Oscar L. Olson (February 3, 1872 – November 19, 1956) was the third President of
Luther College. He was the first
layperson
Laypeople or laypersons may refer to:
* Someone who is not an expert in a particular field of study
** Lay judge
*** Lay judges in Japan
* Laity, members of a church who are not clergy
** Lay brother
** Lay sister
** Lay preacher
** Lay apostolat ...
to become President of a major Lutheran college in the United States.
[
]
Early life
Olson was born on February 3, 1872, in Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, to Andrew B. Olson and Guroe Larsen Krogstad.Sycamore, Illinois
Sycamore is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. It has a commercial district based and centered on Illinois Route 64. The population was 18577 at the 2020 census, up from 17,519 at the 2010 census. Sycamore is the county seat of De ...
, in 1874, to Dixon, Illinois
Dixon is a city and the county seat of Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,733 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,941 in 2000. The city is named after founder John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across the R ...
, in 1875, and Marcus, Iowa
Marcus is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,079 at the time of the 2020 census.
History
The first building in Marcus was erected in 1871. Marcus was incorporated on May 15, 1882.
Geography
Marcus is located at ...
, in 1879.Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...
in 1896.[ He completed a ]Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
at the University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
and a Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
in English at the University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
in 1914.[
]
Career
In 1901, Olson began teaching English at Luther College, his alma mater.[ After the death of Christian Keyser Preus in 1921, Olson was appointed as President of Luther College, becoming the first layperson to serve as President of a major Lutheran college.][ Expansion of the campus continued under Olson's presidency, with the addition of the C.K. Preus Gymnasium and Nustad Field, and the acquisition of the Jewell Farm.][ Olson also advocated moving away from the traditional ]classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
curriculum and allowing for the admission of women to the college.KWLC
KWLC (1240 AM) is a college radio station. The station's programming consists primarily of music, but also includes sports, religious services, and educational content. In September 2015, KWLC added a Sunday afternoon news program. Licensed to ...
, by reading the Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a Public speaking, speech that President of the United States, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, Soldiers' National Cemetery, ...
at the start of the first broadcast.[ In 1932, due to mounting debt in part because of the ]Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, the board asked Olson to resign, which he agreed to do.[ Olson continued teaching English at Luther College until retiring in 1952. Olson passed away in 1956.][
]
Legacy
During homecoming on October 12, 1951, Olson was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
degree by Luther College.[
Olson Hall, a ]dormitory
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
on the Luther College campus, was built and named in his honor in 1955.
Selected publications
* Olson, O. L. (1914). Beowulf and The Feast of Bricriu. ''Modern Philology'', 11(3), 407-427.
* Olson, O. L. (1916). The Relation of the Hrólfs saga kraka and the Bjarkarímur to Beowulf. ''Publications of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian''.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Oscar L. Olson at Luther College
American people of Norwegian descent
American Lutherans
Luther College (Iowa) alumni
1872 births
1956 deaths