Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Andersen Hulings died Saturday, March 11, 2000, at her home in Bayport, Minn. She was 85. Mrs. Hulings served for 60 years as a director of the Andersen Corporation, the window manufacturing business founded in 1903 by her grandfather, Hans Jacob Andersen. She and her husband, A.D. "Bill" Hulings, were two of Carleton College's most steadfast benefactors, and were uncommonly generous in support of the College and many other organizations throughout the Midwest.
Born on January 12, 1915, in Bayport, Mrs. Hulings grew up in the home of her uncle, Fred C. Andersen, who adopted her and her younger brother, Hugh, after their own parents died from tuberculosis when Mrs. Hulings was only five years old. She graduated high school from Ferry Hall in Lake Forest, Ill., and went on to Carleton College, where she received a B.A. degree in zoology.
It was in a science class at Carleton that Mrs. Hulings met her husband, Bill, a biology student and fellow 1936 graduate of the College. In 1937, Bill began his career at Andersen Corporation as a lumber unloader and Betty began her service as a member of the board, a position she held until 1997.
Bill and Betty were married May 20, 1938, and had two daughters, Mary and Martha. Bill spent his entire career with Andersen, rising to become president of the company in 1968 and chief executive officer in 1975. He served in that role until 1993. He preceded Mrs. Hulings in death in March of 1994.
Always the adventurer, Mrs. Hulings celebrated her college graduation by touring Europe for five months with her college roommate in a '36 Ford, witnessing firsthand many of the political changes that immediately preceded World War II. In later life, she accompanied her husband on sailing junkets to many of the most remote parts of the world; these and many other exploits are recounted in her memoir, Through the Window, published privately a few years before her death.
Together, Bill and Betty formed an extraordinary portrait of generosity and exemplified a unique, strong, and quiet commitment to stewardship. As noted in her memoir, the couple lived by the philosophy, "From those to whom much has been given, much shall be required." (Luke 12:48)
The Hulings were especially active in support of the arts and education and their philanthropic legacy includes being founders of the Bayport Foundation and the MAHADH Foundation (now the MAHADH Fund of the HRK Foundation).
The Hulings were particularly dedicated to supporting Carleton College, as well as many other educational institutions. Bill served as a trustee of the College for 27 years and Betty served on the Board from 1988 to 1990. She also served a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Carleton Alumni Association.
"It is almost impossible for me to think of Carleton without thinking of Betty Hulings," said President Stephen R. Lewis, Jr. "She exemplified so much of the best of Carleton and we sought to emulate her many attributes-generosity of spirit, playful sense of humor, concern for others, delight in the wonders of the wider world, enjoyment of music and art, commitment to helping young people realize their dreams, and personal modesty. And, it is no exaggeration to say that Carleton would not be the College it is today without the gifts-of talent, time, and substance-Betty and Bill made over their lifetimes. Betty's passing is truly the end of an era."
In 1956, the Hulings received Carleton's Alumni Achievement Award and in 1989, they each were awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. That same year, Mrs. Hulings received a doctorate of public service from Northland College in Ashland, Wis.
The Hulings were given the William Carleton Medal in 1993 in recognition of their extraordinary support of Carleton, and their names are inscribed on Carleton's Founders Court, which is a permanent tribute to those whose personal philanthropy built and continues to sustain the College. Hulings Hall, Carleton's biological sciences building, is named in their honor.
Mrs. Hulings was an active supporter of the Girl Scouts and was the first president of the St. Croix Valley branch of the American Association of University Women. She was an honorary board member of the Plymouth Music Series of Minnesota.
Mrs. Hulings is survived by her daughters, Mary Rice of Bayfield, Wis., a 1962 Carleton graduate, and Martha Kaemmer (Arthur) of St. Paul, Minn., a 1966 Carleton graduate and current trustee of the College; and four grandchildren: Mary Elizabeth "Molly" Rice of Marine on St. Croix; and Katherine D. Rice, a 1992 Carleton graduate, Frederick C. Kaemmer (Kate Tilney), and Julia Kaemmer Hynnek (Eric), a 1995 Carleton graduate, all of St. Paul.
A memorial service is planned for Monday, March 20, 2000, at 4 p.m. at People's Congregational Church, 293 North Third Street, Bayport, Minn., 651-439-5667. The family, in lieu of flowers, suggests memorials to Carleton College and People's Congregational Church.
To accommodate the many friends who may be unable to attend the March 20th memorial service to share their condolences with the family, a musical tribute is being planned to take place in the coming months to celebrate Mrs. Hulings' life and love of music.