Ten Questions
Photo: Renee Jones,
Star Tribune
A visit with JoAnn Kleber, who retired in 1996 after 25 years as administrator of the North American office of the Oslo International Summer School. On October 24, the Northfield resident received the Ambassador’s Award from Knut Vollebaek, Norway’s ambassador to the United States, in recognition of her contributions to strengthening ties between Norway and the U.S.
Henrik Ibsen or Arthur Miller: Well, ya’ know, that’s not a choice you make. If you were to read Henrik Ibsen in the original, you would have to read Norwegian. If I were to read for pleasure, I would read Arthur Miller. People used to come to the summer school to study Norwegian just so they could read Ibsen in the original.
Pet Peeve: Clichés. When people just say what they’d heard before, they aren’t thinking anymore. You wonder if they are just saying it, or they’ve thought about it.
Most Treasured Gift You've Received: My husband and children.
Favorite Season: Summer. I like the heat and the trees. Northfield has a different pace in the summer because the students are gone.
What magazines do you subscribe to: The Nation, Mother Jones, Martha Stewart and Cuisine
What books are you currently reading: “Cane River”, by Lalita Tademy.
Favorite Quotation or saying: The part of the Declaration of Independencethat says all men are created equal. I include women in that.
Best advice you have received: I don’t know if it is the best advice, but it’s what I thought of. My mother always said, “Don’t expect too much and then you won’t get disappointed.”
Best advice you have given: With my kids, I tried to get them to remember that everybody around them has feelings and they shouldn’t be nasty to people. Treat people gently because everybody is fragile. I tried to raise my kids that way.
Favorite movie: “Major League.” I like that silly movie.
Published in the Star Tribune
November 19, 2003