Sesquicentennial Award

Sesquicentennial Award

The Gustavus Adolphus College Board of Trustees has established an award in honor of the college’s Sesquicentennial anniversary to recognize individuals who have made a significant difference in the life of the college.

The award, called “The Sesquicentennial Award,” acknowledges and pays tribute to living alumni, parents, friends, and retired faculty and staff who:

  • Through actions in their personal or professional lives, have advanced the status of Gustavus as a premier liberal arts college;
  • Set a new precedent in the ways they supported and advanced the mission of the college as an institution dedicated to preparing students “for fulfilling lives of leadership and service in society”

 and/or

  • Have brought particular dignity or honor to the college.

One hundred and fifty awards were presented to individuals or couples throughout the Sesquicentennial year.

Paul Aasen
Lois ’59 and Clyde ’56 Allen
G. Barry Anderson ’76
Frances ’67 and Mark ’66 Anderson
Jon and Robyn Anderson
Kari ’92 and Scott ’89 Anderson
Linda ’75 and Thomas ’75 Annesley
Catherine and Albert Annexstad
Alisa and Tracy ’84 Bahl
Marge and Frank Barth
Ann ’51 and Gene Basset
Melinda ’86 and Paul ’85 Batz
Donna ’66 and Warren ’67 Beck
Gloria Benson ’50
Rebecca and Thomas Bergman
Folke Bernadotte, Jr.
Ivy ’73 and Mark ’71 Bernhardson
Adeline and Drell Bernhardson
Anders Björling ’58
Cherrill and John ’59 Bold
Kristina and Åke Bonnier
Gordon Braatz
Elaine and Milton ’49 Brostrom
Robert Brown ’83
Lorraine and Richard Carlander
Barbara ’70 and Samuel ’68 Carlson
Karen ’61 and David ’60 Carlson
John Chadwick ’79
Corrine and Herbert Chilstrom
Jane and Ogden Confer
Kathryn and Charles Cunningham
Sara Tollefson Currell ’95 and Daniel Currell ’94
Mark Davis ’63
Scott Dee ’81
Jerome Del Pino ’68
Lucille ’56 and Richard ’55 DeRemee
Kenneth Dragseth ’67
Joyce and Hugh Edmondson
Kurt Elling ’89
Richard Elvee
Bruce Engelsma
Judy ’57 and Robert ’56 Erdman
Marilyn and S. Bernhard ’43 Erling
Robyn and Neil Fenske ’69
Johan Fischerström
Ardena Flippin ’68
Kimberly ’83 and Brian ’81 Fragodt
Patricia and William Freiert
Richard Fuller
James Gale ’83
Judy and Robert Gardner
James Gilbert ’62
Thomas Gover
Edna Granlund ’50
Susanne and Bruce ’61 Gray
Elizabeth ’75 and Marcus ’73 Gustafson
Renee and John ’79 Hallberg
Lorraine Hasselquist ’43
Pat Haugen ’70
Susanne ’83 and Steven ’81Heim
Steve Heitzeg ’82
Susan and Alfred ’62 Henderson
Mary Dee ’75 and George ’75 Hicks
Richard Hillstrom ’38
John Himle ’77
Ruth ’82 and John ’81Hogenson-Rutford
Dwight Holcombe ’51
Janet Hoomani ’62
Karen ’58 and Stanley Hubbard
Linda Huett ’66
George Hulstrand ’43
Audrey ’55 and Dwight ’53 Jaeger
Darrell Jodock
Marietta ’63 and Theodore ’61Johns
Craig Johnson ’69
Sheryl ’83 and David ’84 Johnson
Marlys ’58 and Stuart ’61Johnson
Carol and Dennis ’60 Johnson
LaVonne and Glen ’50 Johnson
Janet ’54 and Ellis ’52 Jones
Susan ’64 and Bruce ’64 Jones
Linda Keefe ’69
Margaret Kelliher ’90
Joanne Kendall
Talmadge and Mozelle King ’70
Kevin Kling ’79
Michelle and Paul ’87 Koch
Nova ’75 and Daniel ’68 Kolander
Peter Krause ’87
Barbara Krig ’52
Robert Langford
Judith Larsen ’64
Richard Leider ’66
Nancy Lindau
Patricia and Edward Lindell
Willie Lindquist
Robert Linner ’74
Lars Löfgren ’58
Diane Loomer ’62
Donna and Lawrence Lukis
Lorraine and Raymond ’51 Lundquist
Paul Magnuson ’59
Mary Ellen and George Malkasian
James Malmquist ’53
Harriet Mason
James McPherson ’58
Jan ’74 and Russell ’74 Michaletz
Kelvin Miller ’73
Karin and Robert Moe
Kay ’56 and Robert Moline
Mignette ’50 and John Najarian
Mary Nelson ’61
Kris and Jack Ohle
Barbro Osher
Martha and Stephen Penkhus
Jackie ’77 and Wayne ’77 Peterson
Ranae and Robert ’58 Peterson
Robert Peterson ’74
Susan ’65 and James ’64 Peterson
Todd Peterson ’91
Jean Pittman
Gretchen and Dan ’81 Poffenberger
Dennis Raarup ’53
Magnus Ranstorp ’85
Ruth Reister
Donald Roberts ’56
Allison Rosati ’85
Susan Rydell
Janice ’62 and Owen ’58 Sammelson
Beth ’82 and Robert ’81 Schnell
Michael Sohlman
Florence Sponberg
Loreli and Axel Steuer
Karin Stone ’83
Joanna ’64 and Jack Swanson
Eileen Swanson
Lori ’82 and Luther ’82 Swenson
Kerstin and Bengt Telland
Edi and Roland Thorstensson
Shirley and George ’55 Torrey
Nina ’70 and Buster ’71 West
Laura Westby ‘88 and Jeff Heggedahl ’87
Ronald White ’75
Susan Wilcox ’73
Barbara and Stephen Wilkinson
Anita ’77 and Jon ’77 Young
Walter Youngquist ’42

Sesquicentennial Sculpture

In considering how to Gustavus could symbolize the Sesquicentennial Award, it seemed fitting to create a link in some way to the rich tradition of sculpture at Gustavus. Paul Granlund’s creativity impacted campus life from 1971 until his retirement in 1996. His work can be seen throughout the Gustavus campus and when he died in 2003, he left a legacy of more than 650 figurative bronze sculptures in public installations and private collections nationally and internationally.

In keeping with this Gustavus tradition, award recipients will receive a copy of the Sesquicentennial sculpture created by Sesquicentennial sculptor Greg Mueller.

In creating the Sesquicentennial Sculpture, his charge was to create a piece that would symbolize the significance of the 150th academic year and reflect in some way the work of Paul Granlund.

Mueller worked with Granlund on a large-scale version of Helix, a family flowing in the Helix form.  In working with Granlund on this piece, Mueller learned of Granlund’s fondness for the helix and mobius strip forms that represented time and spiritual growth.

Mueller also knew that a large-scale version of the Sesquicentennial Sculpture would be placed in the new west mall, linking Christ Chapel to the Linnaeus Arboretum.  He was inspired by the signature architectural element in the Chapel – the strong vertical lines tapering and expanding to the infinite.

He also considered how to honor and reflect Gustavus as a time base form that has a clear beginning in 1862 with one student and continues to persevere and grow.  How each year is a new layer, a new turn, like the spiral of a shell.  This concept was also captured in the song by Libby Larsen commissioned for the Sesquicentennial Kickoff entitled, Turn, Turn.

All these elements combined were the inspiration for the final product.  A bronze sculpture of one hundred fifty stepped layers turning in the form of a tapering double helix.  The sculpture is anchored to a based of Kasota stone cut from original bricks of Old Main recovered during the last building renovation.

The large scale Sesquicentennial Sculpture will be install summer 2012.  This version will have alternating layers of Kasota stone and bronze and will be dedicated with the west mall at Homecoming 2012.

Greg Mueller, Sesquicentennial Sculpture

Greg Mueller grew up in the St. Peter area and holds a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., and a master of fine arts degree from Montana State University School of Art in Bozeman, Mont.

In the 1990s, he worked as studio assistant to the late Paul Granlund, Gustavus’s longtime sculptor-in-residence.

Mueller most recently served as an assistant professor specializing in sculpture and 3D design in the department of art and art history at Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Penn. Prior to that, he taught sculpture for six years at Bowling Green State University School of Art in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Mueller described his time with Granlund as the ultimate liberal arts education, which combined learning technique and craft skills with discussions of geology, philosophy and religion.  Granlund was a caring and welcoming mentor, a master devoted to encouraging an apprentice ultimately to go down their own path.

As Sesquicentennial Sculpture, Mueller has adopted Granlund’s open door policy with the Gustavus community.  He believes it is important for a liberal arts campus to have scholars and practitioners in residence conducting their work, from artists to scientists.  He welcomes anyone to catch a glimpse of a working artists on a daily basis and enjoys the conversations with students each day ranging from art, to academics, to life. Visit his studio website here.