Adolf Gundersen (October 8, 1865 – September 15, 1938) was a Norwegian born, American physician and founder of Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center.

Background

Adolf Gundersen was born in the parish of Åsnes in the traditional region of

Solør Solør is a Norwegian traditional district consisting of the valley between Elverum in the north and Kongsvinger in the south. It is part of Innlandet county and it includes the municipalities Våler, Åsnes, and Grue. Glomma valley Glommadal ...

in the county of

Hedmark Hedmark () was a county in Norway before 1 January 2020, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar. Hedmark and Oppland counties were merged i ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. He received his professional training in Norway and graduated from the Royal

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

in 1890.

Career

Gundersen came to

La Crosse La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's populat ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

to join the medical practice of Christian Christensen. In 1893, he married Helga Sara Isaksetre (1867–1951), with whom he had eight children. Four of the sons, Gunnar, Alf, Sigurd B. Sr. and Thorolf, joined their father in his first clinic, which opened in 1930 on the outskirts of the city. In 1944, Gundersen's physician sons created Gundersen Medical Foundation (now the foundation supporting Gundersen Health System). His eldest son, Borge, was in charge of Røisen, the Gundersen estate in Solør, Norway. Dr. Gundersen received Knighthood in the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olaf The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav I ...

, first rank, from King Haakon of Norway in 1926. He was made an honorary member of The Medical Society of Oslo (''Det norske medicinske Selskab'') in 1933. He was a Fellow of the

American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913.American College of Surgeons Online "What is the American College of Surgeons?"/ref> See also *American College of Physicians The American College o ...

and in the Scandinavian Surgical Society, an honorary member of the Christiania Surgical Society. He was also a Regent of the University of Wisconsin System. Dr. Gundersen was inducted into the Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame in 2013.

Quotation

References

Other sources

*Bergland, Betty A.; Lori Ann Lahlum (2011) ''Norwegian American Women: Migration, Communities, and Identities'' (Minnesota Historical Society) *Hessel, Susan T. (1991) ''Medicine, the Gundersen experience, 1891-1991'' (Gundersen Clinic, La Crosse, Wisconsin) *Midelfort, H. Christine ''A Norwegian Immigrant's Accommodation To America: The Early Letters of Dr. Adolf Gundersen'' (Peninsula Nordic Study Circle Lecture Series. 2005–2006) *Orgensen, Ole (1982) ''Adolf Gundersen og hans sønner"'' (''Nordmanns-Forbundet'', 90–93) *Strand, A. E. (1905) ''A History of the Norwegians of Illinois'' (Chicago: John Anderson Publishing Company)

External links

Adolf and Helga Gundersen Bronze Sculpture, Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gundersen, Adolf 1865 births 1938 deaths Norwegian surgeons Physicians from Wisconsin American surgeons People from La Crosse, Wisconsin People from Åsnes Norwegian emigrants to the United States Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal