History of the Anne Pederson Women's Resource Center

The Anne Pederson Women's Resource Center was named on April 13, 2000, in memory of Anne Pederson.

Anne Pederson began a 38-year teaching career at Augsburg just one year after earning scholastic honors from the College in 1932. A gracious hostess and concerned listener, Pederson inspired a love of literature in over two generations of students through her work in the classroom, her mentorship of the Writer's Club, and gatherings on campus and at her home located near Augsburg.

Years of graduate study and travel enabled Pederson to expand her teaching to include Greek tragedies, Shakespeare, and modern poetry.

Anne Pederson retired in 1971, having touched innumerable lives. She maintained her ties to Augsburg by attending Homecoming, traveling to Augsburg over the next 10 years from her Santa Barbara home. She passed away in 1995.

The Anne Pederson Women's Resource Center was named in her honor, thanks to a generous donation from distinguished Alumna Ruth Schmidt '52, one of her former students. After graduating from Augsburg College, Schmidt pursued an illustrious academic career that culminated in her presidency of Agnes Scott Collge, an women's college in Decatur, GA.