Educator
1915 - 2002
Superintendent of the Crippled Children's School in Jamestown, North Dakota, Dr. Anne Carlsen was born without hands or feet. Nevertheless, her great courage and keen intellect enabled her to earn a Doctor of Philosophy degree and international honors.
Carlsen, born in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, was one of six children. As a child, she received much assistance from her sister, four brothers, and childhood playmates, making it possible for her to participate in their games. She attended and completed elementary school in Grantsburg, and high school in St. Paul, Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Minnesota, cum laude in 1936, and set about to realize her dream of self-support, hopefully by teaching.
Carlsen accepted her first teaching position at the Good Samaritan School in Fargo, North Dakota, a Lutheran school for crippled children. She continued her education, earning an M.A. from Northern University of Colorado in 1946, and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1949. The following year she was named superintendent of the Crippled Children's School in Jamestown, which is now named the Anne Carlsen Center for Children. Under her guidance, the school, established in 1940, has gained national recognition.
Presented: September 9, 1966
Portrait Painted By: Vern Skaug