Todd Nichol, King Olav V Professor of Scandinavian-American studies at St. Olaf College, was awarded the rank of Officer of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit in Minneapolis in March, 2006.
The award was conferred by Norwegian Ambassador to the United States Knut Vollebæk at a special ceremony at the Minneapolis home of Norwegian Consul General Rolf Willy Hansen.
Speech by Ambassador Knut Vollebæk:
Dear Todd, dear family and friends,
distinguished guests,
There is nothing more fun for an Ambassador than to say thank you to people who have served our country well. And when I in addition may show my gratitude by conferring upon someone the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, I am very happy. So today is a great day. His Majesty King Harald V of Norway has appointed you, Professor Todd Walter Nichol, Officer of his Order of Merit.
The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit was instituted by the late King Olav V on 14 June 1985.
According to its statutes the Order is to be conferred on foreign nationals in recognition of particularly meritorious services rendered in the furtherance of Norwegian interests.
Professor Nichol was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois, where his maternal grandparents had arrived as immigrants from Scandinavia. He has said that it was their story that first interested him in Scandinavian-American studies. This interst was pursued through his education both at St. Olaf College, Luther Theological Seminary and his doctoral work at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.
Todd Nichol has been professor of Church History at Luther Theological Seminary. At present he serves as King Olav V Professor of Scandinavian American Studies at St. Olaf. I know for a fact that he is a most popular professor who enjoys both respect and admiration from his students.
His many books and papers on Norwegian-American church history and the various Lutheran church-branches are not only academic achievements, they are major contributions to the important work of upholding our heritage and history in the United States. By the way, I don’t know if you all have seen Todd’s chart on Norwegian Lutheranism in America and its development through innumerable schisms and divisions.
In 1998 “Norway House” was established at Luther Seminary, largely as a result of Todd’s efforts. It is today a greatly appreciated place to stay and work for Norwegian theological scholars, students and pastors.
You have an important fan club at the theological seminary in Oslo, Menighetsfakultetet. Arne Eriksen, who is heading the seminary’s planning department, and his friends have been actively promoting your candidature for this honor. They are happy and proud that you received the Order of Merit, but very unhappy that they could not be here cheering you tonight.
Your engagement in the Norwegian American Historical Association (NAHA) is yet another contribution to calling the attention to Norwegian history and culture in the US. Today you serve as editor, responsible for NAHA’s publications, one of the main sources to knowledge about the Norwegian heritage in this country. NAHA is truly both a unique and impressive institution. As a representative of the official Norway I am very grateful for the activities carried out by the organization and in particular your contributions. The publications coming from NAHA are indeed important.
Dear Todd,
It has pleased His Majesty The King to honor you in recognition of your long-standing efforts for the close cultural bonds between Norway and the United States.
I have the honor, upon the instructions of His Majesty King Harald V, to present you with the insignia and diploma of Officer of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.
The diploma carries the following text in Norwegian:
We Harald, King of Norway, make known
that on the date January 12, 2006
We have appointed Todd Walter Nichol Officer
of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit,
of which We are the Grand Master.
Under Our hand and the Seal of the Order of Merit.
The diploma is signed by His Majesty The King.
Dear Todd,
Please accept my congratulations