Rev. Paul Hasvold

1933 - 2015

Rev. Paul Hasvold

Decorah

Rev. Paul Hasvold passed away peacefully at the Aase Haugen Nursing Home in Decorah, Iowa, on Monday, January 19, 2015.

Memorial Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 24, 2015 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Decorah with Rev. April Ulring Larson officiating.

Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, one hour before the service, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

Hasvold was widely known for his work as a Lutheran pastor, a college and university professor, for ecumenical projects, advocacy for mentally challenged persons, re-settlement of Southeast Asian refugees in this country, and as an avid student of Norwegian American church history.

Paul Morris Hasvold was the only child born to Morris P. and Ruth M. (Levorson) Hasvold on March 15, 1933, in Watertown, South Dakota. He spent most of his youth in Flandreau, South Dakota, where his father was a teacher and insurance representative. He was the third generation in his family to attend Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and was graduated as the valedictorian of the class of 1955, with majors in music and philosophy. He was awarded a Danforth Fellowship for study at the University of Michigan, earning the M.A. in Philosophy. Following this he entered Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. After one year of seminary he was invited to fill a sudden vacancy in the Religion and Philosophy Departments at Luther College beginning in the fall of 1957. One of his students during that year was Carol Ann Williams, whom he married in December 29, 1958.

After graduating from Luther Seminary in 1960, Paul received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Oxford University in England. His special field of interest was the early Christian Church fathers, Irenaeus, Origen, Athanasius and others. For his dissertation Paul taught himself the Coptic language and translated and studied one of the recently discovered documents found in the Egyptian village of Nag Hammadi, along the Nile River. This document was called the "Gospel of Truth", a Christian Gnostic writing from the late first century A.D. When Paul returned from Oxford he had waiting for him an invitation to teach Religion and Philosophy at the University of Kansas. This he did for four years, then was ordained into the Lutheran ministry. He served for four years at the East Koshkonong Lutheran Church near Cambridge, Wisconsin, followed by 24 years as pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Decorah. After retiring from the ministry in 1998, Paul taught Religion and Philosophy at N.I.C.C. in Calmar, Iowa.

During his time at East Koshkonong, Hasvold was invited to participate in the first series of national Lutheran and Episcopalian dialogues. A group of 12 Lutheran and 9 Episcopalian theologians met periodically in New York, Minneapolis, Detroit and Milwaukee, from 1969 through 1972. At the conclusion of the dialogues, the group published a small book, Lutheran-Episcopal Dialogue: A Progress Report, saying principally that in the light of doctrines common to the two churches, inter-communion between the two groups was an appropriate response to the gospel. Hasvold was the only parish pastor from either church body invited to participate in the dialogues.

In Decorah, Hasvold became a strong advocate for the rights of persons with mental handicaps. He was the president of the Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) at the local and the state level. He was then elected to the national board, which net quarterly in Arlington, Texas, usually followed by a flying trip to Washington D.C. to lobby in Congress on behalf of people with mental retardation. On one such trip, Hasvold was walking through the U.S. Senate building and heard a voice behind him calling "Hey Hasvold, what are you doing out here?" This was Senator Chuck Grassley, whom Paul had visited numerous times to advocate for handicapped citizens.

Hasvold was invited by Governor Robert Ray in the 1980s to be a participant in the Governor's Commission for Human Services. This commission had oversight for legislation proposed in the Iowa state Legislature, to evaluate how the proposed measures would impact people receiving social services in Iowa. In an effort to establish some ground rules on treating persons who were physically or mentally challenged, Hasvold wrote the first draft of what was ultimately passed by the Iowa Legislature as the Bill of Rights for Handicapped Citizens. This included concepts such as entitlement to education for every child, least restrictive environment, and mainstreaming in the public schools. This was thought to be the first such legislation passed in the U.S. and was a model for many other states. Hasvold received the Distinguished Service Award from Luther College in 1990.

Following the U.S. exit from the Vietnam War, Pastor Hasvold and Good Shepherd Congregation were very active in re-settlement of Southeast Asians in our area. Approximately 350 Southeast Asians, mostly Hmong, were sponsored by Good Shepherd Church, and each family had a sponsoring committee of at least two American families to help them with housing, health, education and job issues. Good Shepherd hosted an English as a Second Language day school attended by Asian refugees in the entire Decorah community, and later by refugees from Eastern Europe as well. Hasvold was heavily involved in this effort and in 1991 traveled to Vietnam with Hung Van Pham, the first Vietnamese man sponsored by Good Shepherd, and lived with his family in Saigon for three weeks. Good Shepherd for several years was classified as a multi-cultural parish, with over 15% of its members originating in other national or linguistic groups.

Hasvold was a mentor for many youth, advising and advocating for them in times of crisis. He founded a slow pitch softball league as well as the Good Shepherd Band, which were enjoyable multi-generational activities. The discussions in his confirmation classes were so thoughtful and engaging that students often brought their friends to participate. Hasvold was a frequent speaker on topics related to Norwegian American immigration, such as the predestination controversy which split many congregations in the late 19th century, and the question of language and education for Norwegian immigrant youth.

Paul Hasvold and Carol Williams were married at Jefferson Prairie Lutheran Church in rural Poplar Grove, Illinois, in December 29, 1958. Carol worked for many years as registrar and librarian at the Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum in Decorah. They have two sons, Peter, who is a quality control manager at the Vaisala Corporation in Louisville, Colorado, manufacturing high-tech weather sensing devices. He is married to Tracy (Badsgard) and has two daughters, Aubrey and Brynna. Son Thomas is a high school Spanish teacher in Oakland, Oregon, is married to Christine (Bolla) and has four children, Richard (Kayla), Victor, Maria and Anthony, and two grandchildren, Ethan Paul and Eva Rose.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be given to the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 701 Iowa Avenue, Decorah, Iowa 52101, Aase Haugen Senior Services, 4 Ohio Street, Decorah, Iowa 52101, Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum, P.O. Box 379, Decorah, Iowa, 52101 or Luther College, % Development Office, 700 College Dr., Decorah, IA 52101.

Online condolences may be made at www.fjelstul.com