NDSU alumnus Harlan Klefstad has presented a $250,000 gift to the NDSU Development Foundation to establish a scholarship endowment. Klefstad, a Forman, N.D., resident, established the Harlan and Lyla Klefstad Scholarship Fund.
“At NDSU, scholarship endowments are an important priority as we work to recruit and retain outstanding students in our state,” said President Dean L. Bresciani. “Mr. Klefstad is demonstrating a true commitment to the future through his support of scholarships for incoming NDSU students, and helping us fulfill our very strong commitment to being a student-focused university.”
The gift will provide scholarship support to Sargent County, N.D., students attending NDSU. It is anticipated a minimum of two awards will be given annually to freshman students enrolling with a score of 28 or better on their ACTs or a B average in high school.
Jim Miller, NDSU Development Foundation executive director, said, “Harlan has paved the way for others to follow with his most recent generous contribution. We truly appreciate his continued interest in wanting to help students further their higher education at NDSU.”
Klefstad and his late wife, Lyla, were honored in 1994 as Outstanding Agriculturists during the annual NDSU Harvest Bowl. The Klefstads have three grown children: Steve, Forman; Wendy Kotchian, Fargo; and Janell (McLaen), Forman.
Klefstad earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from NDSU in 1952. While a student at NDSU, he was a member of the NDSU Gold Star and NDSU Marching Bands and Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He was born in Lake City, S.D., and moved to Forman in 1936. He and Lyla lived in Forman until her death in 1998.
Klefstad had a 36-year career at the Sargent County Bank in Forman, where he advanced from cashier to chair of the board. He served on the North Dakota State Banking Board for eight years, was mayor of Forman for eight years and is a Marine Corps veteran. He is a member of the American Legion and Lions Club, as well as a Mason Shriner and a life trustee of the NDSU Development Foundation.