Norman Arthur Hjelm ’53

Norm died Feb. 13, 2024, in Wynnewood, Pa.

Born in Worcester, Mass., Norm came to Princeton after graduating from Bergenfield (N.J.) Senior High School. He joined Prospect Club and majored in Religion-English. His thesis was “An Exploration of the Relationship between Modern Poetry and the Christian Faith and Church.”

Norm spent seven of the next 10 years earning degrees in theology from Augustana Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary and studying at Lund University in Sweden, where he met his wife, Ingalill. He spent a few years in parish ministry in the Chicago area but then moved to Philadelphia, where he was book editor for Fortress Press, a publisher for the Lutheran Church. Norm then spent seven years in Geneva, Switzerland, as director of communications and then as deputy general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation before returning to the United States to serve as director of the Commission on Faith and Order for the National Council of Churches in New York City. In 2009, he received an honorary doctorate from Uppsala University in Sweden in recognition of his contributions to theological scholarship. In retirement he continued to work on various editorial projects such as a three-volume history of Christianity since 1550 with a Danish colleague.

Norm’s wife, Ingalill, died in 2006. He is survived by three children, 11 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.