Distinguished Service Award (DSA) David
L. Brye ’60 David L. Brye ’60 may live in Mexico, but his dedication to learning opportunities and community service touches the St. Olaf community on a daily basis. A resident of Mexico since 1981, Brye graduated from St. Olaf with a history major. He then attended Harvard University, where he earned M.A and Ph.D. degrees in history. Brye is well respected in the academic field. He has published several books and articles related to ethnicity and immigration. He taught at Luther College from 1965 to 1981, among the first to introduce African-American and Mexican-American history courses into the curriculum. Brye has a longtime interest in studying different cultures and helping others learn, often in-person, about them as well. He is a member and past president of the Association for Academic Programs in Latin American and the Caribbean, an organization dedicated to developing programs in cross-cultural educational experiences. Brye says his experience at St. Olaf helped spark his interest in civil rights and studying other cultures. “My most memorable experiences and lifelong influences came from fellow students,” he says. “They inspired me then and continue to do so. [Three fellow students and I] played a major role in organizing one of the first civil rights demonstrations at St. Olaf – in 1960 leading a group to Minneapolis to protest the Sharpsville, South Africa massacre." Brye has worked with St. Olaf’s Office of International Studies for 10 years on an Interim course called Family Social Services in Central Mexico. Through this program, students live with families, visit social institutions and volunteer in Brye’s community of Puebla, Mexico. More importantly, they spend a week visiting and interacting with indigenous people in the Nahua community of San Miguel Tzinacapan in the Sierra Norte of the State of Puebla. They become part of a 20-year relationship between Brye, the community and people from the United States. Over the years, Brye has raised money for schools and scholarships, rebuilding homes after hurricanes and other natural disasters and helping with other projects in the village. In addition to the St. Olaf and other university groups, high schools have done service projects and individuals have spent time living and working in the village. Currently, five young people from the village live in Brye’s ample apartment in Puebla and attend universities in the area. However, Brye’s favorite project grew out of the 2004 St. Olaf Band Mexico Tour. The tour not only allowed St. Olaf students to experience Mexican culture through visits to local homes and interaction with young people from the village, but it also provided the San Miguel community with the gift of music when Brye and the band members helped the village start up its own band. Band members collected used instruments from band alumni, parents and Northfield residents. Three St. Olaf music education graduates lived in San Miguel for four months teaching music and forming a 50-member band. Smaller now, the band continues to contribute to the cultural life of the community. Brye’s community service programs often inspire St. Olaf students to return to Mexico or use what they have learned in working with Spanish-speaking people in the United States. For those who return, Brye helps them find a place where their services are needed. Brye’s dedication to education and service rooted in a global perspective has brought understanding, knowledge, friendships, and music to many communities, and many Oles continue to follow his example each year. |
