Established on 05.05.1972 by Ole and Lucy Flaat
The Ole and Lucy Flaat Distinguished Service Award was established by the Flaats in 1972. There is a handwritten notes in the file from Ole Flaat, dated July 16, 1973, that reads, "May this award be of help to the college and the good people that perform very great service to the furtherance of Christian Education."
The Flaats farmed in the East Grant Forks area. A newspaper article announcing Ole Flaat's election to the Concordia Board of Regents in 1943 stated in part: "Mr. Flaat is well-known throughout Northern Minnesota and North Dakota as a master potato farmer. In the city of Grand Forks Mr. Flaat has been active in the promotion of the farm supply industry, with his products known to farmers everywhere in the region. At present he has been engaged in the organization of a potato dehydrating venture." He completed his last term on the Board in 1952.
During their years of farming, the Flaats were recognized for their service by the Farm Bureau, the Red River Valley Development Association, and the Valley Memorial Home in Grand Forks; and acknowledged for their work in the church.
Lucy rolled bandages and knitted for the Red Cross during WWII, taught Sunday School for 12 years, held all the offices in church women, and served on the hospital visitation committee. Lucy also had been a nurse at Deaconess Hospital in Grand Forks prior to her marriage to Ole in 1921.
Ole died in 1978 and Lucy died in 2001 at the age of 105. Their commitment to the "furtherance" of Christian higher education lives on through five Flaat Awards - the distinguished teaching award, distinguished scholarship award, and three distinguished service awards recognizing faculty, administrative staff and support staff.
The purpose of the Ole and Lucy Flaat Distinguished Service Award is to recognize outstanding faculty and administrative staff at Concordia College. The recipients shall have distinguished themselves as outstanding classroom teachers or administrators while at the same time having given evidence of commitment to the goals of Concordia and their vitality as professionals. It is a further purpose of the award to stimulate outstanding service by all members of the faculty and staff.