ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 20, 2006

Lutheran Pastor, Advisor, Historian, Educator, Richard Solberg, Dies
06-184-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Richard W. Solberg, an advisor,
educator and retired pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA), died Nov. 15 of a cerebral hemorrhage in Grass
Valley, Calif. He was 89.
     "He was the most remarkable man I have ever known --
incredibly accomplished, well-known and respected in church
circles around the world, and yet humble and gentle in spirit.
His love for his family was absolutely unconditional, but his
heart was big enough to embrace the whole world," said Solberg's
son-in-law, the Rev. Richard O. Johnson, Peace Lutheran Church,
Grass Valley.
     Born May 25, 1917, in Minneapolis, Solberg graduated from
St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn. He earned a master of arts
degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, a bachelor of
theology degree from Luther Theological Seminary (now Luther
Seminary), St. Paul, Minn., and a doctorate from the University
of Chicago. St. Olaf is one of 28 colleges and universities of
the ELCA; Luther is one of the ELCA's eight seminaries.
     Solberg was an instructor in history and political science
at St. Olaf College and served as pastor of Trinity Lutheran
Church, Ingleside, Ill., during World War II. After the war he
was assistant and then associate professor of history at
Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. He also served as religious
affairs advisor for the U.S. Military Government in Germany and
for the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany.
     From 1953 to 1956 Solberg was a senior representative in
Berlin and Stuttgart for the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
Department for World Service, a relief agency helping resettle
displaced refugees during Germany's reconstruction. In 1957 the
Federal Republic of Germany awarded him the Officer's Cross,
Order of Merit, for his work.
     Returning to Augustana College as a professor of history,
Solberg chaired the Department of History and the Division of
Social Sciences. He was visiting professor of U.S. diplomatic
history for the Organization of American States at the Institute
for International Studies, El Colegio de Mexico, Mexico City.
     Solberg was vice president for academic affairs and
professor of history at Thiel College, Greenville, Pa., from 1964
to 1973. Augustana and Thiel are also ELCA colleges.
     Solberg served as director of the Department for Higher
Education in the former Lutheran Church in America's Division for
Mission in North America from 1973 to 1982 and as a consultant to
the division until his retirement in 1985. He served on a many
boards and committees of Lutheran higher education and campus
ministry organizations.
     Solberg was the author of several books, including "As
Between Brothers: The Story of Lutheran Response to World Need,"
1957; "God and Caesar in East Germany," 1961; "Lutheran Higher
Education in North America," 1985; "Miracle in Ethiopia: A
Partnership Response to Famine," 1991; "Open Doors: The Story of
Lutherans Resettling Refugees," 1992; and "My First Eighty Years:
A Personal Memoir," 1999.
     Solberg is survived by his wife of 64 years, June Nelson
Solberg; his daughters Lois Johnson, Grass Valley, and Mary
Solberg, St. Peter, Minn.; his sons David Soul, London, John
Solberg, Rochester, N.Y., and the Rev. Daniel N. Solberg, St.
Paulus Lutheran Church, San Francisco; 17 grandchildren and 11
great-grandchildren.
     A funeral service was held Nov. 20 at Peace Lutheran Church,
Grass Valley, where Solberg was a member. He was also a member
of the Lutheran Historical Conference and the Norwegian American
Historical Association.

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