The Other Swedes"
~ Honoring Him and His Works ~
Working on this now 1 14 21
Mr. Bruce Karstadt
~ Honoring him as Bethany College's "first" graduate to head a national Swedish American institution
~ Honoring Him and His Works ~
Working on this now 1 14 21
Mr. Bruce Karstadt
~ Honoring him as Bethany College's "first" graduate to head a national Swedish American institution
Mr. Bruce Karstadt was born in Lindsborg, Kansas, which was the destination of his immigrant great grandparents from Sweden in the late 1800s. He graduated from Lindsborg Rural High School in 1969 and from Bethany College in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Political Science. In 1977, he graduated from Topeka's Washburn University School of Law receiving a Juris Doctors Degree.
He returned to his alma mater in 1977 to serve as the College's Legal Counsel and Executive Assistant to the President during the remaining Dr. Arvin Hahn administration (1967-1983) and the full Dr. Peter Ristuben administration (1983-1990). While working with Dr. Ristuben, he was involved in supporting the organizing committee for the New Sweden 1988 binational Swedish American celebration of the 350th anniversary honoring the 1638 founding of New Sweden in the Delaware Valley, a region that includes parts of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. This event involved all Swedish American entities in the United States.
It was during this time of preparation that Mr. Karstadt set his heart on a career that would contribute toward strengthening the ties between Sweden and America. Due to his boss' leadership and efforts for this event, Dr. Ristuben, who was Danish, the first non-Swede to head Bethany, received the highest award bestowed upon non-Swedes from the Swedish Crown, that of " Officer of the First Class Royal Order of the Polar (North) Star" in 1990. This was during the reign of His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf who continues to reign. It was also in this year, that Mr. Karstadt was hired at the American Swedish Institute (ASI) to hold the positions of Chief Executive Officer and President that he continues to hold as of January 14, 2021. Mr. Karstadt would be similarly honored by the King Carl XVI Gustaf as Dr. Ristuben was twenty-four years later, in 2014, when he received the "Royal Order of the Polar Star, Commander First Class."
While at the American Swedish Institute, his works and leadership flourished in countless matters of Swedish American importance which found him being honored many times. Some of these were in 1994 when he was made Honorary Consul General of Sweden for the State of Minnesota, in 2012 when he received the Carl Sandburg Medal from the Swedish American Historical Society in Chicago, in 2013 in the city of Uppsala, Sweden where he received the Gold Medal for creating a strong Sister City relationship between Uppsala and Minneapolis, in 2018 when the Swedish chapters of the Vasa Order of America selected him as the Swedish American of the Year at the Swedish Emigrant Institute of Växjö, Småland, and in 2019 when he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Sweden’s Lund University.
Also, in 2019, he was called to his hometown Lindsborg to be the Grand Marshall for their Svensk Hyllningsfest celebration the biennial Swedish pioneer festival during Lindsborg's 150th Founding Anniversary Celebration. It was at another festival in 2003 that his parents, Steve and Patty Karstadt, great supporters of Lindsborg's Swedishness, were chosen by the community to be the Royal Swedish Couple, the King and Queen, for this grand event. His great aunt was one of the early founders of the Swedish dancing groups that his mother assisted with and eventually took over. She was a Bethany College graduate an elementary music teacher and was very determined that the children learn the Swedish dances and performed them regularly.
It is important to note that Lindsborg and Bethany College were involved in a similar New Sweden event in 1938 in which they had to begin preparations in 1937 or earlier. Like Mr. Karstadt who helped Bethany College president Dr. Ristuben, Dean and Bethany College professor Emil O. Deere was Bethany College president Dr. Pihlblad's righthand man for the job. This 300th anniversary of honoring the 1638 founding of New Sweden was the community's first official introduction to New Sweden and it was probably its first experience with fundraising as it was part of providing funds for the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia, the goal of which was to have an endowment of $750,000.
WORKING ON THIS 1 15 21
To read more on this, go HERE. Here to Their Bethany College's 1937 Introduction to New Sweden, founded in 1638 (It was momentous task of 50 years before, go .
The next one will be, the 375th anniversary will be
Some of the information for this section have come from LinkedIn, NORDSTJERNAN 2018, LNR 2019, VASA ORDEN AV AMERIKA pdf 2018, MinnPost 2020, American Swedish Institute About Us website, Umgas Magazine Jan 2020
He returned to his alma mater in 1977 to serve as the College's Legal Counsel and Executive Assistant to the President during the remaining Dr. Arvin Hahn administration (1967-1983) and the full Dr. Peter Ristuben administration (1983-1990). While working with Dr. Ristuben, he was involved in supporting the organizing committee for the New Sweden 1988 binational Swedish American celebration of the 350th anniversary honoring the 1638 founding of New Sweden in the Delaware Valley, a region that includes parts of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. This event involved all Swedish American entities in the United States.
It was during this time of preparation that Mr. Karstadt set his heart on a career that would contribute toward strengthening the ties between Sweden and America. Due to his boss' leadership and efforts for this event, Dr. Ristuben, who was Danish, the first non-Swede to head Bethany, received the highest award bestowed upon non-Swedes from the Swedish Crown, that of " Officer of the First Class Royal Order of the Polar (North) Star" in 1990. This was during the reign of His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf who continues to reign. It was also in this year, that Mr. Karstadt was hired at the American Swedish Institute (ASI) to hold the positions of Chief Executive Officer and President that he continues to hold as of January 14, 2021. Mr. Karstadt would be similarly honored by the King Carl XVI Gustaf as Dr. Ristuben was twenty-four years later, in 2014, when he received the "Royal Order of the Polar Star, Commander First Class."
While at the American Swedish Institute, his works and leadership flourished in countless matters of Swedish American importance which found him being honored many times. Some of these were in 1994 when he was made Honorary Consul General of Sweden for the State of Minnesota, in 2012 when he received the Carl Sandburg Medal from the Swedish American Historical Society in Chicago, in 2013 in the city of Uppsala, Sweden where he received the Gold Medal for creating a strong Sister City relationship between Uppsala and Minneapolis, in 2018 when the Swedish chapters of the Vasa Order of America selected him as the Swedish American of the Year at the Swedish Emigrant Institute of Växjö, Småland, and in 2019 when he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Sweden’s Lund University.
Also, in 2019, he was called to his hometown Lindsborg to be the Grand Marshall for their Svensk Hyllningsfest celebration the biennial Swedish pioneer festival during Lindsborg's 150th Founding Anniversary Celebration. It was at another festival in 2003 that his parents, Steve and Patty Karstadt, great supporters of Lindsborg's Swedishness, were chosen by the community to be the Royal Swedish Couple, the King and Queen, for this grand event. His great aunt was one of the early founders of the Swedish dancing groups that his mother assisted with and eventually took over. She was a Bethany College graduate an elementary music teacher and was very determined that the children learn the Swedish dances and performed them regularly.
It is important to note that Lindsborg and Bethany College were involved in a similar New Sweden event in 1938 in which they had to begin preparations in 1937 or earlier. Like Mr. Karstadt who helped Bethany College president Dr. Ristuben, Dean and Bethany College professor Emil O. Deere was Bethany College president Dr. Pihlblad's righthand man for the job. This 300th anniversary of honoring the 1638 founding of New Sweden was the community's first official introduction to New Sweden and it was probably its first experience with fundraising as it was part of providing funds for the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia, the goal of which was to have an endowment of $750,000.
WORKING ON THIS 1 15 21
To read more on this, go HERE. Here to Their Bethany College's 1937 Introduction to New Sweden, founded in 1638 (It was momentous task of 50 years before, go .
The next one will be, the 375th anniversary will be
Some of the information for this section have come from LinkedIn, NORDSTJERNAN 2018, LNR 2019, VASA ORDEN AV AMERIKA pdf 2018, MinnPost 2020, American Swedish Institute About Us website, Umgas Magazine Jan 2020
- The American Swedish Institute -
Founded in 1929
Comprising the Institute are the 1910 Swan Turnblad Mansion, and the 2012 Nelson Cultural Center
Go HERE to learn more.
Founded in 1929
Comprising the Institute are the 1910 Swan Turnblad Mansion, and the 2012 Nelson Cultural Center
Go HERE to learn more.
* * *
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.
