Abner Selvig

Abner Selvig, 93, of Fargo, ND, died Sunday, July 25, 2010, at Waterford in Fargo. Abner Oswald Selvig was born in Fargo, North Dakota, attended Fargo Public Schools and graduated from Fargo Central High School. He graduated from NDSU in 1940, served in World War II with the Red Cross as a field director in military welfare and the US Coast Guard. Abner married Anne Lontz on January 9th, 1943 in her grandmother’s house on 8th Street. For most of his life, Abner was a salesman but the product he liked to sell most was North Dakota State University, or the “AC” as it was known at the time. His sales career started with KDAL radio station in Duluth, Minnesota where he was in radio sales and later Sales Manager. He later was employed by Kellogg’s Cereal Company and did both sales and display advertising. In 1947, Ab joined what was then known as the Fargo Foundry Company where he started in equipment sales and later became the Sales Manager of their oil equipment division. When the “Foundry” discontinued their oil and farm related products in 1960, he went back to the broadcast industry where he joined KXJB television and KXGO radio and was the Sales Manager for both divisions. In 1965 he accepted an offer to join Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Dakota as Sales Manager and three years later became Vice President of Public Relations and Advertising where he worked until his retirement in 1992. Abner’s past business and community activities included: President of the NDSU Alumni Association, lifetime member of the NDSU Development Foundation, lifetime member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity and was also one of the founders of NDSU’s Team Makers. Other organizations included the FM Opera Company, the Minn-Kota chapter of the Red Cross, the Fargo Chamber of Commerce, Fargo Moorhead Sales Executives and the board of trustees of the First Presbyterian Church. Ab was also the past Chairman of the Western Conference of Pre-Paid Medical Plans, past Chairman of the Great Lakes Region of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, past President of the Fargo Moorhead Advertising Club, Director at-large of the “Keep ND Clean” committee as well as a member of the Greater North Dakota Association advisory committee. Abner was also the Governor of the American Advertising Federation, the first person from North Dakota to hold that office. He also served as a member of the legislative committee of the ND Associated General Contractors. Abner’s love of NDSU will be remembered by all who knew him and he and Anne followed the Bison to many of the away football games as well as all of the home games. Ab would skip his own funeral if he knew he could attend a football game. Abner is survived by his two sons David (Bonnie) and Chris (Kay) and his sister Doris Flaming. He also has six grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents Olaf and Thora Selvig, his wife Anne and his daughter Judy. Funeral Service: Friday, July 30, 2010, at 2:00 PM, at First Presbyterian Church, Fargo, ND. Visitation: One hour prior to the service at the church. Burial: Riverside Cemetery, Fargo, ND.