Alice Schroeder with Earl Bakken at a party
in her honor at The Bakken in August 2004.
by David Rhees,
Executive Director, The Bakken
February
27, 2004
Alice Schroeder passed away on February 26, 2005
after a lengthy and valiant struggle with pancreatic cancer.
This brief tribute is an admittedly inadequate attempt to capture
the fullness of her many-faceted contributions to the growth
of The Bakken as a leader in science education.
Alice Schroeder worked at The Bakken Library and Museum for
21 years, where she played a leading role in the initiation
and expansion of science education programs for young people,
and contributed to the advancement of The Bakken in many other
ways as well. Though not a scientist herself, she came
to love the imagination-expanding power of science (and science
fiction, another strong interest of hers). Her enthusiasm
for learning was infectious and her passion for helping students
appreciate the wonders of electrical science was unequaled.
Her greatest accomplishment at The Bakken was undoubtedly the
founding of its science field trip program for elementary school
classes. She conceived and launched the program in 1989
in collaboration with the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting.
The initial pilot served 400 children and immediately proved
highly popular with area teachers. Aided by a dedicated
group of volunteers and later by newly-hired staff, Alice led
the expansion of the program to serving about 4,000 a year by
the mid 1990s. The success of this program, which used
both hands-on science and stories from the history of science,
played a major role in The Bakken’s decision to launch
an expansion and renovation project. Completed in 1999,
the expansion facilitated the continued growth of the field
trips, which now serve over 9,000 elementary students per year,
and led to the creation of many new programs that likewise serve
to inspire youth with a love of science.
Alice Schroeder also was instrumental in starting The Bakken’s
Family Science Saturday program, which offers hands-on activities
and special programs for families, in 1996. Offered initially
about six times a year, Family Science Saturdays are now a weekly
affair and serve over 8,000 people a year. She piloted
The Bakken’s first mentoring program, now known as the
Earl Bakken Science Program, in 1995. During her two decades
at The Bakken, Alice made important contributions to a broad
range of its activities, including administration, tours, volunteers
(she was the first volunteer coordinator), membership, development,
and public programs.
Perhaps most of all, Alice will be remembered for her great
passion and enthusiasm. She had a special spark of life
that energized the lives of each of the students, parents, teachers,
visitors, volunteers, board members, donors, and staff who had
the good fortune to know her. We will miss her spark and
we will miss Alice.
We invite all those who knew Alice to contribute
stories, anecdotes, or other remembrances of the inspiration she
provided
to you or to others through her work at The Bakken. Please
send them to Bruce Challgren and
we will post Alice's Stories here on
our website. See also
the many tributes on Alice’s Caring
Bridge website: http://www.caringbridge.org/mn/alices/index.htm
Alice's family had recommended that memorial gifts
be directed to The Bakken and/or the American Cancer Society. To
make a memorial gift to The Bakken, please contact Andrea Nelson
at 612-926-3878 ext. 208.
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