Luther College professor, alumni create unique memento for presidential inauguration

In a lovely display of community spirit, Luther College professors, staff members and alumni created a native prairie seed mix to serve as the memento for President Brad Chamberlain’s inauguration.

“At Luther College, we sow seeds that inspire and equip students to courageously serve the common good,” Chamberlain said as a part of his closing remarks. “It is a collective effort that develops in students a focus on others and prepares them for lives of meaning and purpose. I am grateful to the faculty, staff and alumni who created a memento that enables the broader community to participate in Luther’s mission, both literally and figuratively, and to realize its vision of catalyzing the creation of a more sustainable and just world.”

The seed packet memento was distributed before and after the ceremony held in the Center for Faith and Life on Friday, Oct. 3.

“Luther College approaches the tasks of faith and learning with deep trust that we are planting seeds now which will continue to grow and shape our world,” said Melissa Bills, director of College Ministries and college pastor.

She served on the inauguration committee, which selected this memento. This native prairie seed mix was chosen for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons were practical. Other reasons were symbolic.

“The seeds remind us of our campus commitments to sustainability and how our efforts to serve the common good include the good of creation, the good of our civic order and the good of those who will come after us,” Bills said. “The act of planting seeds underscores the inauguration theme of ‘For the Common Good,’ reminding us that our individual growth and flourishing are ultimately for the sake of the flourishing of our communities.”

Kirk Larsen, entomologist and professor of biology at Luther, was consulted on the creation of the memento. He encouraged the committee to select a perennial seed mix instead of sunflowers as the committee first suggested.

“Being very involved in the planting and maintenance of our campus tallgrass prairies since I arrived at Luther in 1993, I immediately thought that seeds from a diversity of perennial native flowers would be more symbolic of our diverse student body and the long-term impact Luther alumni have on their communities rather than annual sunflowers that are all the same and then gone,” he said.

These perennials are also beneficial for bees and butterflies.

“These flower species are particularly attractive to endangered pollinators like the rusty patched bumble bee, which we have living on campus, and the monarch butterfly,” Larsen said.

Following Larsen’s recommendation, college officials reached out to Mark Udstuen, president of Shooting Star Native Seeds in Spring Grove, Minn., about the inauguration memento. Udstuen and Larsen have worked together on several successful and rewarding restoration projects at Luther. Udstuen graduated from Luther in 1997.

“We’ve supplied seed for restoration projects on several college campuses throughout the Midwest, but this is the first time we’ve made seed packets for an event like this,” Udstuen said. “Shooting Star Native Seeds is very honored to be able to contribute to President Chamberlain’s inauguration. Planting native seeds is a small way we can all make a big impact.”

Besides being attractive to bees and butterflies, the memento is visually appealing to humans, too. The custom-designed seed mix package features a watercolor scene painted by Julie Strom Hendrickson, graphic designer and production coordinator at Luther. The artwork was originally created and used as the backdrop for “Christmas at Luther” in 2021.

“As an artist, it is always nice to have your work appreciated enough that it is wanted to be in various scenarios,” she said.

Strom Hendrickson, who graduated from Luther in 1993 and worked on campus since 1995, appreciated the opportunity to be part of the team that created the memento.

“This memento is a wonderful nod to the sustainability philosophy of Luther College,” she said. “To me, the seeds demonstrate that President Chamberlain is in tune with our students and their desire for experiences — planting and enjoying wildflowers in this case.”

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