THE LEKBERG COLLECTION Sven and Mildred Lekberg were a Simpson institution. Mildred’s “remarkable talent, extraordinary generosity and gentility graced Simpson for nearly four decades,” Joseph W. Walt wrote in Beneath the Whispering Maples, a history of the College. Sven led Simpson’s music program from 1940-69.
SIMPSON STUDENTS RECEIVE NATIONAL RECOGNITION We think Simpson students are the best—and two national organizations recently agreed. Senior Olivia Anderson of Oak Ridge, N.C., was given one of six national “Hidden Heroes Awards” in August from The Andrew Goodman Foundation. The organization cited Anderson’s “exceptional contributions to voting rights and social justice.” A Culver Fellow, Anderson helped secure caucus locations for students, as well as an early voting polling place. She also helped highlight an Iowa law that restricts voting for out-of-state students. “She is fiercely dedicated to protecting students’ voting rights and ensuring that Iowa’s new voter ID law does not disenfranchise any eligible voters on our campus or throughout the state,” said Seth Andersen, director of the John C. Culver Public Policy Center at Simpson. National honors also were received in July by Simpson’s chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, which captured the John O. Moseley Zeal award. The honor is the most prestigious award that SAE bestows, and it’s given annually to the most impressive fraternity among 240 chapters in the United States and Canada. “I’d say what set us apart is that we strive for academic excellence in our fraternity,” said junior Nate Sams, president of the SAE chapter at Simpson. “We put grades above a lot of other stuff. That’s a core value for us.” n
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“A remarkable pianist, he was one of the most published choral composers in America,” Walt wrote. “Beyond that, Sven Lekberg was a universal man. He conversed comfortably and intelligently on everything from French literature to modern architecture, collected a library so large that he had to have his house equipped with steel beams to carry the load, and always took time to be a friend, a loving husband and father.” The complete collection of Lekberg’s Christmas songs is now available in a book. Composed over four decades, the carols are printed in enlarged manuscript. A CD is enclosed featuring recordings of the songs performed by Simpson students and alumni. The book also includes photos of the Lekbergs and their students at home. The CD features an interview with Dr. Robert Larsen ’56, professor emeritus of music, and Sven Lekberg, in which he performs his version of Jingle Bells. The manuscript is edited by Michael Patterson ’75, professor of music— music education/piano. All proceeds will go to the Lekberg Scholarship Fund at Simpson. To order by mail, send $29.99 to Simpson College Music Dept., 701 N. C St., Indianola, Ia., 50125. To order with a credit card, call (515)961-1637. To purchase online: www.simpson.edu/the-lekbergchristmas-songs/ n