Page 38 - 2022_Magazine_89-2

DKG Practice/Program

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

By Lisa Olson

I am the proud caretaker of a gift that was given more than 80 years ago—by
someone that I never met … to someone that I never knew. Although there is a
slight bit of mystery about my gift, it is something that I hold near and dear to my
heart. But, before I tell you the end of the story, I must start at the beginning.
In their 1965 study of pioneer
women teachers of North Dakota,
editors Nellie Swanson and Eleanor
Bryson wrote eloquently of the various
founders of DKG in the state, including
the state organization’s first president.
Hazel Belle Nielson—Hazel B. to
veteran members of North Dakota
State Organization—was born in Valley
City, North Dakota, in 1888. This was
a year prior to North Dakota receiving
statehood. As a child, Hazel set trends
that young girls continue to follow
today. She was a member of Valley
City’s first kindergarten class and played
girls’ basketball while in high school.
On Hazel’s graduation day in 1906, she
predicted that oil would be discovered
in North Dakota. She was proven right
in 1951, when oil was discovered near
Tioga, North Dakota. Approximately
one million barrels of oil are still
produced each day.
Hazel continued to be involved in
academics and athletics while attending
The University of North Dakota.
She was the first woman to serve on
the Athletic State Board of Control.
Following graduation, she became an
educator, teaching both history and
German. During World War I, she
joined the General Federation of Women’s Clubs and served overseas. Shortly after
returning to North Dakota, she became deputy superintendent of public instruction,
working under her sister, Minnie Nielsen, who was the state superintendent. Hazel
and Minnie served in a variety of organizations, all with the goal of strengthening
education.
Following her position as deputy superintendent, Hazel was called to
Washington, DC, to write textbooks for the National Literacy Crusade. Hazel spent

36 · Volume 89-2