Norway honors Rothsay native

For The Journal

Published Thursday, July 3, 2008

A Rothsay native has been honored by the Norwegian government.

Rolf W. Hansen, the Norwegian Consulate General in Minneapolis, recently announced that His Royal Highness King Harald V of Norway has awarded the prestigious St. Olav Medal to Dr. Verlyn D. Anderson of Moorhead in “...recognition of his great service to Norway, in particular in his active work to promote knowledge and appreciation of Norwegian culture, language and history in the United States, especially in the Upper Midwest.”

Instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway in 1939, the St. Olav Medal is awarded in recognition of outstanding services rendered in connection with the spreading of information about Norway abroad and strengthening bonds between Norwegian Americans and the homeland of their ancestors.

Verlyn Anderson is a Rothsay native and graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead in 1956. He received a master’s degree in English and a second master’s in library science from the University of Minnesota and later earned a doctorate in American Studies.

Dr. Anderson’s early teaching career brought him to classrooms in Elizabeth, Hawley and Waconia public schools before returning to Concordia College in 1962, serving for 36 years on the faculty as Director of the College Library and Professor of history and Scandinavian studies.

He has lectured and written extensively about local history, Norwegian genealogy and numerous articles about his ancestors, both in the United States and in Norway.

Through numerous organizations, societies and institutions both in the United States and Norway, Dr. Anderson is active in promoting the knowledge and appreciation of Norwegian culture, language and history, with the following highlights:

For over 20 years, he has taught the Adult Norwegian Program at Skogfjorden, Concordia College’s Norwegian Language Village and has been the cultural director of the local Fargo-Moorhead Sons of Norway Lodge.

Frequently leading study tours sponsored by the Smithsonian Museums, Dr. Anderson and his wife have escorted more than 40 tours of Norway and other Scandinavian countries.

In addition to serving on the Advisory Council of the Norwegian-American Genealogical Center and Nanseth Library in Madison, Wis., he has been a visiting professor at the Hedmark College in Hamar, Norway.

Verlyn and his wife, Evonne, recently hosted their three daughters, three sons-in-law and three grandsons on a 2-week, expense-paid, tour of Norway to attend the award presentation on June 25.

Egil Vindorum, Kansellisjef of The Royal Palace in Oslo, presented the St. Olav Medal to Dr. Anderson at a ceremony held in Hadeland at the medieval Nicolai Church, one of the historic “Sister Churches” in the Gran parish and where Dr. Anderson’s great-grandfather was baptized in 1854. Hadeland’s well-known KK Men’s Choir presented a concert as part of the presentation ceremony.

Following the ceremony, a festive reindeer roast dinner was served at the historic Granavolden Gjestgiveri. Guests attended from Hadeland, Oslo, Bergen, Sletta, Hamar, Hurdal, Eidsvoll, Klemetsrud, Enebakk, and Rælingen, Norway, - and the Anderson family from the United States.