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St. Olaf to name building Tomson Hall

By David Gonnerman '90
May 7, 2010
Tomson Hall, named in honor of Patricia McCarthy Tomson '59 and O. Jay Tomson '58, will be completed in early 2011.

St. Olaf College's newly renovated old science center will be named in honor of O. Jay Tomson '58, chair of the board of regents, and his wife, Patricia McCarthy Tomson '59. The naming of the renovated building that will become home to several academic programs and a variety of student services recognizes the Tomsons' years of service to St. Olaf and their generous giving to the college.

When completed in early 2011, Tomson Hall will house the Education Department and the college's six language departments, plus the World Languages Center. Other occupants will include offices that serve students, such as Admissions and Financial Aid, the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies, the Academic Support Center, and the Center for Experiential Learning that helps St. Olaf students discern their vocations and plan careers.

"The quiet, steady leadership Pat and O. Jay have shown at St. Olaf is truly exemplary," says St. Olaf President David R. Anderson '74. "Their thoughtful care for the College has helped sustain St. Olaf and propelled it forward. We are delighted to honor them in this way."

A longtime Iowa banker, O. Jay Tomson was elected to the St. Olaf Board of Regents in 1995. Eleven years later he was named chair for a term that ends this year. He also has served on the St. Olaf Alumni Association Board (now the Alumni Board).

A past board member for the Norwegian-American Historical Association headquartered at St. Olaf, Tomson received the prestigious St. Olav Medal from King Harald of Norway in 2006 for “strengthening the bonds between expatriate Norwegians and their home country.”

In addition to executive banking positions, Tomson's career has included stints with the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, where he served as director. In 1973 he acquired Citizens National Bank (now First Citizens National Bank) in Charles City, Iowa, that has since grown to become the largest locally-owned community bank in northern Iowa. He is past president of the Iowa Independent Bankers Association and the Independent Community Bankers of America.

Patricia Tomson is executive director of the First Citizens National Bank Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit foundation that provides funding support for charitable, religious, educational, and health care institutions serving northern Iowa. A retired family therapist, she also is a former board member of Lutheran Social Services in Iowa and a past executive director of Parents United in Mason City, an organization that works with dysfunctional families and abused children.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.