Sybil Berndt receives Spirit of Mari Sandoz Award

Berndt spent much of her life in the Gordon area, but moved to Chadron to live with a daughter, Cyd Janssen and her family, a year ago.

Berndt was cited for helping keep the work of Mari Sandoz in the forefront in western Nebraska for at least 40 years. She is especially good friends of Caroline Pifer, sister of Mari Sandoz. The women lived on neighboring ranches south of Gordon for about 18 years.

After receiving the award, Berndt related many incidents, several of them amusing, as she assisted Pifer with various tasks involving Mari’s work, both before and after the author’s death in New York in 1966.

Berndt said Pifer even gave her permission to listen on the party line when the sisters talked on the telephone.

Berndt also told of finally getting to meet Mari during her visit to the home of another sister, Flora. After having a book Flora gave her autographed by the author, Sybil confided to Mari that she kept the bunkhouse on the ranch where she and her family lived stocked with Mari’s books so the hired men could read them.

In 1976, Sybil and her first husband, Don Malmberg, moved to a ranch near Lander, Wyo., where she developed an off-campus course, “Background of Mari Sandoz” that she taught for Central Wyoming College.

Don died in 1980. Ten years later she returned to Gordon and married a long-time friend, Fred Berndt. She later learned that Caroline promoted the romance so Sybil would be available to help with Sandoz activities.

With the assistance of Lloy Chamberlin, the women created the Mari Sandoz Room in the Chamberlin Furniture Store. More recently, Berndt helped Caroline, who resides in an assisted living facility in Gordon, gather Mari’s materials so they could be placed in the Sandoz Center at Chadron State.

After she told her story Friday night, the president of the Sandoz Society, Dr. Ron Hull, called Berndt “a good and faithful servant.”

“Sybil we could count on you all these years. You’ve been great,” Hull added.