Nils Hong

Background

Hong was born on 7 February 1866, to Norwegian parents in Westby, Wisconsin.

Education

He attended the Willmar Seminary in Minnesota at various times from 1881–1892. He graduated from Luther College in 1895, and returned to Willmar Seminary as an instructor.

Career

He was president of the Pacific Lutheran Academy 1898–1918. The family moved to Minnesota when he was a child. When not attending school, Hong taught at parochial and public schools.

He was 31 years old when he came to the Pacific Lutheran Academy (PLA) in 1897, as a teacher.

One of his tasks was to prepare the catalog for the coming year and also to teach psychology, history, rhetoric and English literature. Nils Hong was elected principal and president of PLA in 1898, a position he held until 1918 when the school was closed.

During president Hong"s tenure, the school received full accreditation making it possible for students to transfer with full credits. He returned to the renamed Pacific Lutheran College in 1929, where he remained as a teacher until his retirement in 1938, one year before his death.

Nils Hong was a reformer and a staunchly religious and moral manitoba

He was instrumental in the organization of Parkland Light and Water Company in 1914. He held various offices there and served on the Board of Directors until 1938. Parkland Light and Water is the oldest privately held utility company in the United States.

Hong died in 1939, in Parkland, Pierce, Washington.

North Hall built in 1954, was renamed Hong Hall to honor the third president of the school.

Connections

teacher:

Lincoln High