Ron McLean says 99% of his work time is spent on being a lawyer and 1% being the Honorary Consul of Norway for the State of North Dakota. After visiting with him, it is apparent that the honorary consul job accounts for nearly 99% of his fun. McLean grew up in Fargo and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and the University of North Dakota Law School. He joined the Serkland Law Firm of Fargo in 1975. He and his wife, Mona, have three adult children. He was appointed honorary consul in 1997. According to McLean, after World War II, Norway determined that foreign services were needed to represent the Norwegian government and assist citizens who were living and traveling abroad. Norway chose to have consuls in states that have a high concentration of citizens with Norwegian ancestry. It is estimated that North Dakota has the highest of any state with 40% of all citizens having some Norwegian ancestry. McLean’s duties include helping Norwegian citizens who need assistance while in North Dakota. This may mean finding them a lawyer if they run afoul of the law, contacting their family in Norway, and reporting to the Norwegian Embassy. He also assists Norwegian nationals with selling real estate in Norway and certifying signatures. When Norwegian nationals have babies in the United States, McLean helps them secure Social Security numbers from Norway to insure duel citizenship and coverage on Norwegian insurance. The Serkland offices are the official polling place for Norwegian elections and they have a designated cubical where nationals come to vote. Lisabeth Pladson is his assistant.
RON MCLEAN :
HONORARY CONSUL OF NORWAY FOR THE STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA Words by Susan A. Stibbe Photography by Ben Nash Photography
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“I am responsible to be present whenever a member of the Norwegian royal family appears in public or has a social event in North Dakota and that is the real fun part of my job,” McLean said. “In 1938, Olav V spoke at Grand Forks to huge crowds. In fact, his grandson, Crown Prince Haakon, came to Grand Forks after the flood in June 1997 to speak to the people of the city that had shown his grandfather so much love 60 years before.” Princess Märthe Louise visited North Dakota in 2005 and 2006 as a part of her book tour. The princess wrote a children’s book titled Why Kings and Queens Don’t Wear Crowns. She attended the Norsk Høstfest at Minot in 2005 and attracted huge crowds to her events. The Norsk Høstfest is the largest gathering of people