Loiell Dryud

Loiell Dyrud was born and raised in Thief River Falls and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1958. He received a BA from Augsburg College with majors in English and Speech. He taught English and Speech at Elk River High School and Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights.

After receiving an MA in English from the University of North Dakota in 1971, he returned to Lincoln High School, where he taught in the English Department until his retirement in 1999. During his tenure at Lincoln, Dyrud earned the respect of his students, peers, and the community and received the “Excellence in Education Award” from the Thief River Falls Chamber of Commerce in 1999.

A lover of words and the craft of writing, Dyrud has published several articles on local history. He has served on the national Board of Publications for the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations and written extensively on the history of the Lutheran Free Church in America. He has also had a strong interest in Norwegian-American immigrant history and literature.

A lifelong member of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls, Dyrud has been active on the church council and various committees. He is presently serving on the national Board of Trustees for the schools of the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations.

In 2003, he was one of the founders of the Georg Sverdrup Society, an organization devoted to preserving the legacy of Georg Sverdrup, the president of Augsburg College and Seminary, and the founder of the Lutheran Free Church. He has served as president of the society and has written and edited articles for the society’s journal.

Loiell is currently enjoying retirement with his wife Mary, however, he will always be remembered for his love of teaching that he displayed everyday in the classroom.   That love is best expressed in his own words.  “Though retirement has allowed me to do a great deal more writing and editing, the one thing I have missed most is the wonderful exchange of ideas in literature that I had with students in the classroom. The sheer joy of watching students discover ideas and then express them beautifully in words, both spoken and written, is a joy that for a teacher is hard to explain.”