Byron Nordstrom speaks after receiving the honor. (Photo by Kevin Proescholdt)
Byron Nordstrom, professor of history and Scandinavian studies at Gustavus Adolphus College, was awarded the insignia of Commander in the Royal Order of the Polar Star on Friday, Nov. 8 from Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf. Nordstrom received the honor at the 60th anniversary meeting of the American-Swedish Historical Society in Chicago, Ill.
The Royal Order of the Polar Star, founded in 1748 by King Frederick I, is given to deserving non-Swedish citizens who personally contribute to Sweden’s benefit and to strengthening ties between Sweden and other countries. The honor is the highest award the Swedish Royal Family can bestow on a foreign national and has previously been awarded to notable people such as Gen. Colin Powell and Strobe Talbott, the former president of the Brookings Institution.
Nordstrom has been a professor of history and Scandinavian studies at Gustavus since 1974. He has focused his scholarly life on Swedish-American and Scandinavian history. Over the course of his career he has authored a number of books including A Dictionary of Scandinavian History, Scandinavia Since 1500, and The History of Sweden. He has also contributed chapters in books, written articles on various aspects of Swedish-American life in Chicago and Minneapolis, and authored numerous reference work entries on Scandinavian history.
Nordstrom has served as president and an advisory board member of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study. He served on the board of the Swedish-American Historical Society from 1981 to 1987 and 1988 to 1994, and has served as editor of the society’s journal — the Swedish-American Historical Quarterly — since 1997.
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Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
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