- My Bethany College Connection to this Swedish Kansas History -
Fran Cochran
A research writer website designer
A compiler of historical Swedish American information from Kansas Smoky Valley writers and other sources
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Fran Cochran
A research writer website designer
A compiler of historical Swedish American information from Kansas Smoky Valley writers and other sources
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A last-living-link to foundational Lindsborg Bethany College history that began in 1881,
as the:
-- Great grandniece of George Gustaf Sohlberg (1863-1947) who was a "first" Bethany Academy graduate, 1884
--"Last" of the Bethany College 13 Sohlberg family member graduates from 4 generations
-- Great grandniece of Bethany College Biology and Geology Professor Dr. Emil O. Deere (1877-1966)
-Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod, Bethany Lutheran Church member
-At Bethany College for 67 years (1899-1966)
-A colleague and friend of six (6) Swedish American Lutheran Bethany College presidents and the founder
-Bethany College graduate, 1904, Bachelor of Arts Degree; 1907, Master of Arts Degree
-University of Chicago, 1911, Masters of Science Degree and had nearly completed the PhD program there
-Biology Department head for 51 years (1904-1955)
-Bethany College Museum curator for 58 years (1908-1966), who planned the Pioneer Swedish Collection and that of the Natural History Collection move to the McPherson County Old Mill Museum, over 5,000 items
-Dean of the Bethany College of Arts and Sciences for 31 years (1917-1948)
-College Vice President for 3 years (1918-1921), and much more
- Upsala College of East Orange, New Jersey, in 1948: The Doctor of Laws Degree
-A Lindsborg leader in forming and founding the "first" Lindsborg Community Hospital in 1949, and much more
-Honored by a new men's dormitory built in 1957 named Deere Hall, which was razed in 2015
-- Great grandniece of Bethany College graduate photographer and artist Lydia Sohlberg Deere (1873-1943)
-Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod, Bethany Lutheran Church member
-McPherson College graduate, 1900, Bachelor's Degree in Commerce
-Bethany College graduate, 1923, Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree; 1925, Bachelor of Science Degree
-Proprietor of the Lindsborg Sohlberg Millinery Company, 1900-1906
-Bethany College Dean of Women/Lady Principal and Matron of Ladies Dormitory, Lane Hart Hall, 1906-1913
-Bethany College Instructor of Swedish/Scandinavian Handwork, 1907-1913; summer art instructor art, 1925-1931
-Founder of the 1912 Bethany Campus Association, to begin "first" college campus landscaping projects, most important of which still survives today: The 1917 Class' "Gateway to Bethany" at Olsson & North First Streets
-Assisted artist family friend Sandzén to organize the 1913 Smoky Hill Art Club that would grow to 400 members
-- "Last" and fourth generation Sohlberg Deere owner of 1873 Lindsborg Smoky Valley farmland & Swede House, 2011
as the:
-- Great grandniece of George Gustaf Sohlberg (1863-1947) who was a "first" Bethany Academy graduate, 1884
--"Last" of the Bethany College 13 Sohlberg family member graduates from 4 generations
-- Great grandniece of Bethany College Biology and Geology Professor Dr. Emil O. Deere (1877-1966)
-Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod, Bethany Lutheran Church member
-At Bethany College for 67 years (1899-1966)
-A colleague and friend of six (6) Swedish American Lutheran Bethany College presidents and the founder
-Bethany College graduate, 1904, Bachelor of Arts Degree; 1907, Master of Arts Degree
-University of Chicago, 1911, Masters of Science Degree and had nearly completed the PhD program there
-Biology Department head for 51 years (1904-1955)
-Bethany College Museum curator for 58 years (1908-1966), who planned the Pioneer Swedish Collection and that of the Natural History Collection move to the McPherson County Old Mill Museum, over 5,000 items
-Dean of the Bethany College of Arts and Sciences for 31 years (1917-1948)
-College Vice President for 3 years (1918-1921), and much more
- Upsala College of East Orange, New Jersey, in 1948: The Doctor of Laws Degree
-A Lindsborg leader in forming and founding the "first" Lindsborg Community Hospital in 1949, and much more
-Honored by a new men's dormitory built in 1957 named Deere Hall, which was razed in 2015
-- Great grandniece of Bethany College graduate photographer and artist Lydia Sohlberg Deere (1873-1943)
-Swedish Augustana Lutheran Synod, Bethany Lutheran Church member
-McPherson College graduate, 1900, Bachelor's Degree in Commerce
-Bethany College graduate, 1923, Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree; 1925, Bachelor of Science Degree
-Proprietor of the Lindsborg Sohlberg Millinery Company, 1900-1906
-Bethany College Dean of Women/Lady Principal and Matron of Ladies Dormitory, Lane Hart Hall, 1906-1913
-Bethany College Instructor of Swedish/Scandinavian Handwork, 1907-1913; summer art instructor art, 1925-1931
-Founder of the 1912 Bethany Campus Association, to begin "first" college campus landscaping projects, most important of which still survives today: The 1917 Class' "Gateway to Bethany" at Olsson & North First Streets
-Assisted artist family friend Sandzén to organize the 1913 Smoky Hill Art Club that would grow to 400 members
-- "Last" and fourth generation Sohlberg Deere owner of 1873 Lindsborg Smoky Valley farmland & Swede House, 2011
Career and Education Information
At home in San Francisco Bay Area since 1968, with work there, in Australia, Washington, DC and Lindsborg to 2011.
Corporate: San Francisco "Heller Ehrman" Silicon Valley Law Office; San Francisco "California Pacific Medical Center;" San Francisco "Wells Fargo Bank;" Chicago "Barton Ashman Associates" Washington DC Office of Urban Planning.
From 1978 to 2008, in support staff positions.
Teaching: Victorian Government Schools, Melbourne, Australia: Marin County Schools, California. From 1970-1975.
Research writer website designer for Swedes: TheWayTheyWere, 2011, published 2015;
SwedishAmericana, 2011, published 2015;
Aussie Trail to London 1976, 2016, published 2016.
Veteran world traveler to 70+ countries from 1976 to 2017 with self-study of cultures and religions.
Dominican University of California, 1970: California Life Teaching Credential, San Rafael, California
Bethany College, 1968: Bachelor of Arts Degree: Business Economics / History, Lindsborg, Kansas
Corporate: San Francisco "Heller Ehrman" Silicon Valley Law Office; San Francisco "California Pacific Medical Center;" San Francisco "Wells Fargo Bank;" Chicago "Barton Ashman Associates" Washington DC Office of Urban Planning.
From 1978 to 2008, in support staff positions.
Teaching: Victorian Government Schools, Melbourne, Australia: Marin County Schools, California. From 1970-1975.
Research writer website designer for Swedes: TheWayTheyWere, 2011, published 2015;
SwedishAmericana, 2011, published 2015;
Aussie Trail to London 1976, 2016, published 2016.
Veteran world traveler to 70+ countries from 1976 to 2017 with self-study of cultures and religions.
Dominican University of California, 1970: California Life Teaching Credential, San Rafael, California
Bethany College, 1968: Bachelor of Arts Degree: Business Economics / History, Lindsborg, Kansas
February 2025
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Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~
reconnecting past to present
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All color photography throughout Swedes: The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated, or obviously concluded it is not.
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