LAURITZENS HONORED AT ARBOR DAY

More than 150 people turned out on a cool April afternoon to celebrate Arbor Day and Dana donors April 24 at Dana College. A 16-foot-tall pin oak tree was planted near the north end of the Durham Center in tribute to the John R. and Elizabeth Lauritzen family.

Before his death on July 21, 2000, John R. Lauritzen was a leading bank executive, innovator and a supporter of Dana, greater Omaha, Nebraska and his nation. After Old Main burned in 1986, Washington County Bank, of which the Lauritzens are the major stockholders, offered assistance in building an addition to the Madsen Fine Arts Center and construction of the Durham Center.

“Over the 17 years of my presidency, John Ronnow and Elizabeth Davis Lauritzen and their son, Bruce Ronnow Lauritzen, have been among Dana’s best friends and supporters along with their banks, the Washington County Bank and the First National Bank of Omaha, the Lauritzen Corporation and the Lauritzen Foundation,” Dr. Myrvin Christopherson, president, told the audience. “John and Libby, Bruce and his wife, Kimball, have been at the forefront of much of the cultural and educational enrichment projects in Omaha and Nebraska.”

Libby and Bruce Lauritzen, chairman of First National Bank of Omaha, attended the ceremony. Although she did not address the audience, special attention was given to Libby Lauritzen’s efforts for Dana College and other non-profit organizations in Nebraska.

“Libby could choose to have nothing to do with us,” Christopherson said. “She isn’t Danish, Lutheran (she’s Episcopalian, so that’s close), and she is not a Dana alumna. What she is, though, is a classy lady with impeccable taste.”

At the end of the ceremony, Christopherson presented Libby Lauritzen with the rare honor of being named an honorary alumna.

“Libby, you are a godsend to us at Dana College,” Christopherson said. “We love you, Libby.”