submitted by bergc2@augsburg.edu
Please join me in remembering and celebrating the life of Nadia M. Christensen ’59, who passed away on April 21 at the age of 86.
Nadia’s deep connections to Augsburg began in childhood and persisted throughout her lifetime. The daughter of Bernhard Christensen, Augsburg’s eighth president, and Lilly Gracia Christensen, professor emerita of English, she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in sociology in 1959. Her family’s Scandinavian heritage profoundly influenced Nadia’s intellectual trajectory and vocation. After earning a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in comparative literature, she taught at the University of Washington, Pacific Lutheran University, and the University of Minnesota. She went on to become one of the foremost translators of Norwegian literature, publishing hundreds of translations of fiction, poetry, and drama over the course of her career.
From 1991–96, Nadia returned to Augsburg to serve as the executive director of the Nordic Center (now Norway Hub) and later as director of international partners. She led efforts to promote interest in contemporary Norway and the other four Nordic nations—Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden.In 1996, His Majesty King Harald V of Norway honored Nadia with the prestigious Knight’s Cross, given for outstanding service in the interest of Norway to foreign nationals.
Nadia was both a meaningful link to her family’s long legacy at Augsburg and a force for ensuring that Augsburg’s Norwegian roots and relationships would remain strong. She worked tirelessly to bring Norwegian students to Augsburg for exchange programs, and her relationships with schools across Norway were the occasion for Augsburg faculty, staff, and students to engage with contemporary Norway. We celebrate all that Nadia meant to our community as we grieve her loss. More information can be viewed in her obituary posted below. Please join me in holding her loved ones in prayer.
Faithfully yours,
Paul Pribbenow
Obituary – Nadia Christensen ’59
