John Ydstie

Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame
2008 Inductee

In his roles as correspondent, host, editor and producer for National Public Radio, journalist John Ydstie has devoted his career to bringing the world and its events to millions of Americans. Ydstie has been with NPR since 1979, the Concordia College Graduate who grew up in Wolford, ND and moved on to become senior editor on NPR’s Washington Desk, overseeing coverage of the federal government, politics and economics. His next beat was Europe, where he covered, among other things, the breakup of the Soviet Union. Ydstie is now applying his reporting and interview skills as a roving national correspondent. Ydstie, who is of Norwegian descent, is married to Mary Jo Vrem. They live in suburban Washington, DC and have two grown daughters. He was presented by John Harris, Prairie Public Broadcasting president and CEO.