Where Are They Now? Berglund: A scholar with a mind for the future and his family

Parents naturally hope for a better life for their children. They work hard so that their children can have a quality education and more opportunities than their parents had. Such is the case with Duane Berglund's family. Higher education was extremely important to Duane's parents, Raymond, who went to school up until the eighth grade, and Gladys (neé Ystaas), who was a high school graduate. All four of Raymond and Gladys's children achieved college degrees from North Dakota State University. Duane earned his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and his doctoral degree from NDSU, along with quite a few honors and distinctions throughout his prestigious career.

One of three graduates from the small Sheyenne Class of 1960 who went on to achieve doctoral degrees, Duane is currently a Professor Emeritus and Agronomic Consultant after retiring in January 2007. After selling their Fargo home, he and his wife Patricia presently reside at their Minnesota lake home during the summer months, opting to live in Sun City West, Ariz., for the remainder of the year to be closer to their oldest son and his family, who are residents of Flagstaff.

Duane's biographical sketch, more professionally referred to as a "vita," is seven pages long. It is filled with his life's work, starting with his educational background. Duane is a Bison through and through, attending the university from 1960-1971 and following the NDSU football teams for 58 years. Area farmers will be especially interested to know that the title of Duane's master's degree thesis was "Wild Mustard Competition in Soybean," and his doctoral dissertation furthered that topic with the writing of "The Nature of Wild Mustard Competition in Soybean and Its Control with Chloroxuron."

Duane entered the academic workforce by taking a position as a vocational agriculture instructor in McClusky, N.D. It was a position he held for three years, during one of which he concurrently served as the interim high school principal. Following that early job, his employment at the University of Minnesota-Waseca as an Assistant and later Associate Professor of Agronomy led to Duane's designation of Chairman of the Agricultural Production Division. Duane spent the rest of his profession at NDSU. His main titles while working there from 1977 to his retirement in early 2007 were Associate Professor, Professor, and Extension Agronomist in Agronomy with NDSU Extension Service and in the Department of Plant Sciences at NDSU. He also served as Associate Director of NDSU Extension Agricultural Programs for six years.

During his career, Duane was involved in seven professional organizations, and he was a member of 12 other organizations. He has received recognition for 10 accolades, including Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service awards. His vita goes on to list many advisory boards, service activities, and university governances. Duane has also written many articles in extension bulletins, circulars and fact sheets.

Duane cites his leading professional accomplishment as serving as a successful state extension agronomist who helped many farmers and North Dakota county agents solve crop problems. However, he places the importance of his family above all else. He says, "Raising three successful sons, being blessed with five amazing grandchildren, and being married to my wonderful wife for 53 years are the major accomplishments in my life."

It is difficult not to become nostalgic when looking through one's vita. Duane thinks back to his years living six miles east of Sheyenne and attending school right across the road from his parents' farmstead. He went to that Rocky Mountain #2 County School from 1948-1956 before taking classes at Sheyenne Public School during his high school years. He was involved in every sport that Sheyenne offered. Playing home games at Sheyenne and then traveling to play at New Rockford are great memories of his. "Fun, fun, fun!" is how Duane describes his athletic years.

Speaking of fun times, Duane vividly remembers loading up his old 1937 Chevy with about 10 people and driving around Sheyenne. Acting as Elvis Presley before all of the high school students as part of his freshman initiation is another amusing memory. On the other hand, he also recalls his days of hard work on the farm of making hay, cultivating, hauling grain and bales, cutting corn for silage and helping with the harvest. "I worked some for my uncle Norris Ystaas on his farm further east of us. I rode horse a lot, and I always loved working with livestock, so much so that I had wanted to become a veterinarian!" Duane recollects.

Duane's involvement in 4-H was due to his family's desire to form a new club. With the help of Adolf Gross, the Eddy County Extension Agent, and the interest of seven or eight families in the area, the Bushwackers 4-H Club was started. Bush Township is east of Sheyenne, so "Bushwackers" seemed to be an appropriate name for the club. Duane remembers many 4-H activities and showing livestock at shows in New Rockford.

Patricia (neé Taylor), Duane's wife, has an interesting connection to New Rockford. Like her husband, she also earned her Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and doctoral degrees at NDSU, so they both could be considered the university's "triple graduates." Pat's undergraduate major was in Home Economics, and following her marriage to Duane in the summer of 1965, she student taught that fall under the mentorship of Thordis Danielson here in New Rockford. She stayed with Duane's uncle and aunt, Harold and Bernice Berglund, while she student taught. Pat went on to earn degrees in the field of Cereal Science and was an instructor for 18 years in the NDSU Food and Nutrition Department. She also was the Director of the Northern Crops Institute on campus for 12 years.

As it was for Duane's parents, placing an emphasis on education is surely a pillar for Duane and Patricia. The couple's three sons all earned college degrees, the eldest with a doctoral degree in English Literature and the youngest with a law degree. The next generation of grandchildren also is seeking knowledge through their post-secondary education. One granddaughter is a senior in pre-med at Yale University, another is in her second year in Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, and a third granddaughter is also studying Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A grandson, currently a senior at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minn., is weighing options on where he will attend college. Their youngest grandchild, a 5-year-old who lives with his parents south of Fargo, has plenty of time to think about furthering his education!

Although Duane doesn't own land near Sheyenne anymore, he and Pat occasionally drive by the old farmstead when they are in the area. Coming back always stirs up good memories. Duane misses the rolling farmlands, especially around harvest time. After visiting the cemetery where his parents, relatives, and former neighbors are buried, Duane reminisces about his childhood that molded him into the man he became. He is glad his parents encouraged him to further his education. Duane's other buddies from the Sheyenne Class of 1960 probably feel the same way.

Editor's Note: Donald Hendrickson, Kenneth "Doc" Throlson, and Duane Berglund graduated from Sheyenne in 1960, and all earned Ph.D. degrees. Along with these three, Allan Garnaas and Darrell Tuntland earned master's degrees. This is an amazing feat for a small class of only 13 students! Donald was featured in an October article, and the other men will be written about in early 2019.