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June, 1982
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Volume 10, No. 1
Augustana given $1 million controlling
interest in bank shares for endowment
Mr. and Mrs. John W. Siverson of
Hendricks, Minn., have provided for a gift
to Augustana of shares of stock in the State
Bank of Hendricks, the impact of which is
expected to increase the endowment of the
college by $1 million.
President William C. Nelsen said the gift
is the largest single gift ever received by
the college. It will result in the tran-sference
of controlling interest in the bank
to Augustana which will own and operate
the bank as requested by the donors.
Both the Siversons and college officials
said the management transition will be a
smooth, orderly one which will in no way
affect the stable and prudent operation of
the bank.
The Siversons have indicated that they
want to assure that the best interests of the
people of the Hendricks area will be served
as they have in the past. To assure this, the
Augustana Board of Regents, which
represents the corporate entity of the
school, will elect a Board of Directors to
work closely with the present bank
manager, John Midtaune.
All current employees of the bank have
been asked to remain in their present
positions.
No major changes planned
The bank will continue to be operated
with the goals of financial stability and
outstanding service to the community of
Hendricks. There will be no interruption of
any services and no major changes in
operating procedures.
Siverson, who at one time operated a
drug store in Hendricks, is the founder and
president of the bank. He is also the author
of a book, published at Augustana, which is
an account of his travels in Europe in the
immediate pre-World War II days. The
book contrasts life in America and Europe
during the depression era and was first
serialized in the Hendricks Pioneer in 1938.
Agnes Siverson
Siverson served with the air service of the
United States in Europe during World War
I. He is a graduate of St. Olaf College.
The Siversons, who had previously made
a major gift to provide an organ for the
college's new chapel, are well known for
their philanthropy. They provided the
town of Hendricks with its library and
have made significant gifts to other
private colleges and seminaries. They are
the sponsors of two boys in Bethlehem and
a girl in Thailand.
John Siverson has been an active
member of many community
organizations including the American
Legion and the Kiwanis Club. In 1967 he
was named Outstanding Senior Citizen of
Hendricks, of Lincoln County, Minnesota,
and of the Minnesota State Fair.
His wife Agnes has also been active in
community affairs, with the American
Legion Auxiliary and the Women's
Federated Club.
.John Siverson
The Siversons' gift was made to provide
assistance for the goals and mission of
Augustana so that it may continue to
enhance its reputation for quality and
excellence in the future.
Nelsen expressed deep gratitude to the
couple on behalf of the college. "This gift is
the result of the Siversons' strong
dedication to the principles of Christian
higher education.
"This is the kind of giving which is
crucial, from many individuals, to the
future of Augustana in the years to come.
It is only through this kind of support that
private, church-related colleges will be
able to maintain their tradition of ex-cellence
for the good of society.
"The endowment of Augustana is
currently approximately $3.5 million,
much too low for a private college of our
size and quality. This gift signals a new
beginning in building the endowment of the
college," Nelsen said.
Board elects
Gunderson as
new chairman
Richard L. Gunderson, a native of Sioux
Falls who now resides at Birchwood,
Minn., has been elected chairman of the
Augustana Board of Regents. Darrell
Butterwick, Sioux Falls, was named vice
chairman; Fred Matthies, Omaha, Neb.,
was elected secretary ; and Dr. Donald
Scott, Sioux Falls, was renamed treasurer
of the Augustana College Association.
In other actions during the May board
meeting, six new members were chosen to
the Board of Directors of the Augustana
Research Institute (ARI). Elected to three
year terms were Tom Batcheller, Tom
Everist, Mark Griffin, Joe Kirby, Dr.
Sandra Looney and Dr. John Sorenson, all
of Sioux Falls.
ARI officers for the next year are Dr.
Dennis Larson, chairman ; Herb Bowden,
vice chairman; Dr. Milton Hanson,
secretary; and Dr. James Meader,
treasurer and ARI director, all of Sioux
Falls.
The Augustana board reappointed Dr.
Elliot Thoreson as the college's faculty
representative on the Board of Directors of
the North Central University Center.
Capt. Orville Sigurdson was promoted to
the rank of full professor of mathematics
on the Augustana faculty.
Johnson resigns
position as VP
James A. Johnson, who became vice
president for development at Augustana
last fall, has resigned from the position for
personal and business reasons.
Johnson has maintained a private law
practice in Vermillion where he and his
family live. He had been in the process of
getting out of the practice, but now has
decided to remain with it.
He will continue to serve in his
development capacity at Augustana until a
Search Committee finds a replacement for
him.
"The primary reason for my decision,"
Johnson said, "is that with my family as
young as it is and the needs of the college
as I see them, the college needs someone
willing to be away more. The vice
president for development should be away
one or two weeks a month," he said.
Johnson is a 1960 alumnus of Augustana
and holds a law degree from the Univer-sity
of South Dakota. He is a one-time
member of the law faculty at USD and
served for a time as associate dean of the
law school.
He and his wife are the parents of two
young sons.
Bush Foundation issues 5450,000
challenge to Fellows of Augustana
Delegates pick
college regents
Delegates to the annual meeting of the
Augustana College Association on May 3
elected two new Board of Regents
members, re-elected four others and
approved three other new members
subject to their acceptance of the ap-pointments.
The Rev. Bruce M. Williams, Ver-million,
and Bradley Twedt, Sioux Falls,
are the new members elected to three year
terms. Twedt, who has been president of
the Augustana Student Association for the
past two years, was chosen as the Young
Alumni Regent. Eligible candidates for
this position were 'members of the
Augustana Classes of 1979, 1980, 1981 and
1982.
Twedt, who has full voting privileges on
the board, will be ineligible for re-election
as the Young Alumni Regent but could be
re-elected as a regular member.
Re-elected to the board were Darrell D.
Butterwick, Sioux Falls; Richard L.
Gunderson, Birchwood, Minn. ; Herbert A.
Lund, Albert Lea, Minn., and Melvin V.
Samuelson, Storm Lake, Ia.
Delegates to the association meeting
represent American Lutheran Church
congregations in South Dakota, Nebraska,
Colorado, Wyoming and portions of
Minnesota and Iowa.
The 130 delegates in attendance heard
reports from Provost Arthur Olsen, the
Rev. Edward Nervig, director of church
relations; James Johnson, vice president
for development ; Gene Linton, director of
financial aid and Dean Schueler, director
of admissions.
Over 1100 members of the Fellows of
Augustana and their guests were both
thrilled and delighted during the spring
dinner-induction occasion held this year at
the spacious Sioux Falls Convention
Center. First the audience was thrilled as
President William C. Nelsen announced
the receipt of a $450,000 challenge to
Augustana from the Bush Foundation of
St. Paul (the largest ever received by the
college).
Later the crowd was delighted by the
words and music provided by recording
artist Pat Boone. Boone, himself a product
of a private, church related school, was
lavish in his praise of colleges like
Augustana. He entertained with music
from his early years, with contemporary
sacred music and patriotic songs.
New inductees taken into the Fellows
that night swell the membership to over
2,200 members according to Dr. Glen
Peterson, executive director.
But it was Nelsen's announcement which
got the crowd to buzzing early on. The
matching fund grant is in support of the
college's continuing New Frontiers
Campaign and, in particular, for capital
funds to build a new physical education-recreation
building and to increase the
college's endowment funds.
The matching stipulation, Nelsen said, is
one Bush dollar for every dollar received
by Augustana in cash gifts or firm pledges
from individuals who were members of the
Fellows as of Feb. 15, 1982.
Such gifts and pledges must be received
prior to Dec. 31, 1983 to qualify for the
matching funds.
Deferred gifts, including life income
agreements, made in irrevocable form
and coming from eligible members of the
Fellows will be matched after discounting
according to the age of the donor.
Pat Boone, top recording artist and
film star, entertained the largest
audience ever to attend a Fellows
dinner with a mixture of music and
inspiration.
Gift or pledge amounts less than $250 or
in excess of $250,000 from a matching-eligible
donor will not be counted toward
the college's challenge amount, Nelsen
said.
Three members of this year's senior
class, Laurel Vanderbilt, St. James,
Minn. ; Bradley Twedt, Sioux Falls and
Janine Rew, Mitchell, reflected upon their
four collegiate careers at Augustana.
In addition to the induction ceremony
which included a swearing in by Dr.
Maizie Solem, Sioux Falls, chairman of the
Fellows Cabinet, a number of other
Fellows Awards were made or announced.
Four persons, Nestor Blegen, Sioux Falls;
Anna DeWitt, Highmore; Oscar Engen,
Presho and Erling Haugo, Sioux Falls,
were recognized with President's Awards
(for enlisting 10 members or giving
$10,000, or a combination of the two).
Mrs. Edith Mortenson Delman,
Alexandria, Va., was announced as the
recipient of a Regents' Award (25 mem-bers,
$25,000 or a combination).
Mr. and Mrs. Mervin Hokenstad of
Garretson, S.D., received two awards —
the Golden Award (50 members or $50,000)
and the Anthony G. Tuve Award (100
members or $100,000 or a combination of
the two) . Dorothy, who is a former
member of the Augustana Board of
Regents, and Mervin, who retired last
year after a number of years of service as
a member of the admissions staff, deeded
a significant amount of land to the college.