Sonia (Smedstad) Ozbun was born in Starbuck, MN where she grew up on a dairy farm. She attended Starbuck High School and after graduation, she went on to Concordia College in Moorhead, MN for a year. Sonja was employed by North Dakota State University (NDSU) where she worked in the Business Office from 1957-1959. Her employment at NDSU provided the chance to meet her future husband, Jim Ozbun. The two were married in 1959 upon completion of Jim's B.S. degree. After Jim completed his master's at NDSU in 1961, they moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where Jim completed his doctorate at North Carolina State. Their next move was to Cornell University in Ithaca, NY (1964-1976), then the University of Minnesota (1976-1981), Kansas State (1981-1982), and Washington State University (1982-1988). They returned to North Dakota when Jim became President of NDSU in May of 1988.
From the description of Sonja Ozbun papers, 1988-1995. (North Dakota State University Library). WorldCat record id: 676694616
