Bruce R. Berglund

Primary office:

Summary

Bruce Berglund at Hradčany, Prague, leading a school group.

Bruce and his lovely wife, Meghan, at Lake Bohinj, Slovenia.

 

Bruce with friends at Gostilna Ravbar, Rodica, Slovenia (and Ravbar beer from a Czech recipe)

Career:
Associate Professor of History at Calvin College
Languages:
I can lead a normal life in Czech, conduct research in Slovene, read billboards in Croatian, and count to three in Hungarian.
Countries lived in:
Czech Republic (summer 1995, 1997-98, and 2005-06), and Hungary (fall 2009)
Favorite place:
Lake Bohinj in Slovenia
Hobbies:
Coaching Little League baseball, building sandcastles on the Lake Michigan shore Favorite food: My wife's pumpkin bars with cream-cheese icing. When in Europe, I crave deep-fried potato pancakes (bramboráky), bread dumplings and goulash, and honey cake (medovník)
Favorite drink:
One of the famous Czech brews (Budvar, Radegast, or Krušovice), you might guess. But, in truth, I prefer the bite of a good IPA.
Favorite book:
Lolita (with a nod of appreciation to Professor Parker and his Nabokov course)
What's on your iPod?:
Čechomor, Fanfare Ciocârlia, Goran Bregović, Budapest Bár, and gipsy.cz

In Memoriam

Reed Rankin ✝ 12/29/2019

The faculty and students in the Department Slavic Languages and Literatures are deeply saddened that one our undergraduate majors, Reed Rankin, passed away last week (12/29) in Fredonia, Kansas. Reed was a beloved student in the department and is fondly remembered by his peers and professors. He began studying Russian as a Freshman and stayed with a challenging but rewarding language for three and a half years, tackling introductory, intermediate, advanced levels, and even continuing his studies into his senior year with Russian for the Professions. We know that he was planning further study in Moscow in the next academic year, prior to matriculation at KU School of Law.

A thoughtful student, Reed often contributed insight and posed challenging questions in class. ​​ Reed’s dedication to the study of Russian language, culture, and history was tremendous and fueled by infectious curiosity. He showed great acumen in translating from Russian into English, always finding English-language equivalents for Russian cultural concepts through skillful use of one-liners from American films. We also treasured his ability to speak in fluid Russian about rural, farm life in Kansas, and the effects that natural phenomena, like floods, on a farming community. He was a pleasure to know and teach, and will be remembered for his kind and polite demeanor. Our thoughts are with Reed’s family at this time

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