Distinguished Service Award (DSA)
This award will be given to three St. Olaf alumni whose time, talents, or resources have advanced the college’s programs. DSA recipients have distinguished themselves in a lifelong pursuit of service. The recipients exemplify the ideals and spirit of St. Olaf and the college’s mission.

Ruth “Tulla” Froiland Hansen ’45, Former High School Teacher, College Volunteer
Northfield, Minn.

No matter how many times she circles the globe, Ruth “Tulla” Froiland Hansen ’45 always comes back to St. Olaf. And she has brought many others to the Hill along the way, including her five children and grandchildren — all of whom attended St. Olaf!

Tulla graduated from St. Olaf with a degree in music and became a high school English and music teacher when her husband Erling became a pastor at Mount Hope Lutheran Church in West Allis, Wis. There, Tulla formed a high school choir of 80 voices and directed them for 15 years; the choir performed each Sunday and gave many concerts at other churches. Tulla also brought 300 singers together from 11 churches of various denominations in the area to sing Paul Christiansen’s Cantata “Una Sancta.” This performance was so well received that the choir was invited to repeat it at the Performing Arts Center in Milwaukee, accompanied by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. That performance made Tulla the first woman to ever direct a choral piece with the orchestra.

Tulla balances her love of music with her love of biblical history and archaeology. She studied Biblical archaeology at the University of Wisconsin. After visiting the Holy Land for eight weeks with her husband, Tulla developed a passion for introducing others to the history of the land and learning more about the cultures there. Over the years, she has led more than 45 overseas group tours, 21 of them to the Holy Land. On these tours she conducted digs and introduced her fellow travelers to friends she has made in those countries.

Tulla has become very involved in the Palestinian cause as a fundraiser and speaker. She has visited Palestinian refugee camps, and beautiful trees were planted in her honor at a Holocaust memorial in Israel for her peace-making efforts in the Middle East.

Tulla brings her traveling experiences back to this side of the globe and uses them to educate others about Biblical archaeology and world affairs. Over the years she has led Bible studies, trained Bible study leaders, and taught adult education classes. After her husband passed away, Tulla returned to Northfield and joined St. John’s Lutheran Church. Currently, she teaches Biblical Archaeology courses at St. John’s and at Northfield’s Elder Collegium.

St. Olaf remains a part of Tulla’s daily life — she serves on alumni reunion committees and frequently attends lectures and events on the Hill. Many students know her as an “in-town grandma,” and she invites them into her home for home-cooked meals. Her family established the Rev. H.S. Froiland scholarship in honor of Tulla’s father, a 1905 graduate of the college.

Tulla’s commitment to lifelong learning and involvement in world affairs has enriched the lives of others as well as her own, and St. Olaf is lucky to have her back in town. And she is happy to be back — “I have lived a rich and full life and enjoyed all the parishes,” she says, “but what a special treat to now spend my senior years in Northfield where St. Olaf continues to serve me spiritually, physically, educationally and culturally.”