50th anniversary of the Hong Kierkegaard Library Banquet and Lecture

This year marks a special milestone: the 50th anniversary of the Hong Kierkegaard Library. In 1976, Howard and Edna Hong donated their Kierkegaard collection to St. Olaf College, and that gift became the library and research center that has served scholars, students, and friends from around the world ever since. We would be delighted to have you celebrate this anniversary with us.

You are invited to our 50th Anniversary Banquet on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. The banquet will be held on the St. Olaf College campus in the King’s Dining Trollhaugen Room in Buntrock Commons.

After the banquet, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, we will hear this year’s Julia Watkin Lecture, followed by discussion. Dr. William McDonald, an Australian philosopher and Kierkegaard scholar, will speak on “Ethical-Religious Attention.” He will look at Kierkegaard’s critique of distraction alongside Buddhaghosa, Simone Weil, and Iris Murdoch. The lecture will take place in the Viking Theater in Buntrock Commons and is open to the public.