The Alec Memorial Book Fund

The Alec Memorial Book Fund

Established in memory of Evan Alexander Johnson ’97, the Alec Memorial Book Fund is used to defray the cost of textbooks for students taking Greek and Latin courses at St. Olaf College. It was originally set up by Jeremiah J. Harrelson ’99 to be an annual award for a senior or junior Eta Sigma Phi member with a gentle and humble heart, dedicated to serving others in a kind, compassionate, and Christ-like way. (See list of previous winners below.) In 2024-25, generous donations to the fund from Jeremiah, Lisa Paulson Bauch ’88, and retired St. Olaf soccer coach Kurt Anderson covered the cost of Greek Bibles for the eight students enrolled in Greek 253 (New Testament Greek) and commentaries on Vergil’s Aeneid I-VI for the ten students enrolled in Latin 252 (Vergil & Latin Epic).

Alec Johnson (1974-2014), a Wisconsin native, took Greek at St. Olaf and graduated summa cum laude in 1997 with a Mathematics major. After a few years spent as a high-school teacher and software developer, he went on to graduate school at UW-Madison, earning a Ph.D. in Mathematics in 2011. At the time of his death, he was doing research in astrophysics at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, using computer modeling to predict the timing of solar flares and their effect on the power grid, computers, and satellites. A dedicated servant of the poor, he gave away most of his income; he had a special interest in Uganda, where he funded scholarships for needy children, established school gardens and tree nurseries, and promoted sustainable farming. Jeremiah J. Harrelson, Alec’s brother-in-law, graduated from St. Olaf in 1999 with distinction in Classics; he earned his M.A. at Denver Seminary, his Master of Studies at the University of Oxford, and his J.D. at the University of St. Thomas. He is a criminal defense attorney with a private law practice in Hudson, Wisconsin.

Previous Winners of the Alec Award

2016: Leif D. McLellan ’16 (Classics and Ancient Studies major), Shoreview, MN

2017: Katherine (Kate) A. Bello ’17 (Latin, Medieval Studies, and English major), Mission Hills, KS

2018: Dylan K. Walker ’18 (Classics major, concentrations in Film Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies), Mountain Grove, MO

2019: Devin P. Ames ’19 (Classics and Religion major), Huntington, WV, and Mary Landis Gaston ’19 (Classics major), Nashville, TN

2020: Ella A. Gruel ’20 (Classics and Psychology major, concentration in Linguistic Studies), Carbondale, CO

2021: Kara C. Anderson ’21 (Classics and History major), Rochester, MN, and Julia C. Walter ’21 (Classics and Religion major, concentration in Linguistic Studies), Crystal Lake, IL

2022: Emily K. Knuths ’22 (Classics and Philosophy major), Madison, SD

2023: Sophia R. Bloch ’24 (Religion major), Longmont, CO