Gerald “Bud” Pearson, benefactor for the Pearson Distinguished Professorship in Swedish Studies at Bethany College

The Pearson Distinguished Professorship in Swedish Studies at Bethany College is endowed by a generous gift from Gerald “Bud” Pearson, Okoboji, Iowa. Mr. Pearson is a long-time friend and supporter of Bethany College, and served on Bethany’s Board of Directors for two terms. He is president of the Pearson Art Foundation.

The Pearson Distinguished Professorship in Swedish Studies discovers ways in which present-day Swedish culture and experience can illuminate and strengthen life in the United States. 

Mr. Pearson has a very personal interest in nurturing relationships between Sweden and the United States. Pearson explained, “Scandinavian immigrants to this country in the last century brought with them strengths which enabled them to succeed and to make a significant contribution to the life of their new homeland." 

My Uncle Eph and Aunt Em, who immigrated from Sweden, exhibited those qualities of faith, a willingness to work hard, honesty, self-discipline, a sense of responsibility and a readiness to endure hardship for the sake of a better future for their children. These immigrants brought with them little in the way of material goods, but by their commitment and their achievements they have been an inspiration for the generations which followed.  The success of Americans of Scandinavian descent in this century owes much to those hardy pioneers who risked everything for a new beginning in a new land.”

Nine prominent Swedish citizens have taken residence for a semester each at Bethany College since 1999.  The Pearson Professors are art curator and historian Dr. Beate Sydhoff, journalist Dr. Arne Ruth, poet and novelist Ylva Eggehorn, theologian Dr. Krister Stendahl, anthropologist Dr. Brita Stendahl, environmentalist Jimmie Sjoblom,  the late Eskil Hemberg, the Rev. Dr. Kjell Ove Nilsson, and Håkan Hagegård, international opera star. The Rev. Dr. Hans Ucko, an internationally known Swedish theologian and expert in interfaith issues, will be the Pearson Distinguished Professor of Swedish Studies in 2007. His residency begins September 13, 2007.