Burgum unveils official Rough Rider Award portrait of International Music Camp founder Dr. Merton Utgaard

Gov. Doug Burgum on Friday, Nov 18th unveiled the official portrait of International Music Camp founder Dr. Merton Utgaard, who was posthumously honored in July as the 47th recipient of the North Dakota Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, the state’s highest commendation for its citizens.

The portrait was created by Minot-based artist Vern Skaug, who since 1970 has painted many of the portraits hanging in the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Hall of Fame at the North Dakota Capitol. The portrait features multiple images of Utgaard at various stages of his career in music education, including an image of him leading a high school marching band in Carrington, N.D.

“Under Dr. Utgaard’s guidance, and with the support of his wife, Noella, the International Music Camp blossomed into an internationally recognized center for education and performance, bringing students, directors and their families to North Dakota for more than 66 years,” Burgum said. “From Dr. Utgaard’s vision, and thanks to his personal commitment to the success of the International Music Camp, he gifted North Dakota and our citizens with a unique asset that provides opportunities to our students and elevates North Dakota on the national and world stages.”

Burgum unveiled the portrait with Secretary of State Al Jaeger, who along with State Historical Society Director Bill Peterson concurred with Burgum’s selection of Utgaard for the award. Burgum presented the award to Utgaard’s three children on July 29 at the International Music Camp that Utgaard and his wife, Noella, founded in 1956 at the International Peace Garden in north-central North Dakota. Merton Utgaard served as the camp’s full-time director for 28 years, gaining international recognition for the music program. He died Dec. 19, 1998, at age 84.

Video of the unveiling can be viewed on the governor’s Facebook page by clicking the button below.

Watch the video

Longtime North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Gerald VandeWalle notifies Burgum of Jan. 31 retirement date

State’s longest serving justice will retire Jan. 31, 2023, after 44 years on the Supreme Court, 64 total years of service to the State of North Dakota

North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Gerald W. VandeWalle, the longest serving justice in state history, informed Gov. Burgum on Thursday that he will retire Jan. 31, 2023, after more than six decades of service to the State of North Dakota, including 44 years on the Supreme Court and 27 years as chief justice.

Burgum expressed gratitude on behalf of all North Dakotans for VandeWalle’s service in a letter to Chief Justice Jon Jensen informing him of the pending vacancy on the Supreme Court.

“Justice VandeWalle has served the State of North Dakota with great honor, distinction and dedication for 64 years, beginning with his appointment as a special assistant attorney general in 1958,” Burgum stated. “He was appointed to the state’s highest court in 1978 and is the longest serving Supreme Court justice in North Dakota history. For 44 years he served the Supreme Court with fairness, compassion and commitment to equal justice, including a distinguished 27-year tenure as chief justice from 1993 to 2019, which made him the longest serving chief justice in North Dakota history and the longest serving chief justice in the nation when he passed the gavel to Chief Justice Jensen.

“Justice VandeWalle’s illustrious career has been acknowledged by his peers in North Dakota’s legal community as well as his colleagues across the country,” Burgum continued. “In 2015 he became the 42nd recipient of the North Dakota Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, the state’s highest citizen honor. Despite these accolades and his exceptional career, this humble native of Noonan has always remained modest and accessible to his fellow North Dakotans, insisting on simply being called ‘Jerry’ even as many continue to refer to him respectfully as ‘Chief.’ A towering figure in the legal community and beloved fixture in the halls of the Capitol, he leaves a remarkable and unparalleled legacy of service to which all North Dakotans can aspire.”

Under state law, the Judicial Nominating Committee must forward a list of nominees to the governor to fill the Supreme Court vacancy within 60 days of receiving notice that the vacancy exists. Within 30 days of receiving the list, the governor has three options: 1) fill the vacancy by appointing from the list of nominees; 2) return the list of nominees and direct the committee to reconvene; or 3) call for a special election to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term.

VandeWalle was appointed to the Supreme Court in August 1978 and elected to serve an unexpired term in November 1978. He was elected to a full 10-year term in 1984 and re-elected in 1994, 2004 and 2014. His current 10-year term expires in 2024. Because an appointment to the Supreme Court must continue for at least two years under Article VI of the North Dakota Constitution, the individual appointed to succeed VandeWalle will serve until the 2026 general election and may run for the remaining eight years of the 10-year term that begins Jan. 1, 2025.

Burgum pardons pair of turkeys; 30 frozen turkeys donated to charitable groups

Members of the North Dakota Turkey Federation on Friday presented Gov. Burgum and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring with a pair of live turkeys for the traditional Thanksgiving pardoning, while highlighting the important work of two local charitable organizations.

The Turkey Federation will donate 15 frozen turkeys each to the Heaven’s Helpers Soup Cafe and the Abused Adult Resource Center in Bismarck. North Dakota has nine farms raising turkeys, producing about 1 million turkeys annually.

Gov. Burgum officially pardoned two turkeys, Sunflower and Honey, during the ceremony.

Public invited to send ornaments for North Dakota State Christmas Tree

Annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony to be held on Dec. 1

The Office of the First Lady invites artists and craftspeople to provide handmade ornaments for the North Dakota State Christmas Tree. The tree will be on display in Memorial Hall at the state Capitol.

Submitted ornaments can vary from traditional to contemporary arts. Items that are commercially produced or made from kits are not eligible. Ornaments can also be of any shape or medium of the designer’s choosing.

This year’s ornament motif is "Inspire Hope,” in connection with First Lady Kathryn Burgum’s platform of instilling hope in people to know that recovery from the disease of addiction is possible. The theme also broadly applies to the notion that every person can inspire hope in others during the holiday season.

Each ornament should include the name of the person entering it, their email address and a brief one- or two-line description of the ornament that includes the art form used and the special circumstances through which it was created, such as a class or senior center project.

Ornaments must be received by the Office of Management and Budget no later than Monday, Nov. 28. The ornaments become the property of the Office of the First Lady and may be hung on the state tree in ensuing years.

Please mail ornaments to: State of North Dakota, Office of Management and Budget, Julie Strom, 600 E. Boulevard Ave., Bismarck, ND 58505.

Gov. Burgum and the first lady encourage the public to join them for holiday readings, music and carols at the annual North Dakota State Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 1 in Memorial Hall at the Capitol.

Click here for more information.