The Legacy of Legendary Visitors
Over the past 150 years, St. Olaf College has welcomed some of the world’s most influential thinkers, artists, and activists to campus. Their visits sparked dialogue and debate, ignited dreams, and served as a reminder that history is often just a handshake away.
As we celebrate the St. Olaf Sesquicentennial, we’re sharing just a few highlights of the famous visitors who made a mark on the Hill — and inspired the Oles they met throughout the generations. From politicians and poets to Norwegian royalty and pop culture icons, here’s a look back at the unforgettable figures who walked our halls and left their mark on the Oles who met them.
Dwight Eisenhower
In September 1952, presidential candidate Dwight Eisenhower — who would, of course, go on to become the 34th President of the United States and serve two terms — visited Northfield to deliver a speech to St. Olaf and Carleton students (amid a crowd of 10,000). Eisenhower is shown shaking the hand of Carleton President Laurence Gould, as St. Olaf President Clemens Granskou (center) looks on.
Hubert H. Humphrey
Hubert H. Humphrey, the 38th Vice President of the United States, arrived by military helicopter before delivering the 1965 St. Olaf College commencement address.
Eleanor Roosevelt
In 1953 “The First Lady of the World,” Eleanor Roosevelt, visited St. Olaf to deliver a lecture on the United Nations. President Truman appointed her to the United States delegation of the U.N. General Assembly in 1945, just months after the death of her husband, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She arrived in Northfield by train and took a student-led tour of campus before delivering her lecture in the evening. Tickets to attend were 75 cents for general admission and $1.25 for reserved seating.
Gordon Parks
In October 1972, St. Olaf awarded an honorary degree to Gordon Parks, an accomplished author, poet, filmmaker, and photographer. Pictured with Parks are Professor and Art and Art History Arch Leean (left) and St. Olaf President Sidney Rand.
Clyde Bellecourte and Dennis Banks
On February 13, 1974, Ojibwe activists and founders of the American Indian Movement Clyde Bellecourte (above) and Dennis Banks (below, foreground, second from right), came to campus with civil rights attorney William Kunstler and Reverend Paul Boe of the American Lutheran Church) to engage students in conversations about civil rights and the 1973 Wounded Knee Occupation.
Shirley Chisholm
In November 1976, Shirley Chisholm delivered a speech in Boe Memorial Chapel encouraging the St. Olaf community to seek justice. As the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, she offered a unique perspective and answered questions from community members about a range of subjects, but focused on addressing discrimination in America.
Coretta Scott King
In February 1980, Coretta Scott King (pictured with St. Olaf President Harlan Foss), a civil rights activist and the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., delivered a speech on campus calling for nonviolent social justice. The speech, which also addressed poverty and world hunger, was delivered in Skoglund Athletic Center.
Bella Abzug
In 1987 Bella Abzug — the pioneering New York City Congresswoman, civil rights lawyer, and peace activist who fought for women’s rights — delivered the keynote address at the fourth annual St. Olaf Peace and Justice Conference held in Boe Memorial Chapel. Abzug authored or coauthored several historic bills, including Title IX, the bill prohibiting sex discrimination in educational opportunities in schools receiving federal funding; the Freedom of Information Act; and the first law banning discrimination against women to obtain credit cards, loans, and mortgages.
Betty White
Betty White’s character Rose Nylund in the popular TV series The Golden Girls (1985–92) hailed from the fictitious town of St. Olaf, Minnesota. On May 3 and 4, 1992, White paid tribute to that connection by visiting St. Olaf. She spoke with theater students about her career, attended the St. Olaf Choir spring concert, stopped by a women’s softball game, and attended a chapel service. St. Olaf President Mel George (pictured above, interviewing White on WCAL) gave an address honoring her work.
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, made a brief visit to St. Olaf College in 1992, and he returned in February 2004 when St. Olaf hosted the 16th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum. Carter, the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, delivered the 2004 Peace Prize Forum keynote address to hundreds of attendees.
The Coen Brothers
Academy Award–winning filmmakers Ethan Coen and Joel Coen (left) spent several days on campus in the fall of 2008 filming scenes in the old Science Center for their new movie A Serious Man. At the board is actor Michael Stuhlbarg; cinematographer Roger Deakins stands at right. While on campus, members of the film’s production team provided St. Olaf students with insight into the movie industry and discussed how the Hill was chosen as a location site for A Serious Man.
Norwegian Royalty
His Majesty King Olav V of Norway visited St. Olaf on November 25, 1987. Hundreds of people gathered to see President Mel George present a miniature bronze award to the Norwegian king at a convocation held in Boe Memorial Chapel.
Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway visited the Hill in 2011 as part of their official state visit to the United States. While on campus, Their Majesties toured the recently opened Tomson Hall, visited a Norwegian language class, and attended a Sammenkomst (gathering) held in their honor.
Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway’s most recent visit to St. Olaf was on October 14, 2022, as part of a tour to highlight the strong ties between Norway and Minnesota’s Norwegian-American community.
While on campus, she met with St. Olaf students, faculty members, the Board of Regents, and members of the Norwegian American Historical Association (NAHA) in the Rølvaag Memorial Library for a special presentation showcasing Norwegian-American stories and artifacts housed at the college. She then joined President David R. Anderson ’74 and Head of Strategy for Library Collections and Archives Mary Barbosa-Jerez at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Special Collections vault.
David Brooks
Davis Brooks, a New York Times columnist and a regular political analyst on PBS NewsHour and National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, visited campus in 2018 to speak as part of the Institute for Freedom and Community’s fall lecture series on Patriotism, Nationalism, and the Idea of America.
Jonas Gahr Støre
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre visited St. Olaf on September 18, 2023. The prime minister and his team arrived on campus in three Black Hawk helicopters, and they were greeted by St. Olaf President Susan Rundell Singer and Board of Regents Chair Susan Gunderson ’79 as they landed. During his time on campus, Gahr Støre celebrated the college’s longstanding ties to Norway and spoke to students in political science, economics, and Norwegian classes about pressing global issues.