Grand Forks woman honored with city's Griggs Award

Contributed By Pamela Knudson Today at 7:15 AM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? GRAND FORKS – Sandy Slater has been selected to receive the 2026 Griggs Award from the Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission. Slater, of Grand Forks, will be honored during the City Council meeting Monday, Nov. 16, at City Hall. ADVERTISEMENT The Alexander Griggs Award is given to an individual who has enhanced the historical perspective and maintained the historical heritage of the city of Grand Forks. Named for Captain Alexander Griggs, the city’s founding father, the award recognizes exceptional personal efforts to preserve Grand Forks’ built and cultural history. The names of the award recipients are engraved onto a permanent plaque that is displayed outside the Council Chambers, said Susan Caraher, coordinator of the Grand Forks Preservation Commission. The plaque includes the names of the original five award recipients. Slater recently retired after 38 years as a member of the commission, making her the longest-serving volunteer member. She worked in the UND Department of Special Collections from 1985 until her retirement in 2007 as head of the department. “Her institutional knowledge and decades of work are incalculable,” Caraher wrote in a statement about Slater's contributions to historic preservation. Slater received the award Nov. 5 at her Grand Forks home. The award and a gift from the Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission was presented to her by Mayor Brandon Bochenski; Chuck Flemmer, the commission’s chairman; and Curt Hanson, commission member and head of UND Special Collections. Bochenski presented her with the framed award certificate; Flemmer gave her a watercolor painting of her house by Larry Bannick of East Grand Forks. “I especially appreciated (Slater’s) work on the Preservation Commission after the flood (of ‘97),” said Gordon Iseminger, longtime commission member and UND Chester Frtiz Distinguished Professor in history. “And after the flood, the commission was a thorn in the side of almost every agency you could think of. We were resisted by the Corps of Engineers and FEMA and private developers and members of the City Council (who felt) this was a wonderful opportunity for several agencies and developers to clear out all that old historical stuff and start all over again brand new. …" ADVERTISEMENT Iseminger appreciated Slater the most, he said, “because she was an archivist and so she could find the records, maps and documents and whatever we needed for our meetings about a building or an area downtown. “We lost an awful lot in the flood and part of it was because of the flood and fire, but also because these agencies wanted to get rid of stuff. For example, we lost the Northern Pacific Railroad bridge,” Iseminger said. “I credit us for saving the Metropolitan downtown, because developers wanted that and they were going to tear it down and build high-rise, luxury apartments. That’s where I really appreciated Sandy. “First of all, she had the information, she had the archives. But also Sandy had a way about her; she was passionate about historic preservation, she was passionate about history and about preserving documents and anything about the past.” Not only did she have the information and the passion, but “she could pin a person to the wall with her eyes,” Iseminger said. “When we would have meetings with some of the heads of these agencies or members of the City Council, it was as if she had just skewered them and they could wiggle, but she wouldn’t let them go. She just kept her eyes on them.” Slater also had “a way of asking questions – they were sharp, they were penetrating,” Iseminger said. “She was relentless in pressing these people and defending why we wanted to save something.” “I always valued her on the commission, but it was especially true just after the flood …,” he said. “That there is as much historic stuff downtown as there is, is because of the commission because we had to fight for every square inch.” The first Griggs awards were given to four recipients in 1986, Caraher said. ADVERTISEMENT The award is generally given on an annual basis, but only if a worthy recipient is identified and voted on by members of the Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission, she said. Before this year, Gregory Vettel, Sr., was the last recipient. He received the award in 2024. Slater, who joined the commission in 1988 as archivist, was appointed vice chair in 1999 in the aftermath of the Flood of ‘97. That was “a time when the commission was doing a lot of heavy lifting to save and preserve our historic buildings and neighborhoods,” Caraher wrote in a formal statement. Slater worked in the UND Department of Special Collections, housed in the Chester Fritz Library, from 1985 until her retirement in 2007 as head of the department. Read more Valley Senior Living premieres docuseries to support workforce recruitment 14h ago Northern Valley Youth Orchestras fall concert set for Sunday 1d ago Grand Forks school district expands career exploration opportunities for middle school students 1d ago Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags HISTORY GRAND FORKS HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION By Pamela Knudson Pamela Knudson is a features and arts/entertainment writer for the Grand Forks Herald. She has worked for the Herald since 2011 and has covered a wide variety of topics, including the latest performances in the region and health topics. Pamela can be reached at [email protected] or (701) 780-1107. 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