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]
1961
Amandus Johnson – Contributions to Swedish-American history and raising awareness of the 300 year jubilee of the Delaware Valley's
New Sweden colonies[4]
1962
Glenn T. Seaborg (*/**) – Chemist and winner of the 1951
Nobel Prize in nuclear chemistry.[5] Vasa DL 15 Local Lodge 719 is named after Glenn T. Seaborg.
1964 Werner P. Gullander – President (1962) of the
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Gullander lived in Palm Desert, CA and passed away in 2000.
1967 Karl W. Hallden – Head of the industrial firm the Hallden Machine Company[7]
1968
Arleigh Albert Burke – Admiral of the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations
1969 Nils William Olsson (*) – Founder and Director of Swedish Council of America[8]
1970
Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin – American astronaut – with astronaut Neil Armstrong (1969), they were the first humans to walk on the Moon
1971 Gustav Nyselius – Founder of Mount Vernon Die Casting Company[9]
1972 Gerry Rooth – Publisher of Nordstjernan, and the quarterly publication of the Vasa Star, the official magazine of the Vasa Order of America.
1973 Eric C. Bellquist – Professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley
1974 Bertil Winström (**) – Past Grand Master of
Vasa Order of America and founder of the Vasa National Archives in Bishop Hill, IL
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.
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
2004 Lars Lerup – Architectural design author, lecturer and exhibitor[17]
2005 Jeanne Eriksson Widman (**/Vasa DL 4) – Founder of the Scandinavian Accordion Club of New York. Her father,
Walter Eriksson, was an accordion musician and had radio shows in New York.[18]