Inger Berg and Jens Bruun were married in Denmark in 1957. They migrated to Canada that same year, but they made their way south to the United States, and finally settled in the city of Bellevue, Washington, in 1961.
In 1971, Inger and Jens commenced a long relationship with the American Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) in New York with the goal of bringing Danish students to Seattle. The trainees would work in the furniture stores, live with Inger and Jens in their home, and experience the American way of life. The first Danish trainee arrived in 1971. Over the next 30 years, Inger and Jens would bring 147 Danish trainees to Seattle.
Inger and Jen’s generosity meant that the Scan|Design Foundation has been able to sponsor a number of projects, such as the program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that started in 2010. In addition to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Scan|Design Foundation works with the University of Washington-Seattle, the University of Oregon-Eugene, Portland State University, Nordic Museum, Museum of Danish America, among others.
For more information about Inger and Jens and the SDF Fellowship Program’s beginning, click here.
