The Paul Harris Fellow Award was given to Rolf Haugen for his outstanding efforts not only to build a relationship between Skien and Minot in North Dakota, but also between Telemark and North Dakota. Rolf's many meetings at the Minot State University and at schools in Minot have given students more knowledge about Skien, Telemark and Norway, and they are now more aware of the wonderful connection between Norway and North Dakota. His many talks and speeches about Skien and Telemark during Norsk Høstfest in Minot the last 16 years, have given many people a better understanding of today's Norway. Rolf has also been on American TV and radio a number of times.

Rolf Haugen has advanced the cultural contacts between musicians and artists, and in 2007 Suoni Wind Orchestra in Skien honored him as Suoni Ambassador for all the work he did for them when they visited the Midwest that year.

At the annual Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame Reception and Banquet in Minot on Oct. 10, 2007 Rolf Haugen was awarded the recognition as an honorary ambassador for North Dakota, and he was also given the Certificate of Appointment as Honorary Citizen of Minot.

A lot of pictures from the Midwest and from Skien and Telemark in the Image gallery on this web tell many stories about "spin-offs" of Rolf Haugens relationship building. At the award ceremony in Skien Rotary Club Rolf got a warm and personal letter from his good friends Ed and Nancy Schafer, Governor and First Lady of North Dakota 1992 - 2000.

(In the picture: Christian Offenberg, past Governor of District 2290 and member of Skien Rotary Club, Unni Gundersen Dahl, President of Skien Rotary Club, and Rolf Haugen receiving the award).