Working under the philosophy that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, the effervescent Delores "Dee" Swenson served as the matriarch of the Gustavus Athletics Department from the fall of 1974 until the spring of 2000. The longtime St. Peter native reported to three different athletics directors during her 27-year career, including 25 years with Jim "Moose" Malmquist. Swenson, a highly organized, professionally trained bookkeeper juggled an impressive array of responsibilities, which included serving both the Athletics Department and the Physical Education/Health and Exercise Science department. Respected throughout campus, Swenson served as the public face of the department and offered a warm hello and a hot cup of coffee to anyone entering the athletic/physical education office. She accepted virtually every assignment served up to her, including receptionist, budget manager, travel manager, ticket manager, test typist and supervisor, assistant eligibility coordinator, mimeograph operator, copier repair person, NAIA/ NCAA Championship liaison, and hostess and caterer just to name a few. Swenson's genuine care for the faculty, staff, and students and her positive, can-do attitude was the driving force behind the family atmosphere that existed first in the Myrum Fieldhouse and later moved over to the Lund Center. She never missed recognizing a birthday or special occasion, and attendance at those celebrations was standing room only because everyone knew Dee would bring her special desserts to the event. She was awarded the Augusta Carlson Schultz Award for Outstanding Support Staff at Gustavus in 1996.
Dee and her husband, Phil, who worked as a custodian in the Lund Center for 20 years, were married for 53 years before Phil passed in December of 2007. They have three children—Steven, LuAnn, and Kris.
