapped up the details on the 2nd Annual Lindsborg Composer’s Showcase’ held Sunday afternoon.  Dr. Pelz and his music were very important to Greta and her presence was felt in Presser during the concert.

   "We lost an expert resource person, a hard worker and most of all a friend Saturday evening when Greta succumbed to the illnesses which ravaged her body for so many years."


​----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
​
​In the saddness of that 1992 year, Dr. Swenson would have been delighted that the Institute's Kansas Family Farm project had been accepted by the Smithsonian Institution to enter it into the National Folklife Festival in Washington D.C.; and that 1992 would be the year to first publish the Institute's website (just following the year before when the world's first website was published by an Englishman working in Geneva, Switzerland).

The "Swedish-American Folklife Institute of Central Kansas" website stated on the "History" page the following: 
​​​
     "The Folklife Institute of Central Kansas has provided many outstanding educational activities in the fields of folklife and folk art. The Institute is a research organization that acts as a presentation umbrella for persons interested in traditional arts and culture. Programs are centered around an oral history collection, folk art classes and exhibit preparation. The Institute encourages apprenticeship in the traditional arts. Grants from the National Endowment for the Arts have provided funds for research, slide 
presentations and exhibition development of several previously unstudied areas of folk art."

Go HERE to the Folklife Institute's website.


Four years after Dr. Swenson's passing, in 1996, steps were taken by Director Mark and Mardel Esping to establish the Swedish-American Heritage Center. ​
Go HERE to Recognizing their Lindsborg's Folklife Institute's Swedish-American Heritage Center, 1996
​
Picture

​*     *     * ​
​"Let Us Celebrate Them"
*     *     * 
Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~
reconnecting past to present

*     *     * 
All color photography throughout Swedes: The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated.
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