Sandoz Society founder receives award
Judy McDonald, retired dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Bemidji State University in Minnesota, was presented the “In the Spirit of Mari Sandoz Award” Friday night during the dinner that concluded the combined meeting of the Mari Sandoz Heritage Society and the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum at Chadron State College. Presentation of the award was made by Lynn Roper of Lincoln, president of the society.
McDonald founded the society while she was a librarian at CSC in the early 1970s. Her activities included getting permission from the Sandoz Family to start the society in Mari’s name, recruiting members for the board of directors, organizing various activities and researching and writing the script for the documentary, “Song of the Plains: The Story of Mari Sandoz” hosted by Dick Cavett.
McDonald had not been to Chadron since the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center at CSC opened. Creating interest in such a facility was another of her endeavors while she was the society’s executive director. McDonald also used the author as the topic for her doctoral dissertation.
Category: Campus News, Sandoz Society