Magazine

As St. Olaf College turned 150 years old last fall, we invited Oles into our recording studio during Homecoming and Family Weekend to reflect on their experiences on the Hill.

Oles from a wide range of class years delivered stories that ranged from hilarious to poignant to inspiring. Yet they all had one thing in common: the impact that a St. Olaf education had on their life far beyond the Hill, from career paths to relationships to an unwavering commitment to the common good.

We think you’ll enjoy them as much as we did. Listen to snippets from six of our conversations below.

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Vi Anne Sattre Christensen ’43
Growing up, Vi Anne Christensen Traynor heard plenty of stories about St. Olaf from her mom, Vi Anne Sattre Christensen ’43. But one in particular about a legendary interaction that her mom and other members of the Dolphins Swimming Club had with the U.S. Naval air cadets stationed on campus during World War II became a favorite. The members of the Dolphins, the women’s swimming club formed in 1938, agreed never to share the story publicly. But they kept in touch for the rest of their lives with a round robin letter, Traynor says, and eventually she convinced her mom to write the story down. As the college marks its 150th anniversary, Traynor wanted to officially add the story to St. Olaf history — especially since many members of the Dolphins, including her mom, have since passed. Listen below as she reads her mom’s story.

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Roderick Hale ’74
Roderick Hale ’74 initially planned to major in English at St. Olaf. When it became clear that wasn’t his strong suit, he dabbled in economics. Eventually he found his way to philosophy, a course of study that has defined his life. More than 50 years after graduating from St. Olaf — and even after graduate school, law school, and a lengthy career as an attorney in the Twin Cities — he says it was the critical thinking skills that he honed in philosophy courses with faculty members like Walter Stromseth and Howard Hong that shaped his life. Listen to his reflection below.

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John Zech ’77
John Zech ’77 was literally drawn to campus by the sounds of St. Olaf. While growing up on a small family farm in Howard Lake, Minnesota, he listened to the student announcers on WCAL, the radio station based at St. Olaf from 1918 to 2004. The opportunity to work at the radio station, paired with the college’s strong academic program, led him to St. Olaf. While on the Hill, he became deeply involved in music, playing in the St. Olaf Band and St. Olaf Orchestra. He also enrolled in the Paracollege, an alternative program of study offered on campus from 1969 to 2000 that focused on student-centered learning and characterized by innovation and individualization. Those experiences led to an esteemed career in radio, first with WCAL and then later with Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media, where he was a national classical host and producer. Listen to his reflection below.

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Christopher Nord ’98 and Amy Carlson Nord ’98
There are engagement stories, and then there are engagement stories like the one that only Christopher Nord ’98 and Amy Carlson Nord ’98 can tell. The two Oles met in Ellingson Hall during their first year on campus, and despite their different interests — Chris was a biology major and NCAA All-American wrestler, and Amy was an English major and member of Manitou Singers — they immediately clicked. A few days before Christmas break of their sophomore year, Chris proposed. The resulting story is rumored to have been highlighted on Twin Cities radio stations. Listen to their reflection below.

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Paul Moran ’00 and Jenny Benson Moran ’00
Like many Oles, Paul Moran ’00 and Jenny Benson Moran ’00 started their relationship with a simple conversation in class. A quarter century later, their son is a St. Olaf junior who is benefitting from the same powerful liberal arts education that helped his parents expand their understanding of their place in the world and the importance of caring for others. “I think the critical thinking skills and the broadening of one’s perspective are two of the great things that St. Olaf offers to people. And we’re glad we’re part of it,” Jenny Moran says. Listen to their reflection — and hear the question that Jenny asked Paul in that class all those years ago — below.

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Emery Jansen ’26
Emery Jansen ’26 hasn’t even graduated yet, but already she knows that her St. Olaf experience has shaped the course of her life. She participated in the college’s Svoboda Legal Scholars Program, which offers St. Olaf students a unique opportunity to perform intensive legal research and serve in a legal support role in social impact-oriented clinics at a variety of law clinics. Jansen was selected to work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison through the program, which is supported by the generosity of Paul Svoboda ’81, and it has helped her realize how much impact she could make in the field of family law. She is also an interfaith fellow in the college’s Lutheran Center for Faith, Values, and Community, a role that has helped her learn how to have powerful conversations across difference. Listen to her reflection below.

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After listening to these reflections, do you realize that you have your own story to share? The history of St. Olaf is not one story, but many — and we want to hear yours! We are still collecting memories and reflections from our community in honor of the college’s sesquicentennial. Visit the college’s sesquicentennial website to submit your story.