From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Swedish American of the Year (SAY)/Årets Svensk Amerikan is an annual award program of the Vasa Order of America which is run by the two Sweden District Lodges – District 19 and District 20.

Origin

Since 1960, the Vasa Order of America has selected a prominent American citizen of Swedish birth or descent to become Swedish-American of the Year. [1] Every year the two Sweden District Lodges of the Vasa Order of America select an American of Swedish descent to be The Swedish-American of the Year.

Swedish American of the Year Awards

The Swedish-American of the Year is honored during Sweden-America Days in various places in Sweden. A tablet containing the names of all award recipients is kept in the Swedish Emigrant Institute (Swedish: Svenska Emigrantinstitutet) in Växjö, Småland, Sweden. [2]

Recipients are honored with a Golden Plaque, a diploma, and their name added to the commemorative Swedish American of the Year tablet, which is kept in Växjö. They are feted with several celebrations in Sweden, including lunch at the Foreign Office, a reception at Stockholm's City Hall, activities at Skansen, a dinner hosted by Vasa, and (sometimes) a reception at the American Embassy. (Courtesy Swedish American Council of America).

Anyone is welcome to suggest a candidate, also an organization and welcome suggestions of candidates from the USA/Canada. Recipients can be either Swedish or American by birth, but must have made significant contributions to the relationship between the two countries.[ citation needed]

The present year recipient of the award is official in March/April.[ citation needed]

Award recipients

1960–1979 [3]

1980–1999 [10]

  • 1980 Signe Karlström (*) – First woman to be named Swedish-American of the Year. Karlström dedicated her life to membership in and leadership of Swedish-American cultural organizations and strengthening ties between Michigan and Sweden. [11]
  • 1981 Curt Carlson (*) – Head of Carlson, a hospitality and travel company; its primary subsidiary is CWT, a travel management company.
  • 1982 Russell Peterson – President of the National Audubon Society
  • 1983 J. Erik Jonsson – Founder of Texas Instruments
  • 1984 Gurli Johnson – Worked for the Salvation Army for 17 years and upheld Swedish traditions through services and radio programs
  • 1985 James R. Thompson – Politician, Governor of Illinois and served on the 9/11 Commission
  • 1986 Franklin S. Forsberg (*) – Publisher of the Yank, Stars & Stripes, Liberty, and Popular Mechanics magazines
  • 1987 Alice L. Carlson (*/**) – Grand Lodge Treasurer, Vice Grand Master, Grand Master for Vasa Order of America
  • 1988 Hildor Arnold Barton – Swedish-American historian, taught at University of Alberta, University of California, Santa Barbara and Southern Illinois University
  • 1989 Signe Hasso – Actress with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
  • 1990 Oscar A. Lundin (*) – Vice President of General Motors
  • 1991 Nils Hasselmo (*) – President of the University of Minnesota 1988–1997
  • 1992 John N. Nordstrom – Grandson of Nordstrom founder John W. Nordstrom. John N. Nordstrom was the past owner of the Seattle Seahawks (2016)
  • 1993 William Rehnquist – Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court
  • 1994 Arne H. Carlson – Politician, Minnesota's 37th Governor
  • 1995 Richard E. Oldenburg – Director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) New York.
  • 1996 Siri M. Eliason (*) – Started a Scandinavian furniture business and served as the Sweden Honorary Consul General in San Francisco
  • 1997 Arnold Lindberg – Career as Technical Director at Disney World [12]
  • 1998 Glen E. Brolander (*) – Founding force for the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center. [13] [14]
  • 1999 Rod Johnson (*) – Swedish woodcarving

2000–2019 [15]

(* denotes a member of the Swedish Council of America (SCA) Board of Directors)

(** denotes a member of Vasa Order of America (VOA))

References

Notes

  1. ^ "Newsletter" (PDF). Swedish American Historical Society. September 2018. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  2. ^ "Utvandrarnas hus". Utvandrarnas hus (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  3. ^ "Swedish-American of the Year 1960-1979 | Swedish Council of America". 2015-09-24. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
  4. ^ Alliance, New Sweden. "Jubilee Landing at 'The Rocks'". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  5. ^ "SCA Glenn T. Seaborg Science Scholarship". Swedish Council of America. 2017-05-04. Archived from the original on 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  6. ^ "G. Hilmer Lundbeck, Jr. dead in New York". Vestkusten. No. 11. 11 September 1986. p. 5 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  7. ^ "KARL HALLDEN DIES; INDUSTRIALIST, 85". The New York Times. 1970-02-11. ISSN  0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  8. ^ "ET Genealogi - Nils William Olsson - in Memoriam". www.etgenealogy.se. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  9. ^ "Gustave Nyselius, Founder Of Die Casting Company, 87". The New York Times. 1972-04-07. ISSN  0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  10. ^ "Swedish-American of the Year 1980-1999 | Swedish Council of America". 2015-09-25. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
  11. ^ "Signe Karlstrom Lectures | U-M LSA Germanic Languages and Literatures". lsa.umich.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  12. ^ "Arnold Lindberg named Swedish-American of the Year". Vestkusten. No. 10. 1 June 1997. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-05-27 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  13. ^ "Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center". Augustana College. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  14. ^ "Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center". FamilySearch Wiki. 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  15. ^ "Swedish-American of the Year 2000-present | Swedish Council of America". 2015-09-25. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
  16. ^ "King and Queen of Sweden Bestow Swedish-American of The Year Award Upon Carlson Companies Chair & CEO Marilyn Carlson Nelson in Stockholm Ceremony; She Joins Previous Winners Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Astronaut Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin, Nobel Prize Winner Glenn T. Seaborg and Actress Ann-Margret". Free Online Library. 2016-03-05. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  17. ^ "This Swedish Architect Devoted More Than Two Decades to Studying Houston. This Is What He Found". Houstonia Magazine. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  18. ^ "Swedish-American of the Year". vasaorder.com. 2018-08-22. Archived from the original on 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  19. ^ "Swedish-American of the Year". Sveriges Radio. 2008-08-11. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  20. ^ "Crown Princess presents "Swedish-American of the Year" Award". Swedish Royal Court. Archived from the original on 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  21. ^ "Anne Charlotte Harvey". Center for the Art of Translation | Two Lines Press. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  22. ^ "Swedish-American of the Year Debunks 'Dumb Swede' Stereotypes". Dispatch Argus. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  23. ^ ""Swedish American of the Year" to lead 150th anniversary Civil War event July 8 at Bishop Hill". Aledo Times Record. 2012-06-27. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2022-05-27.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL ( link)
  24. ^ "Ingvar Wikstrom retires". Edgewater Historical Society. Spring 2007. Archived from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  25. ^ "Martina Arfwidson, President & Gun Nowak, Founder and CEO, FACE Stockholm". Hudson Valley Magazine. 2012-11-25. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  26. ^ "Business People: Bruce Karstadt to retire at American Swedish Institute". Twin Cities. 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  27. ^ "What museum director Eric Nelson wants to do this summer". The Seattle Times. 2021-06-30. Retrieved 2022-05-27.

Sources