1933-1994; Seven term legislator in the North Dakota House of Representatives from Manvel. Advocate for the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled, and proponent for the Right to Life Movement

Olsen, Dagne (1933-1994)

Dagne Esther Borg was born March 19, 1933 in Dalton, Minnesota. She was the second daughter of Glenn F. and Esther J. (Stortroen) Borg. Other children in the family included Beverly, Marcus, and Dagne's twin brother, David. In 1942, the Borg family moved to Park River, North Dakota. Glenn and Esther Borg owned and operated the Golden Valley Creamery in Park River. The creamery was a popular local hang-out because it had an ice cream parlor.

Dagne Borg graduated from Park River High School as co-valedictorian in 1951 and entered the University of North Dakota later that fall. While at UND, she played clarinet in the University Band, was active in Delta Phi Delta, an honorary art society, Pi Lambda Theta, an honorary society for women in education, and the Future Teachers of America. She pledged for Delta Zeta and was also a member of the Women's Recreation Association. She graduated from the College of Education on June 4, 1955 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education, as well as a Bachelor's Diploma in Teaching. She majored in English with minors in German and Art.

She married Duane Douglas "D.D." Olsen on June 25, 1955. The couple met through Betty Olsen, D.D.'s sister, who attended the University and was a friend of Dagne. D.D. Olsen was born August 3, 1931, the son of Peter and Lilah (Benson) Olsen. In 1879, Peter's father, Charles Olsen, homesteaded on a farm in Grand Forks County, six miles west of Manvel. In 1913, the farm was registered by Charles as Cottonwood Farm, in honor of the cottonwood trees he planted. Ownership of the farm passed to Peter Olsen upon the death of his father, and ultimately to D.D. upon Peter's death.

Dagne Olsen taught school in Gilby, North Dakota, from 1955-1957, before her first two children, Deanna and Douglas, were born. From 1960-62, she returned to teach at Midway High School in Inkster, North Dakota. Dagne and D.D. had a third child, Richard ("Dick"), in 1965. Dick was born with Down's Syndrome, which became a life changing event for both Olsens. Dagne became a tireless worker for the Association of Retarded Children, later known as the Association for Retarded Citizens. She joined this group a few weeks after Dick was born, and was very active in the group for well over 20 years. She was the first manager of the ARC's Valley Thrift Shoppe, and was Associate Manager for VARCollection, the group's recycling program. She also edited the association newsletter, The Valley Key. She was recognized by the ARC on several occasions. She received the Outstanding Volunteer Service Award in 1970 and was named by the state chapter as an Outstanding Parent in 1977. She was the ARC of North Dakota Member of the Year in 1981, and the National ARC North Central Region Member of the Year in 1982. She was also given a Distinguished Service Award by the ARC Valley Chapter in 1987. D.D. Olsen was also active in the organization, serving as Treasurer on the ARC Board of Directors, as well as Chairman in 1980-1981.

The ARC was not the only group Olsen was involved with on the local scene. She was an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Manvel, served as President of the Manvel Women's Club three times, and was instrumental in the club's participation in the Community Betterment Program. Manvel became one of only two towns in the country to receive two national Community Betterment Awards. In honor of her Community Betterment activities, Dagne Olsen twice received the Governor's Outstanding Leadership Award in 1960 and 1964. Her volunteer activities stretched into nearby Grand Forks, where she was active in the United Hospital Auxiliary, serving for a term as President. She was also involved with Agassiz Enterprises, an organization providing vocational rehabilitation services to the mentally retarded. In honor of her efforts on the local scene, in 1978 Olsen was named the Grand Forks Woman of the Year by Beta Sigma Phi, a non-collegiate social and cultural sorority.

A lifelong Republican, in 1980 Dagne Olsen campaigned for a seat from District 19 in the North Dakota House of Representatives. Her initial victory became the first of seven consecutive terms in the legislature. Her interest in the rights of the disabled carried over to her time in Bismarck, where she was known for her support of programs for the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled. She was also known for her dogged support of the Right to Life movement, and her active and vocal opposition to abortion. She represented her heavily conservative district well, according to her close friend, Representative Alice Olson of Cavalier: "She worked her heart out for the people of her district and for what she thought was right. She really fought diligently for schools and for people with illnesses or disabilities." (Grand Forks Herald, 21 August 1994)

Olsen served the state of North Dakota in more ways than simply the State Legislature. She served on the board of the North Dakota Affiliate of the American Diabetes Association from 1989-1994. She was also involved with several committees of this organization and was honored with the Distinguished Service and Outstanding Support Award in 1991. She also was an active participant in the North Dakota Comprehensive Diabetes Control Program, which sought to identify those at high risk for diabetes, to improve access to the health care system and to promote preventive care of the disease.

Dagne Olsen was also a member of the North Dakota State Council on Developmental Disabilities. Appointed by the governor, members of the Council served as advocates of the developmentally disabled, and reviewed, monitored and evaluated the State Plan for Developmental Disabilities. Olsen was a member of this group from 1982-1990, as well as 1994. In 1986, she was named the Outstanding Volunteer for her leadership and significant contributions on behalf of the developmentally disabled.

Olsen took her support of the disabled to a national level in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1986, she was recognized for outstanding volunteer service and leadership on behalf of citizens with developmental disabilities by President Ronald Reagan's Forum on Developmental Disabilities. She was named to the President's Committee on Mental Retardation by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, and was reappointed by President George Bush in 1992. The PCMR advised the President on a wide array of issues related to mental retardation. She chaired the Full Citizenship and Justice Committee.

Dagne Olsen was also a member of the National Association of Developmental Disabilities Councils from 1985 until 1990. The NADDC sought to improve the lives of the developmentally disabled through education and the exchange of information, while also assisting in the cooperation and communication between various federal, state, local and volunteer agencies.

Olsen received a liver transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in August 1991. This did not deter her from winning a seventh term in the House of Representatives in 1992. She was campaigning for re-election again in 1994, when she died on August 20th at Cottonwood Farm in Manvel. The Grand Forks Herald remembered her as a "tireless fighter" for her causes. (Grand Forks Herald, 21 August 1994) She is buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Grand Forks.

Throughout his life, farmwork kept D.D. Olsen quite busy. He still found time, however, to serve on the Manvel Men's Club, the Lakeville Township Board, and several agricultural organizations in the area. D.D. Olsen is also remembered as a member of "The Happy Norsemen," a barbershop quartet popular throughout the state. For over twenty-five years, D.D. Olsen visited United (later Altru) Hospital during the Christmas season, playing the role of Santa Claus. D.D. Olsen died on July 7, 1998, at Cottonwood Farm. He is buried alongside his wife at Memorial Park Cemetery in Grand Forks.

Health and Medicine - Abortion
Politics and Government
Politics and Government - Republican Party
University of North Dakota - Alumni