She Never Had to Learn to Love Norway

"I was born with Norwegian cod liver oil in my mouth."

She says it with a laugh, but for one of Lakselaget's founders, it's also the truth.

Growing up in North Minneapolis, Leslee Lane Hoyum assumed everyone lived the way her family did. There was herring and brown cheese in the refrigerator. Norwegian cookies filled the Christmas table. Sundays were spent at a Norwegian Methodist church. That was home.

Then, one Christmas Eve in fourth grade, she visited a friend's house.

“Why aren’t our friends eating American food like we are? They’re having turkey and ham,” Leslee asked her mom later that day.

Her mother smiled. "Ah," she said. "They are. We aren't."

It turns out that herring, brown cheese, and enough Norwegian cookies to stock a bakery weren't everyone's idea of an ordinary childhood. She just hadn't noticed until then.

A few years later, that connection grew even stronger.

After her grandmother died, her heartbroken grandfather returned to Norway for three months—and took Leslee with him. Living with family in her great-grandfather's home led to life-long relationships and a lasting love for Norway. Since then, she has returned more than 60 times, studied at the University of Oslo International Summer School, and watched the next generations of her own family build lives and connections there.

"I didn't learn to love Norway," she says. "It's always been who I am."

That lifelong commitment naturally led her into Norwegian-American organizations, where she became a leader, fundraiser, communicator, and advocate for decades. Along the way, she met another passionate volunteer, Ingeborg Sorensen. Their husbands belonged to Torskeklubben, a Norwegian fellowship for men, and the two women often wondered why there wasn't something similar for them.

"We thought it was terrible there wasn't such an organization for us," she recalls. "We finally decided no one was going to start a fish club for women unless we did."

So they did.

Together with Linda Pederson, they created Lakselaget—a place where women of all ages could gather to learn, build friendships, celebrate their Norwegian heritage, and look toward Norway's future.

She remembers turning to Ingeborg during that very first meeting.

"Do you think we'll still be around in 20 years?"

Today, as Lakselaget approaches its 25th anniversary, the answer is clear.

The organization's greatest strength has always been bringing women together across generations. While honoring the traditions and courage of those who immigrated before us, she believes Lakselaget should also celebrate the Norway of today—a country known for innovation, environmental stewardship, education, healthy living, and a forward-looking spirit.

"Times change," she says. "Lakselaget needs to reflect that."

That vision has guided the organization from its earliest days: honoring the past while embracing the future.

Perhaps that's why the salmon has become such a fitting symbol.

Like the salmon that returns upstream with determination and purpose, Lakselaget continues to create opportunities, strengthen friendships, and inspire women to keep swimming against the current.