By: Piper Crabtree
The Honors Program knows and loves Bergstrom Hall. It is where all honors students start their college journey. From that love of Bergstrom, the Honors Pulse team was inspired to create “Ask Gertie!”, an interactive Instagram post featuring an elderly lady named Gertie. This humorous post allows students to comment questions they have for Gertie about her favorite things, advice, or information about the Honors Program.
Gertie is named after the Gertude S. Bergstrom Hall, which was built in 1966 just off the gorgeously green Fox River. The hall was named after Gertude Bergstrom on August 14, 1973, who had passed away on June 25th that same year. She supported the college throughout the course of her life, eventually adding up to three million dollars in financial aid. Those donations were then used to maintain and update what was previously known as Todd Wehr Library (now known as Todd Wehr Hall) and the Schuldes Sports Center (Mulva Family Fitness Center). Gertude Bergstrom was not the only one in her family to support the college, though. Her sister Margaret Gilbert (named after their mother) and brothers Col. John Sensenbrenner and J. Leslie Sensenbrenner helped financially support the construction of the Frank J. and Margaret Sensenbrenner Memorial Union (now replaced by Ruth’s Marketplace), which was named after their mother and father. Gertude Bergstrom’s father (Frank J. Sensenbrenner) was not only a generous benefactor to the college, but was a Knight Commander of St. Gregory, a member of the College’s first advisory board established in 1939, and a charter member of the St. Norbert College Board of Governors established in 1955. Their mother tragically passed away at an early age. The construction of Bergstrom Hall cost $389,973. While being one of the smaller and less expensive dorms on campus, the project actually cost $68,973 more to build than Dennis M. Burke Hall. Gertude’s donations and support throughout her and her family’s lives are what make St. Norbert College what it is today.
As for the Instagram post itself, the Honors Pulse team worked together to organize this fun post on social media. Behind the scenes, the team created responses to the questions impersonating Gertie, who is described as a “grand granny who’s an oldie but a goldie!” The character is lovable, witty, and has heavy amounts of nostalgia. Perfect for telling all the young folk stories from “back in the day”. The team enjoyed the work, putting together answers and searching the internet for older generations’ slang and terminology. Eventually, the comments were submitted and can now be viewed at the Honors Program Instagram page. We encourage everyone to ask Gertie their burning questions! This could be about Gertie’s “golden years”, her favorite spot on campus, or even her favorite color.
Bergstrom Hall is both home to Honors Program students and the inspiration to bring Gertie to life! The community that makes the Honors Program and St. Norbert College not only excels in its academic success, but also makes social and student life a wonderful experience.
