BOMBER MEMORIAL

AGNETA KRISTINA BJORKLUND STRAND ~ Class of 1962
September 12, 1943 - September 24, 2007





Agneta Kristina Björklund was born on September 12, 1943, in Råda, Skaraborg (Västra Götaland), Sverige (Sweden). Her parents were Sven Paul Björklund and Ebba Kristina Eriksson.

She was a Foreign Exchange Student from Sweden and graduated with the Class of 1962 from Richland's Columbia High School. Agneta was a able to come to Col-Hi due to the efforts of the International Christian Youth Exchange.

"This year with you has been the most wonderful and unforgettable year I have ever experienced. It has enriched my life, and I have learned to understand and appreciate your way of life, your culture and national background. I have gotten to know the United States and come to love it and its wonderful people.

My American family, the Johnstons, has opened their home and hearts to me and made me feel like a part of their family, Carole, my sister, is one of the most wonderful girls I have ever known. A few months after my arrival in Richland I stopped being a tourist, and the American way of life became my way. I was no longer looking on and watching--I was participating. This inside picture an exchange student gets of another country is to me of the greatest value, as I believe that understanding between different nations is very important. I hope that this year, I have been something of a personification of the need for world understanding and international consciousness.

My greatest hope for the future is to come back to the United States and Richland.

Thank you for all you have done for me to make this year such a marvelous experience."

Agneta passed away on September 24, 2007.

Bomber Memorial put together by Maren SMYTH ('63 & '64) and edited by Shirley COLLINGS Haskins ('66).