Former North Dakota governor and first lady to receive NDSU Honorary Doctorates
Jack Dalrymple, who served as North Dakota’s 32nd governor from 2010 to 2016 will receive an Honorary Doctor of Agriculture and his wife, Betsy, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from NDSU during its spring commencement ceremony.
Jack and Betsy Dalrymple will be recognized at the 2 p.m. ceremony on Saturday, May 16, at the Fargodome. The honorary degree is one of the university’s highest recognitions, awarded for exceptional service, leadership and contributions to society.
Jack Dalrymple’s career spans agriculture, government leadership, business and public service. When his father died unexpectantly in 1971, Jack took over management of the Dalrymple Farms at age 23 and has continued in that role until today.
In 1984, Jack ran for a House seat in the North Dakota Legislature vacated by Governor George Sinner. He served eight terms in the House and became the chairman of the full House Appropriations Committee. He was also chairman of the Budget Section from 1995-2000.
In 2000, he was asked to join John Hoeven on the Republican ticket for governor/lieutenant governor. He served as lieutenant governor from 2000 until 2010 when Governor Hoeven ran successfully for the U.S. Senate. Jack succeeded to the office of governor in 2010 and was elected to a four-year term in 2012. During his terms as lieutenant governor and governor, North Dakota became the fastest growing state in the U.S. At the same time income and property taxes were lowered.
Jack’s experience in business included the founding of Dakota Growers Pasta Company based in Carrington, North Dakota, when he served as founding chairman of the startup company owned by North Dakota durum growers. He was also on the founding Board of Golden Growers Cooperative which built a high fructose corn syrup plant in Wahpeton, North Dakota. Jack became known statewide as a leader and supporter of numerous value-added agriculture projects including flour mills, ethanol plants, crushing plants and refineries.
Jack’s dedication to public service went beyond government. He was a co-founder and chairman of Share House Inc., a residential treatment program for recovering substance abusers in Fargo. He also served as chairman of Prairie Public Broadcasting when they expanded to include a broadcast tower in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He also served as chairman of the ND Commission on Education improvement which settled a lawsuit with several school districts over the fairness of the school funding system. Their work led to a revised formula still in use today.
When asked about a memorable moment in his life, Jack said, “I will never forget a moment in the early days of my service on the Board of the NDSU Development Foundation. I was proud to vote in favor of a radical new development idea, which was to actually telephone the alumni for financial support. We hoped it would work!”
Betsy Dalrymple has become well known throughout North Dakota as an advocate for public education, volunteerism and public service. She was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and came to Casselton, North Dakota, after marrying Jack in December, 197l.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in developmental psychology with an elementary teaching degree and immediately went to work for the Fargo Public Schools, teaching Kindergarten at Roosevelt Elementary and first and second grade at Madison Elementary.
As a volunteer, Betsy served on the Central Cass School Board for nine years, as well as numerous other boards including the FM Area Foundation, the ND Board for Public Education and ND Protection and Advocacy. She also served as chair of ND Cares, a coalition to support North Dakota veterans and military families. She is especially known for her work helping the residents of Minot, North Dakota, in their recovery from the 2011 flood.
As First Lady of North Dakota from 2010-2016, Betsy led the expansion of the Imagination Library project, a child reading promotion program that includes free books for children. Under her leadership, the program grew from 10 to over 60 affiliate communities. She also visited nearly 200 schools promoting reading with her t-shirt, “RED-Read Every Day.” Betsy spearheaded the North Dakota legislation to include civic education in school curriculum. She also wrote a book on the history of the North Dakota Governors’ Residence titled, “Building a House, Making a Home.”
Among the many awards she has received are the Casselton Community Service Award, the YWCA of Minot Woman of Distinction Award, the ND Education Association Ready Child Award of Merit and the Seven Seals Award for her support of the North Dakota National Guard and Reserve.
Jack and Betsy Dalrymple have four married daughters and seven grandchildren.