Waiting for the Crown Prince of Norway

A vignette from the boyhood memoirs of Roald Peter Lee. Roald was born and raised on a farm in the heavily Norwegian Koshkonong Prairie region of Dane County just off Hwy 12 near Deerfield. He studied architecture at the University of Wisconsin and recieved his Masters degree at MIT. He practiced his trade for several years in Minneapolis and later joined the Architecture Department at Clemson University. Professor Lee's accomplishments during his years at Clemson include: Distinguished Alumni Professor, ACSA (Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture) Distinguished Professor, National AIA (American Institute of Architects) Education Award, Fulbright Scholar (Jordan), and the AIA SC Medal of Distinction. Illustration by Roald Peter Lee 1928 - 2019.

In the summer of 1939, just before his country would be attacked by German forces, Crown Prince Olaf of Norway and his wife visited America on a goodwill tour and Madison was one of their stops. A major address on the Capitol Square was scheduled for the evening and as many of our family who were at home drove the 18 miles to the capitol city to be part of the event. The speech, which was given on the north side of the square near Colonel Heg’s statue, attracted a large crowd and I recall a distinct disadvantage in attempting to see the Crown Prince. However, I knew from photographs that he was a large man with a forceful jaw and his wife was very attractive. The royal couple was scheduled to depart to Chicago the next day and I knew their route had to be on Highway 12 going past our farm. Early that morning, with Mama’s help, I constructed a Norwegian flag with a cross of blue and white crepe paper on a field of red and went down to the crossroads to await their passage. At around ten o’clock a large La Salle touring car preceded by motorcycle policemen appeared over Gangstad hill and I proudly held up my flag as it drove past. This time I had an unobstructed view of the Crown Prince and he waved to me as he went by.