Established on 06.21.2024 by Dr. David '67 and Solveig '67 Westgard and Dr. Jim '63 and Joan Westgard
This scholarship honors the memory of Orville J. Westgard, a 1928 graduate of Concordia College. A
major in chemistry, Orville was interrupted from pursuing graduate studies by the economic crash in 1929
and returned to his home in Plaza, ND, to help his family survive the drought and depression of the 1930s,
living the life of a farmer and businessman (Chevrolet and International Harvester dealerships). His wife
Myrtle Holje Westgard attended Concordia for part of her teacher training and also sang in the Concordia
Choir. She taught grade school for some sixteen years, through the economic difficulties in ND, to help
support her family. They married near the end of the depression, but that economic experience was always
with them and in their minds as they lived out their lives in ND. Together they provided a strong family
foundation for education and a firm commitment that their four children attend Concordia College. Betty
was a graduate of the Class of ‘62’, James ‘63’, Marjorie ‘65’ and David ’67.’
Betty and Marjorie were lifelong teachers, Betty in the Saint Paul, MN school system and Marjorie in
Corvallis, OR. James became a clinical chemist at the University of Wisconsin Medical Center, a teacher in
the Medical Science Program, and a professor in laboratory medicine who was known worldwide for his
work in laboratory quality control (Westgard Rules), retiring after some 40 years of service. In 2011, he
received an Alumni Achievement Award from Concordia. David became a medical doctor and practiced in
La Crosse, WI, for 23 years. He then obtained a master’s degree in medical administration and preventive
medicine through the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He went to Texas to become Chief Medical
Officer (CMO) for three years then returned to Minnesota to be CMO at the Olmstead Medical Center in
Rochester, MN, until his retirement in 2014.
This scholarship is an expression of gratitude to Concordia College for the opportunities provided to
citizens of rural North Dakota.