The population of Devils Lake and the Lake Region fluxuates each summer as graduates return from far and wide to their hometowns to celebrate their high school reunion. Recently a few of those classes have been highlighted in the Devils Lake Journal like the class of 1970 from the front page Thursday, July 24.
Recently the Devils Lake Journal sat down with Lars Madsen as he wrapped up his visit to this area for his high school graduation reunion. He graduated in 1975, this was his 50th reunion. Madsen traveled from the southern part of Denmark near the border with Germany to see his former classmates, friends from the community and host family.
He was a Foreign Exchange Student to Devils Lake Central High School through the AFS – American Field Service – program.
Madsen talked about that experience, that although he had applied for the “scholarship” to study abroad, he heard that he had been accepted quite late in the process. He received the phone call that they had found a host family for him in a place called Devils Lake, North Dakota and he had two, maybe three weeks to get ready to go.
At the time, Madsen said he wasn’t sure he was going to be accepted for the program at all, because he was quite a shy 17-year-old. But he was accepted and moved to the geographical center of the North American continent, or nearly, from his northern European home of Kollund, in the very south of Denmark near the border of Germany.
Denmark is considered a Scandinavian country and its climate is rather mild with warm gulf streams bringing considerably milder, warmer and humid weather than its neighbors to the north; Sweden and Norway.
Living in Devils Lake with the Arly and Betty Veer family and their three children, Denise, Julie and Mike, Masden settled in for what he called was a “wonderful time” here in the Lake Region. He mentioned going with the Veer family on a trip to the North Dakota Badlands and skiing with friends to LaRiviér in Canada, plus ice fishing here in ND. “It’s too warm and humid back home for that, Madsen said.
Oh, he admitted there were many challenges for him at the time but the people he got to know and live with were the best part of the adventure. That, and living in the USA helped him with what has become his life’s work – teaching English, Philosophy and some Sports for the past 40 years just across the border of his country in Germany.
Madsen talked about some of the people he grew close to from this area, Brian Hannesson, who was probably his best friend, plus the late Bob and Helen Weed who “took good care of him.” He said at the social hour for this year’s 50th reunion Dale Reagan recognized him right away, “I guess I haven’t changed much in 50 years,” Madsen said.
He said that Devils Lake and North Dakota had changed since he lived here 50 years ago. “The skyline is different. There are more trees than I remember from when I was here in 1974-75.” He did remember there was always a lot of wind in North Dakota back then.
Thanks to the Internet Lars has occasionally checked in on his former Devils Lake friends and host sister Denise – who lives in Seattle, now. He’s even been in touch with “host mom” Betty Veer where she now lives in Kentucky.
The people here made him feel “at home” because they are so “open and hospitable” Lars stated. “When I think of this place the word that comes to my mind is ‘goodness,’ ” he added.
He enjoyed his trip back to North Dakota and says he hopes it’s not another 50 years before he gets to come back again. He said that it was the efforts of Brian Hannesson and Kristy Labor who helped him make this trip possible, he wanted to make sure and thank them for that.
Tuesday, Aug. 5 Madsen will head home to Denmark and his family. He has two grown children from a first marriage and two young children, a six-year-old and a seven-year-old, from his current relationship. Although many of the fellow students he reconnected with at his reunion here in Devils Lake were retired from their various professions, Madsen is still teaching. He says he’ll most likely teach another two years before retiring. He stated that in Germany, where he works, the classes are differently grouped and this class has a couple more years with him as their instructor, years 12 through 13.
