Named in honor of former History professors Fr. Vincent Tegeder and Sr. Carol Berg, this society brings together History faculty, alumnae and alumni, current students, and prospective students.

Among others, the goals of the Society are to:

• demonstrate the relevance of the past for the present,
• assert the need to study the past,
• provide an intellectual community for CSB/SJU graduates interested in History,
• strengthen networking ties among the History Department, alumnae/alumni, and current students, and
• highlight the value of History for career development to prospective History students and their parents.

Father Vincent Tegeder (1910-2007)

For thirty-three years Father Vincent was the mainstay of the History Department at Saint John’s University (1946-1979).  He was chairman of the History Department from 1954 until 1973 and later served as the Abbey and University Archivist for many years.  With his booming voice and hearty laugh he was loved and appreciated by all his students.  Awarded fellowships from 1942 to 1945, Father Vincent stayed on at the University of Wisconsin to earn a doctorate in American history in 1949.  He wrote his thesis, “The Territories and the Lincoln Administration, 1861-1865,” under the direction of Dr. William Hesseltine.  His passionate interest in American Studies and special devotion to the Civil War, led Fr. Vincent to become an active member of the Minnesota Civil War Roundtable.

Sister Carol Berg (1937- )

Carol Berg was a member of the History Department at CSB/SJU for many years (1970-2006), teaching courses on United States, Native American, and Asian history and serving as chair from 1996-1998. She has also served as the CSB Archivist, and in retirement from CSB/SJU, she serves in the  Monastery Development Office and also in the Monastery Archives. Sister Carol earned her BA in Elementary Education and History at the College of St. Benedict (1966), her Masters in Asian History from the University of Arizona (1968), and her Ph.D. in American History from the University of Minnesota (1981).  She wrote her thesis, "Climbing Learner's Hill: Benedictines at White Earth, 1878-1945," under the direction of Professor Clarke Chambers.