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On March 30^th, 1965, Brian Nielsen was killed in a motorcycle-truck accident. Nielsen was a freshman at Grand View and the son of the former GV president, Dr. Ernest Nielsen.

At GV’s library, there is a large stained-glass window that is on the front of the building. It gives the interior of the library a more church-like feel, due to the red and yellow areas of the window. 

The window was placed on the library in honor of Nielsen and it was made as a gift for president Nielsen and his wife, Frances Nielsen.

President Nielsen worked from 1952-1972; he continued his presidency after his son died. He is also the longest serving president in GV’s history, lasting 20 years. Nielsen Hall, a dorm on campus, was named after him. 

            The current library was finished in 1968 along with the stained-glass window. The old library was located on the first floor of the Humphrey Center, near where the admissions office is now.

            The image on the window is of Jesus Christ. Below the image of Jesus, there is a quote from Colossians 1:17 that states, “In Him All Things Cohere.” It was also designed to be abstract in nature.

The window itself was designed in New York City by a company called Rambusch Decorating Company. The leader of the company, Mr. Harold W. Rambusch, supervised the construction of the window and is responsible for the artistic elements of it. Both President Nielsen and his wife described what they wanted the window to express.

“We want the window in some artistic way to give emphasis to what has been the historical outlook of the school,” said Dr. Nielsen, quoted from a brochure located at the library.

Stephen Bridges was the artist that was behind the design of the window, and he was also one of the leading stained-glass designers at the time. He was also president of the Stained-Glass Association of America from 1968-1970.

“The figure of Christ in the window is somewhat abstract. One has to almost study the window to find it. Such abstraction tends to improve the balance of the design, and people seem to benefit more from a representation if it requires an effort to see the design,” Rambusch said, according to the brochure.

The inscription, “In Him All Things Cohere,” is done in gold on an opaque glass in a manner that it can be read from both sides. This is the first time such a procedure has ever been attempted.

Bridges also mentioned that the abstract nature of the window leaves the spectator with nothing to do except accept or reject it as a work of art.

In a personal letter to President Nielsen, Bridges wrote, “It is good to know that the window has been favorably received. For whatever good there is in it I give you the credit. The vision of what it should be and say, was yours.”

There is a book in the library called The Grand View College Reader, which has a short section on page 28 about the stained-glass window. This brochure is available for checkout. The brochure is located in the archives of the library, which was the main source of information here.

Ten students around GV’s campus were asked if they knew what the stained-glass window was in honor of and no one knew. Most of the respondents did not give an answer as to what the image in the window was of, but a few of the responses were an angel, a saint or some kind of savior.