A Hollywood actor, a best-selling author and a former U.S. Secret Service agent will be honored with induction into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame at its annual awards banquet Sept. 26 in Minot.
The SAHF is a signature event of Norsk Hostfest, which takes place Sept. 25-29.
Clint Hill is a former United States Secret Service agent who, over the course of his career, served Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. He was in the motorcade in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, assigned to protect First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, when President Kennedy was assassinated. He is credited with saving Mrs. Kennedy's life. After rising through the ranks of the Secret Service, Hill retired in 1975 as assistant director, responsible for all protective forces. His experiences during his assignment to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy are chronicled in a best-selling book he co-authored, "Mrs. Kennedy and Me."
Actor Josh Duhamel has established himself as one of Hollywood's leading men. He has made his mark in both television and film with roles in the long-running daytime drama "All My Children," the series "Las Vegas," and such films as the blockbuster "Transformers" series, "Life as We Know It," and the upcoming "Safe Haven." When his hometown of Minot was hit by a catastrophic flood in 2011, Duhamel used his fame to lend a hand to the community he still considers home by organizing a benefit concert headlined by the band The Black-Eyed Peas. The event raised $1.3 million for flood relief.
Award-winning and best-selling author Lauraine Snelling has published 70 titles since 1982, among them popular historical fiction series revolving around Norwegian immigration and inspired by her own heritage. Writing about real issues within a compelling story is a hallmark of Snelling's style, also shown in her contemporary romance and women's fiction, which probe issues of forgiveness, loss, domestic violence and cancer. Norsk Hostfest is a natural venue for Snelling and she has participated for many years in the bookstore there, where her volumes are top sellers.
This year's banquet takes place at the Holiday Inn Riverside, with a social hour at 6 p.m. followed by dinner and awards at 7 p.m. The event is open to the public, with tickets $45 per person. Tickets can be purchased online at (hostfest.com) or by calling the Hostfest office at 852-2368.