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Beloved former St. Olaf President Sid Rand died Dec. 16, 2003

By Amy Gage and David Gonnerman '90
December 17, 2003

Sidney A. Rand, 87, who served St. Olaf College as president from 1963 to 1980 and as U.S. ambassador to Norway in 1980 and '81, passed away peacefully Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2003, at Northfield Hospital.

He was in the presence of his wife, Lois Rand, other family members and friends. The Rands live in Northfield.

Rand and Mondale
Assistant Secretary for European Affairs George Vest (left); His Excellency Knut Hedemann, Norwegian Ambassador to the U.S.; and Ambassador Rand enjoy a light moment with Vice President Walter Mondale during Rand's installation ceremony in 1980.
"Sidney Rand was one of Minnesota's truly remarkable men. He was a great president of St. Olaf College, a highly respected educator throughout the state and the nation, and a wonderful human being," said former Vice President of the United States Walter F. Mondale, who worked with him for many years on the Nobel Peace Prize Forum conference, which Rand helped establish.

St. Olaf President Christopher Thomforde recalled Rand as "a great churchman, a great citizen and a great Christian gentleman." Rand served as a mentor and adviser to Thomforde during the current president's early days on the job, in 2001. "In the craft of being a college president, he was very helpful," Thomforde said. "All of us -- the college, the Lutheran church and even the United States -- have lost a great, great man and a great leader."

During Rand's more than 16 years as president of St. Olaf, the college's enrollment increased from 2,094 to just over 3,000. Six major buildings were constructed, and two highly successful fund-raising campaigns -- which together raised about $25 million -- were carried out under his direction. An additional campaign was well on its way to bringing in more than $21.5 million when he left for the embassy in Norway.

Rand was called out of retirement three times to serve as interim president at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. (1986-87 and 1992-93) and Suomi College (now Finlandia University) in Hancock, Mich. (1990-91). He also taught homiletics at Luther Seminary in St. Paul from 1984 to 1985.

He once said of his varied career -- as an author, religious scholar, administrator, diplomat and minister -- that each stop along the way provided a pleasant place to grow and to cherish.

In a tribute to Rand in 1980, then-St. Olaf College Pastor Clifford Swanson said Rand demonstrated a "wise attention to responsibility."

"In your leadership," Swanson said, "you have manifested natural gifts, but you have also diligently developed and used these gifts, which is the mark of a person who senses that life is not just a privilege but it is a calling to make a contribution to one's fellow humans -- and to one's world."

Prior to serving St. Olaf College, Rand was executive director of the Board of Higher Education of the American Lutheran Church, from 1961 to 1963; executive director of the Board of Christian Education of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, from 1956 to 1961; and president of Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa, from 1951 to 1956.

Rand was ordained into the Lutheran ministry in 1943 and served as pastor of Nashwauk and Trout Lake Lutheran churches in northern Minnesota for two years. He then joined the faculty of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., as assistant and later associate professor of religion from 1945 to 1951.

Praised as a friend to higher education in general, Rand served as a senior consultant to the Minnesota Private College Council (MPCC) in St. Paul beginning in 1983. The following year, the MPCC bestowed on him the Edgar Carlson Award for distinguished higher education service.

"Dr. Rand was a distinguished educator and diplomat," said David B. Laird, Jr., president and chief executive officer of the MPCC. "As president of St. Olaf he was an eloquent and forceful voice on behalf of all private higher education. As mentor, colleague and friend, he was forever committed and on target with his support and helpful comments."

The King Olav V Chair in Scandinavian-American Studies was founded at St. Olaf during Rand's presidency. Established through a substantial gift from the people of Norway and other friends of the college, the endowment was created to ensure the continued study of Scandinavian and Scandinavian-American history at St. Olaf. The holder of the chair -- currently Professor Todd Nichol -- also serves as editor for the Norwegian American Historical Association.

"He was a sterling human being," Nichol said. "He left an indelible impression on me as a student and, in later years, as a friend."

"He was a perfect gentleman in every way, even-tempered and fair," said Solveig Steendal, who served as secretary to Rand during his tenure as president of St. Olaf. "He was a superb administrator who knew how to deal with people and knew how to take a stand, even if it was difficult."

Rand received numerous recognitions of his work, including honorary doctoral degrees from Concordia College, Colorado College, St. Olaf College, St. John's University, Carleton College, College of St. Scholastica, Augustana College and Luther College.

His Majesty King Olav V of Norway decorated Rand with the Knight First Class, Order of St. Olav and the Commander's Cross, Royal Norwegian Order of Merit. His Majesty King Harald V, the current king of Norway, bestowed on Rand the Commander's Cross with Star of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit. Rand also received the Brotherhood-Sisterhood Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews and the Luther Institute's Wittenberg Award.

After much encouragement from Lois Rand and the St. Olaf community, Rand published his autobiography, In Pleasant Places, in 1996. His first book, a coffeetable volume titled Norway, was a collaboration with his wife and photographers Robert and Loren Paulson.

In 1942, Rand was married to Dorothy Holm, a college classmate. Two children, Peter and Mary Rand, were born to them. Dorothy died in 1974, and later that year Sidney married Lois Ekeren, a longtime friend. He is survived by his wife, Lois Rand; by son Peter (Nancy) Rand; daughter Mary (Ron) Taylor; step-daughter Sarah (Ben) Buck; and step-son Mark Ekeren; by grandchildren Amy (Scott Pryor) Rand, Dorothy Rand, Luke (Jill) Williams, Leah (David) Barbieri, David Boosinger, Bryce and Jessica Ekeren, Jennifer (Rocky) Rivera and Charity Spencer; by greatchildren Luke and Sam Barbieri, Nate and Sydney Williams, and Cynthia, Chyna and Cole Rivera; and by a brother, Lyman Rand.

A funeral service was held at Boe Memorial Chapel on the St. Olaf College campus on Tuesday, Dec. 23, at 1:30 p.m. The family suggests gifts to the Rand Family Scholarship Fund at St. Olaf College, to Luther Seminary in St. Paul, to St. John's Lutheran Church in Northfield or to the Northfield Retirement Ce

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