The Other Swedes
~ Honoring Him and His Works ~
Mr. Bruce Karstadt
~ Honoring him as a Bethany College graduate
for heading up a major national
Swedish American institution
~ Honoring Him and His Works ~
Mr. Bruce Karstadt
~ Honoring him as a Bethany College graduate
for heading up a major national
Swedish American institution
Mr. Bruce Karstadt was a Lindsborg resident and is a Bethany College graduate who for over thirty years (30) has been the head of a major Swedish American institution in the United States.
His maternal great great grandparents Johannes Pettersson and Albertina Bengtsdotter Pettersson with his great grandmother Potentia (known as “Tensa”) Pettersson who at four-years-old with her brother Albert and three sisters Alvida, Nilla, and Beda left their Swedish hamlet of Drängsered, in the province of Halland for the port of Halmstadt in July of 1884. Upon their arrival in New York City, they journeyed directly to Lindsborg arriving in the fall. Tensa would marry George Nelson who was born in Smolan, Kansas, whose parents were from Småland and Västmanland, Sweden. They had three daughters, Albertha (Mr. Karstadt's grandmother), Verna (who died as a young child) and Evelyn.
Born in Lindsborg, Mr. Karstadt would graduate from Lindsborg Rural High School in 1969. His youth, with his two sisters and like those of many of their contemporaries, was spent in a Swedish atmosphere, where, at times, it may have felt like being in Sweden. His family was immersed in their Swedish traditions, cooking and celebrations as well as involved in those of Lindsborg with its traditional Swedish dancing and music. In Lindsborg then, with the older generation, Swedish was still spoken on the streets, at the bakery, in homes, at church and at the Bethany Home for the elderly.
The aim, of course, for all those who immigrated to Lindsborg was to become Americans. However, the other aim in Lindsborg was to always remember their Swedish heritage, as his great aunt Evelyn Nelson, so surely demonstrated. She was one of the early founders of the adult Swedish dancing groups that his mother, Mrs. Patty Ann Sundstrom Karstadt, assisted with, and eventually took over. Mrs. Karstadt was a Bethany College graduate and was an elementary music teacher at the Soderstrom Elementary School. There, she was an early leader, in ensuring that the elementary boys and girls learn the dances and perform them regularly. This found her managing the Swedish dancers at the school for many years.
A few girls, who were headed for Lindsborg Rural High School, in 1963, asked Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg, whose husband, Dr. Einar Jaderborg, was the principal there, to organize a dancing group for the high school. She did, and that dance organization was to become the beginning of what was later called and is called today the Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers. They would first be recognized as "Ambassador" dancers after their debut performance at Expo 67, the World's Fair in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1967. Since then, the dancers have danced their way around the country and dance in Sweden every four years. Thus, the beginnings of Mrs. Jaderborg's Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers can be traced back to the foundational years of Swedish dancing by Mr. Karstadt's great aunt Evelyn Nelson and mother Patty Ann Sundstrom Karstadt.
His maternal great great grandparents Johannes Pettersson and Albertina Bengtsdotter Pettersson with his great grandmother Potentia (known as “Tensa”) Pettersson who at four-years-old with her brother Albert and three sisters Alvida, Nilla, and Beda left their Swedish hamlet of Drängsered, in the province of Halland for the port of Halmstadt in July of 1884. Upon their arrival in New York City, they journeyed directly to Lindsborg arriving in the fall. Tensa would marry George Nelson who was born in Smolan, Kansas, whose parents were from Småland and Västmanland, Sweden. They had three daughters, Albertha (Mr. Karstadt's grandmother), Verna (who died as a young child) and Evelyn.
Born in Lindsborg, Mr. Karstadt would graduate from Lindsborg Rural High School in 1969. His youth, with his two sisters and like those of many of their contemporaries, was spent in a Swedish atmosphere, where, at times, it may have felt like being in Sweden. His family was immersed in their Swedish traditions, cooking and celebrations as well as involved in those of Lindsborg with its traditional Swedish dancing and music. In Lindsborg then, with the older generation, Swedish was still spoken on the streets, at the bakery, in homes, at church and at the Bethany Home for the elderly.
The aim, of course, for all those who immigrated to Lindsborg was to become Americans. However, the other aim in Lindsborg was to always remember their Swedish heritage, as his great aunt Evelyn Nelson, so surely demonstrated. She was one of the early founders of the adult Swedish dancing groups that his mother, Mrs. Patty Ann Sundstrom Karstadt, assisted with, and eventually took over. Mrs. Karstadt was a Bethany College graduate and was an elementary music teacher at the Soderstrom Elementary School. There, she was an early leader, in ensuring that the elementary boys and girls learn the dances and perform them regularly. This found her managing the Swedish dancers at the school for many years.
A few girls, who were headed for Lindsborg Rural High School, in 1963, asked Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg, whose husband, Dr. Einar Jaderborg, was the principal there, to organize a dancing group for the high school. She did, and that dance organization was to become the beginning of what was later called and is called today the Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers. They would first be recognized as "Ambassador" dancers after their debut performance at Expo 67, the World's Fair in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1967. Since then, the dancers have danced their way around the country and dance in Sweden every four years. Thus, the beginnings of Mrs. Jaderborg's Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers can be traced back to the foundational years of Swedish dancing by Mr. Karstadt's great aunt Evelyn Nelson and mother Patty Ann Sundstrom Karstadt.
It was in 1990 that Mr. Karstadt was hired as the Chief Executive Officer and President of the American Swedish Institute (ASI) headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Institute was founded in 1929 in the 1910 Swan Turnblad Mansion where the museum is located.
On September 11, 2020, from the online MINNPOST, it was reported in the article: "The American Swedish Institute’s Bruce Karstadt: ‘Adaptation, experimentation and creativity’ " that "Under Karstadt’s stewardship, ASI has grown in size, reputation and global reach." This was due to the add-on of the 34,000-square-foot Nelson Cultural Center which was finished in 2012. The Institute offers an array of Swedish cultural experiences found in exhibitions, public programming, and educational activities. Its museum is noted as one of the leading museums in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Go Here, to learn more about the Mission and the Vision of ASI.
On September 11, 2020, from the online MINNPOST, it was reported in the article: "The American Swedish Institute’s Bruce Karstadt: ‘Adaptation, experimentation and creativity’ " that "Under Karstadt’s stewardship, ASI has grown in size, reputation and global reach." This was due to the add-on of the 34,000-square-foot Nelson Cultural Center which was finished in 2012. The Institute offers an array of Swedish cultural experiences found in exhibitions, public programming, and educational activities. Its museum is noted as one of the leading museums in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Go Here, to learn more about the Mission and the Vision of ASI.
- The American Swedish Institute -
Founded in 1929
Comprising the Institute are the 1910 Swan Turnblad Mansion and the 2012 Nelson Cultural Center
Founded in 1929
Comprising the Institute are the 1910 Swan Turnblad Mansion and the 2012 Nelson Cultural Center
Courtesy photograph from the American Swedish Institute website.
Before his job at ASI, Mr. Karstadt held the positions of Legal Counsel and Executive Assistant to the President at his alma mater, Bethany College, where he graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Political Science. His studies continued in Topeka, Kansas, at Washburn University of Law, where he earned a Juris Doctor Degree in Law in 1977.
He first became professionally interested in Swedish and Swedish American affairs at Bethany College while working with college president Dr. Peter Ristuben (of Norwegian descent) whose tenure was from 1983 to 1990. During this time, Mr. Karstadt assisted Dr. Ristuben in organizing a committee to prepare for the New Sweden 1988 binational Swedish American celebration of the 350th anniversary honoring the 1638 founding of New Sweden, a region that includes part of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. This New Sweden anniversary most likely involved every other head of a Swedish American entity in the United States. (A similar event, involving Bethany College, extensively documented Here, celebrating New Sweden's 300th founding anniversary was in 1938 when Dean and Professor Emil O. Deere assisted President Dr. Ernst Pihlblad.)
It was during the preparation time of this New Sweden '88 event that Mr. Karstadt came face-to-face with the workings of Swedish and Swedish American affairs in our country that set his sights on a career that would be focused on strengthening the ties between Sweden and America, the goal of which this New Sweden celebration had certainly achieved. As a result of their participation in that event, Dr. Ristuben and Mr. Karstadt were rewarded for their efforts in 1990. For Dr. Ristuben, His Majesty, Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden, recognized his leadership and endeavors by bestowing on him the highest award upon non-Swedes which was that of the "Officer of the First Class Royal Order of the Polar Star;" and for Mr. Karstadt he was recruited by leaders at ASI, whom he grew to know during New Sweden ‘88 to consider the top-level position at ASI, which he then accepted after an interview in summer 1990.
While at ASI, Mr. Karstadt's works and leadership ability continued to flourish in countless matters of Swedish and Swedish American importance. These have found him being honored many times throughout his career. One such early honor was in 1994 when he was made Honorary Consul General of Sweden for the State of Minnesota, a post he continues to hold. Then, jumping over to the past 9 years, in 2012, he received the Carl Sandburg Medal from the Swedish American Historical Society in Chicago; in 2013, from Uppsala, Sweden, he received the Gold Medal for creating a strong Sister City relationship between Uppsala and Minneapolis; in 2014, he received from the Swedish Crown, the Swedish Insignia of the "Royal Order of the Polar Star, Commander First Class;" in 2018, he was selected as the Swedish American of the Year by the Swedish chapters of the Vasa Order of America; and, in 2019, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Sweden’s Lund University.
In 2018, it was also reported by the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, that "He also serves on the boards of Friends of House of Sweden in Washington DC, American Friends of Uppsala University, and the Swedish Council of America.*
Perhaps, the most heartfelt honor he received, though, was from his hometown Lindsborg, in 2019, when he was selected to be the Grand Marshall during Lindsborg's 150th Founding Anniversary Celebration for their October Svensk Hyllningsfest celebration, the biennial Swedish pioneer festival that was organized in 1941 and is unique-to-Lindsborg, which honors those Swedish immigrant pioneers of the late 1800s, who first settled in Lindsborg and in the surrounding Smoky Valley enclaves.
It was in 2003 that his parents, Steve and Patty Karstadt, were similarly honored by being chosen the King and Queen at this festival. This was due to their lifetime as committed supporters of Lindsborg's Swedish heritage, traditions and culture, his mother particularly for her place of leadership near the beginning of the Lindsborg Adult Swedish Dancers that she helped to found and of which she was the first instructor, as well as her ensuring that elementary school children learn Swedish dances while coordinating them. Then, his father, who was of German and English descent, had attended Bethany and was a Navy World War II veteran, totally supported his mother's career and Swedish dance commitments for innumerable years, while he was also a longtime supporter of, and participant in, the ongoing, since 1882, Bethany College Oratorio Society Messiah chorus performances during Holy Easter Week, which is Lindsborg's most far-reaching cultural and Christian gift to the world.
Thanks to his parents, Mr. Karstadt's career opportunity to serve Swedish and Swedish American communities has been a "win" "win" experience for all!
He first became professionally interested in Swedish and Swedish American affairs at Bethany College while working with college president Dr. Peter Ristuben (of Norwegian descent) whose tenure was from 1983 to 1990. During this time, Mr. Karstadt assisted Dr. Ristuben in organizing a committee to prepare for the New Sweden 1988 binational Swedish American celebration of the 350th anniversary honoring the 1638 founding of New Sweden, a region that includes part of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. This New Sweden anniversary most likely involved every other head of a Swedish American entity in the United States. (A similar event, involving Bethany College, extensively documented Here, celebrating New Sweden's 300th founding anniversary was in 1938 when Dean and Professor Emil O. Deere assisted President Dr. Ernst Pihlblad.)
It was during the preparation time of this New Sweden '88 event that Mr. Karstadt came face-to-face with the workings of Swedish and Swedish American affairs in our country that set his sights on a career that would be focused on strengthening the ties between Sweden and America, the goal of which this New Sweden celebration had certainly achieved. As a result of their participation in that event, Dr. Ristuben and Mr. Karstadt were rewarded for their efforts in 1990. For Dr. Ristuben, His Majesty, Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden, recognized his leadership and endeavors by bestowing on him the highest award upon non-Swedes which was that of the "Officer of the First Class Royal Order of the Polar Star;" and for Mr. Karstadt he was recruited by leaders at ASI, whom he grew to know during New Sweden ‘88 to consider the top-level position at ASI, which he then accepted after an interview in summer 1990.
While at ASI, Mr. Karstadt's works and leadership ability continued to flourish in countless matters of Swedish and Swedish American importance. These have found him being honored many times throughout his career. One such early honor was in 1994 when he was made Honorary Consul General of Sweden for the State of Minnesota, a post he continues to hold. Then, jumping over to the past 9 years, in 2012, he received the Carl Sandburg Medal from the Swedish American Historical Society in Chicago; in 2013, from Uppsala, Sweden, he received the Gold Medal for creating a strong Sister City relationship between Uppsala and Minneapolis; in 2014, he received from the Swedish Crown, the Swedish Insignia of the "Royal Order of the Polar Star, Commander First Class;" in 2018, he was selected as the Swedish American of the Year by the Swedish chapters of the Vasa Order of America; and, in 2019, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Sweden’s Lund University.
In 2018, it was also reported by the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, that "He also serves on the boards of Friends of House of Sweden in Washington DC, American Friends of Uppsala University, and the Swedish Council of America.*
Perhaps, the most heartfelt honor he received, though, was from his hometown Lindsborg, in 2019, when he was selected to be the Grand Marshall during Lindsborg's 150th Founding Anniversary Celebration for their October Svensk Hyllningsfest celebration, the biennial Swedish pioneer festival that was organized in 1941 and is unique-to-Lindsborg, which honors those Swedish immigrant pioneers of the late 1800s, who first settled in Lindsborg and in the surrounding Smoky Valley enclaves.
It was in 2003 that his parents, Steve and Patty Karstadt, were similarly honored by being chosen the King and Queen at this festival. This was due to their lifetime as committed supporters of Lindsborg's Swedish heritage, traditions and culture, his mother particularly for her place of leadership near the beginning of the Lindsborg Adult Swedish Dancers that she helped to found and of which she was the first instructor, as well as her ensuring that elementary school children learn Swedish dances while coordinating them. Then, his father, who was of German and English descent, had attended Bethany and was a Navy World War II veteran, totally supported his mother's career and Swedish dance commitments for innumerable years, while he was also a longtime supporter of, and participant in, the ongoing, since 1882, Bethany College Oratorio Society Messiah chorus performances during Holy Easter Week, which is Lindsborg's most far-reaching cultural and Christian gift to the world.
Thanks to his parents, Mr. Karstadt's career opportunity to serve Swedish and Swedish American communities has been a "win" "win" experience for all!
SOURCES:
* Source: August 13, 2018, Augustana College, News, "Swenson Center advisory committee member named Swedish American of the Year"
Other sources for this article are from:
-LinkedIn
-July 7 2016, UMGAS online magazine, Music & Arts, "Catching Up: American Swedish Institute President Bruce Karstadt"
-2018: Press Release Vasa Order from website pdf file, "The Swedish American of the Year Committee 2018 Bruce Karstadt"
-April 24 2018, Nordstjernan, People, "Swedish American of the year"
-May 24, 2019, ASI article, "Bruce Karstadt, President/CEO of the American Swedish Institute, Awarded Honorary Doctorate From Sweden’s Lund University"
-October 3, 2019, Lindsborg News-Record "Hyllningsfest Committee names Bruce Karstadt as parade Grand Marshall"
* Source: August 13, 2018, Augustana College, News, "Swenson Center advisory committee member named Swedish American of the Year"
Other sources for this article are from:
-July 7 2016, UMGAS online magazine, Music & Arts, "Catching Up: American Swedish Institute President Bruce Karstadt"
-2018: Press Release Vasa Order from website pdf file, "The Swedish American of the Year Committee 2018 Bruce Karstadt"
-April 24 2018, Nordstjernan, People, "Swedish American of the year"
-May 24, 2019, ASI article, "Bruce Karstadt, President/CEO of the American Swedish Institute, Awarded Honorary Doctorate From Sweden’s Lund University"
-October 3, 2019, Lindsborg News-Record "Hyllningsfest Committee names Bruce Karstadt as parade Grand Marshall"
* * *
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.
Copyright © since October 8, 2015 to Current Year
as indicated on main menu sections of
www.swedesthewaytheywere.org. All rights reserved.
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.
Copyright © since October 8, 2015 to Current Year
as indicated on main menu sections of
www.swedesthewaytheywere.org. All rights reserved.
