Today in History revisits a story from the Wednesday, March 29, 1961, edition of the Obituary featuring a 70-year-old Norwegian nurse Ingabord Bronken who reunited with her brother, Einar Bronken, at the Valley Memorial Rest Home in Grand Forks. She arrived on March 24, 1961, after traveling from Tromsø, Norway, where she had lived and worked for 35 years in the nursing profession, including 20 years as the head of Tromsø Hospital.
Visit Reunites Brother, Sister After 54 Years
70-Year-Old Nurse Comes From Norway To See Relatives
By Rozanne Kugler
After a 54-year separation, a brother and sister were reunited this week. Mrs. Ingabord Bronken left Tromsø, Norway, in October, 1960, to visit relatives in the United States. She arrived Friday, March 24, 1961, to see her brother, Einar Bronken, who resides at the Valley Memorial Rest Home.
Mrs. Bronken, 70 years old, spent 35 years in the nursing profession and was the head of Tromsø Hospital for 20 years. She is staying as a houseguest of her niece, Mrs. James Adams of Reynolds, N.D., and is also visiting her sister-in-law, Mrs. J.P. Bronken of Reynolds.
The Norwegian nurse was awarded a medal from King Gustav of Sweden for her medical care during World War II, when she was in charge of the Tromsø hospital. She holds a degree in obstetrics.
Mrs. Bronken’s home is nearly two days’ travel north of the Arctic Circle, but thanks to the Gulf Stream, the climate remains mild. In the land of the Midnight Sun, it is dark from November to February but experiences 24-hour daylight from May 18 to July 22.
Her son, Per, is a drama student at Shakespeare Theatre in London. After graduation, he can become a movie director. He has a degree in journalism and has had several poems published.
Mrs. Bronken will leave here April 3 to visit Wisconsin before sightseeing in New York. When she starts home on April 2, she will have crossed the United States twice during her visit.
She visited relatives in Brooklyn upon arriving in New York in October, then took a bus to Los Angeles to visit her sister. She also visited relatives and friends in Seattle before traveling to Shelby, Montana, where she saw her brother for the first time in 52 years. She arrived here from Shelby.
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