Stephen Swensen

A River Falls Family

"The people who taught us from kindergarten through grade school to freshman chemistry [at the college] were all part of the community..."

Uncle Glen put Steve’s father, Richard, on to a teaching job at the college in River Falls. So the Swensen family—then composed of Richard, wife Grace, and son David—settled into a rented house where May Hall now stands. Steve was born in fall 1955, followed by another brother and three sisters. Originally, the plan had been to stay a year or two; but that short-term commitment to the college soon became a lifelong devotion to the campus and community.

The family built a home on the edge of town and Richard steadily advanced in his career, eventually becoming Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Steve and his five siblings attended Campus School, a laboratory grade school led by college faculty and student teachers. Steve remembers classes in North Hall before the Ames building was constructed, and how his bold brother David would waltz into President Kleinpell’s office unannounced and often come away with a candy bar or two.

It really does take a village, says Steve. “The people who taught us from kindergarten through grade school to freshman chemistry [at the college] were all part of the community that raised the Swensen kids. And more than anything else it was the UW-RF faculty and student teachers who spent a huge amount of time with us. All six of us and our parents are grateful for what that did for us—for our balance in life, for the opportunities it opened. River Falls gave us a great foundation.”