Augsburg alumni shaped and inspired by Professor Emeritus Joel Torstenson, known as the College\u2019s \u201cfather of sociology,\u201d have contributed more than $180,000 to the Center for Science, Business, and Religion to honor the legacy of the man who greatly influenced their Auggie experience.<\/p>\n
Torstenson, who died in 2007 at age 94, was well known for his advocacy for civil rights and social services. His decades-long legacy is being extended and honored through generous gifts to name a hall for him in the new CSBR.<\/p>\n
One alumnus central to the effort to honor Torstenson is the Rev. Herb Chilstrom \u201954<\/strong>, the ELCA\u2019s first presiding bishop. Chilstrom, who grew up in Litchfield, Minn., said being a student in Torstenson\u2019s class opened his eyes to justice issues and pulled him from his comfort zone.<\/p>\n Then, as today, the College\u2019s location in the city was an asset to its faculty and students. Torstenson\u2019s impassioned teaching and perspective on civil rights inspired Chilstrom years later to fight for the rights of gay and lesbian people.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Torstenson impacted me not only during my student years but throughout the rest of my life,\u201d Chilstrom said. \u201cHe taught that if you are a Christian, you need to face the problems of the world and be out on the front lines, even if it makes you unpopular.\u201d<\/p>\n Torstenson challenged students to confront the world\u2019s problems by engaging directly with individuals. It seems only fitting, then, that Augsburg\u2019s proposed CSBR pay tribute to Torstenson\u2019s influence on generations of people, including the Chilstroms and another family with deep roots in the College: U.S. Rep. Martin Olav \u201959 and Sylvia Sabo<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cClearly, people like Joel have an impact on what you think and who you are,\u201d said Rep. Sabo, who spent 46 years serving his state and country as an elected official.<\/p>\n Rep. Sabo\u2019s Augsburg connection never waned. He served on the Board of Regents from 1973 to 1984, and daughters\u2014Julie \u201990<\/strong>, a former state senator, and Karin \u201986<\/strong>\u2014 are also Auggies.<\/p>\n The Sabos share enthusiasm that the CSBR will be a great addition to campus.<\/p>\n \u201cThe facilities need to keep up with the quality of the faculty,\u201d Rep. Sabo said. Combining three disciplines in one facility, the Sabos believe, is a unique and positive step for the College, which has long embraced interdisciplinary and experiential education.<\/p>\n The Sabos also marvel at the lifelong friendships that evolved from Martin\u2019s undergraduate experience, and the couple remains close to Torstenson\u2019s widow, Fran.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m always amazed at Augsburg,\u201d Sylvia Sabo said. \u201cI think so much good comes out of it, and Martin had such a great four years there. I think its size and location give it a specialness that a lot of colleges don\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n Herb and Corinne Chilstrom pledged $30,000 to kick off the Torstenson corridor initiative.<\/p>\n \u201cGiving is a lot of fun,\u201d Rev. Chilstrom said. \u201cWe have been blessed, and we like to share our blessings. Giving to the CSBR means I can say \u2018thank you\u2019 to Dr. Torstenson for the major impact he had on my life, and maybe, by example, we can encourage others to do likewise.\u201d<\/p>\n If you are interested in donating to the CSBR or honoring Torstenson with a gift, contact Doug Scott at 612-330-1575 or scottd@augsburg.edu.<\/p>\n Center for Science, Business, and Religion\u00a0Joel and Frances\u00a0Torstenson Corridor\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n This space will be provided through the generosity of<\/em><\/p>\n Norman \u201959 and Delores Berg Augsburg alumni shaped and inspired by Professor Emeritus Joel Torstenson, known as the College\u2019s \u201cfather of sociology,\u201d have contributed more than $180,000 to the Center for Science, Business, and Religion to honor the legacy of the man who greatly influenced their Auggie experience. Torstenson, who died in 2007 at age 94, was well known for <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6618,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[75,76,29],"class_list":["post-4672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-news","tag-norman-and-evangeline-hagfors-center-for-science-business-and-religion","tag-sociology","tag-spring-2015"],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4672"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4675,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4672\/revisions\/4675"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nRichard \u201978 and Linda Bonlender
\nHerbert W. \u201954 and E. Corinne\u00a0Chilstrom
\nJoel \u201961 and Yvonne \u201cBonnie\u201d \u201962\u00a0Egertson
\nHarold Hansen \u201952
\nGarry Hesser and Nancy Homans
\nLowell O. Larson \u201947
\nSteven \u201964 and Rebecca \u201965 Nielsen
\nMartin \u201959 and Sylvia Lee Sabo
\nAllan Torstenson \u201975 and Frances\u00a0Homans
\nBeth Torstenson \u201966
\nGale \u201959 and Barbara Torstenson
\nLinnea Torstenson
\nLyndon Torstenson \u201978
\nRobert \u201965 and Sylvia \u201966 Torstenson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"