Torch Alumni Magazine 2026 Feature Story: Les Nielsen 1958

We feel blessed to be able to support the school and its students as my education at the Northwest School was motivation to continue to be successful

To come from a place where you valued your upbringing, education, career path, and family so much that you wanted to give back and make a difference for others is just part of what makes Northwest School of Agriculture alumnus Les Nielsen 1958 extraordinarily special. His support of the former high school, now university, has taken the leap from impactful to immeasurable, and the same exemplary hands-on learning he received will continue in students for years to come.

Nielsen grew up in a loving home in northwestern Minnesota where reading and studying were encouraged, and farm help was expected. When it came time to go to school, he and his siblings were drawn from their farm in Euclid to the residential agricultural high school in Crookston, which was built to provide accessible practical education for families like theirs. Nielsen and three of his brothers attended the Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA) and three of the four went on to receive degrees from the University of Minnesota.

What Nielsen got out of the NWSA was far beyond the typical educational experience.

"I always had a good feeling being there, the camaraderie with the other students, and the school staff being so accommodating," shared Nielsen. "All the activities and achievements from the Northwest School gave me the confidence and direction that I needed."

"I went my first two years and rode with the neighbors to school, then I had to drop out to work before I could go back and finish," he admitted. "The school provided me with some work opportunities when I returned so I could stay at the dorms."

At the NWSA, Nielsen was involved with swimming and the cross-country track team, and he was on the "Aggie" board. The same year he graduated, Nielsen married the love of his life, June Lien, and they moved to Minneapolis where he was offered a job at a silo construction business run by one of his former history and English professors, Clint Bergman. Nielsen worked in the summers and took classes at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in the off season to earn his bachelor's degree in finance and accounting. During that time, he was also a member of the Minnesota National Guard.

Following his degree work, Nielsen's career propelled into company ownership with Herc-U-Lift, a business started in 1968 with his lifelong friend, Gene Ellingson, which grew from four people to over 250 team members and 11 branches in five states. Les and June worked side-by-side at Herc-U-Lift for decades, and had the privilege of raising two boys, Mitch and Randy Brian. In 1989, tragedy struck as Mitch was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Working through heavy hearts, the Nielsens found ways to honor Mitch's memory and their family by giving back and offering opportunities to others. Les and June were active in their church in Plymouth, serving on its committees and council, and Les served as a member of various boards like the Maple Plain Chamber of Commerce, Maple Plain Housing & Economic Development Authority, Village Ranch Boys Home, National Trade Association, and UMN Crookston College Advisory Committee, now known as the Campus Advisory and Advancement Board. In the 1990s, the Nielsens started scholarships on the Crookston campus to help advance the next generation of students. Today, the generosity from those scholarships has impacted over 100 students and their lives are forever changed.

"Our rural and regional roots made our decision to give to the university and support students easy, as a culmination of gratitude for our lives well lived," shared Nielsen at the 2016 lobby dedication of the newly constructed UMN Crookston Wellness Center. "We named the lobby in memory of Mitch, and, in many ways, he lives on through you - the students."

The Nielsens have remained philanthropic with UMN Crookston over the years, giving their first large gift toward the construction of the student-focused wellness center as well as the continuation of important scholarships including a full tuition scholarship for students living in the rural communities of Red Lake Falls, Grygla, Clearbrook, Gonvick, Goodridge, and Euclid, where he and June have family ties. In 2026, it was announced the University received its largest gift in history from Les and the Nielsen family - $6.2 million. As a way to honor the family, UMN Crookston dedicated its wellness center entirely to them and renamed the state-of-the-art facility as the Nielsen Family Wellness Center.

The dedication event included a celebration for the Nielsen family and new building name reveal, a heartfelt program with special guest speakers like the president of the University of Minnesota Foundation, UMN executive vice president and provost, Crookston chancellor, and a Nielsen student scholarship recipient; ribbon cutting and reception with interactive stations and Nielsen Family Wellness Center branded giveaways, a special dinner, and the "key" to the wellness center and a lifetime membership given to Les and Brian.

"It is truly amazing to see how a person's extreme generosity can make such an impact on so many others," said student scholarship recipient Lexi Swendra during her dedication event speech. "On behalf of all the student scholarship recipients, we are forever thankful for your generosity and thank you for the lasting impact you have made on all our lives."

Creating significant impact on the lives of fellow citizens through professional and service contributions through occupation, community, church, education, and other areas led Nielsen to receive the UMN Crookston 'Torch & Shield' award in 2001 and the 'Top Aggie' award at the NWSA annual reunion in 2003. He has also remained close with classmates and the campus by attending annual events like the NWSA reunion, alumni socials in Arizona, and gatherings with staff near the Twin Cities where he resides.

From the beginning, Nielsen says it was opportunities like growing up on a farm, receiving a fine education from the NWSA and University of Minnesota, working and studying hard, and developing a successful career that made everything possible, and what led he and June to want to give back.

"We feel blessed to be able to support the school and its students as my education at the Northwest School was motivation to continue to be successful," shared Les. "Our journey includes many incredible experiences and a beautiful family, and all these many things led June and I to share our blessings with the University of Minnesota Crookston, and especially the students."

"We hoped that students who may otherwise not attend college (would) especially consider the U of M Crookston, which we feel is a gem of a school and has cornerstone of importance in this region, and they would say yes to education and become the next generation of skilled and motivated workforce," he added. "Maybe you will start your own business like Gene and I did - working hard and creating lasting, loyal relationships can turn a penniless farm kid into a person who can share their life and love of education through philanthropy."

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