Thomas Evans Brittingham, Jr., continued

Tom Brittingham's vision for his family's money included the Viking Program, a scholarship program for Scandinavian students, which he began in 1952. The program's ambition was utterly unique: it aimed to provide the foreign students with an insider's perspective on American culture, as well as an educational opportunity. Students were chosen as much for their personality and character as for academic achievement, and the program provided funds for social activities in addition to tuition. Recipients were strongly encouraged to join fraternities and sororities and to travel over the school holidays.

Tom and his wife Peg were personally very involved in the program. They flew to the various countries involved to select each student in person, and maintained strong ties to the students during and after their time at Wisconsin. Of course it is impossible to determine whether the Viking program achieved its lofty goal of improving Scandinavia's appreciation and understanding of the United States. However, the students who were selected certainly benefited, and they maintained contact with the Brittinghams and each other long after leaving Wisconsin. Over the years Tom received many awards from the participating countries, including the Medal of St. Olaf from Norway.

Tom Brittingham, Jr. died unexpectedly of a heart attack while driving his car in Maryland in 1960. When news reached the former Viking scholars, they commissioned a 250-lb. Swedish rune stone, a traditional way to commemorate a lost leader; the runic inscription is translated as: "To a good friend the way is not long though he be far away". The stone rests on Muir Knoll of the UW-Madison campus. After Tom's death, the spirit of the Viking program was carried on by his son Tom Brittingham III, in the form of the Valiant Scholarship program. The Vikings also collectively demonstrated their appreciation by launching a Reverse Viking Program, in which Wisconsin students were selected to study in Scandinavia. In 1999, Tom Brittingham, Jr. was elected to Madison Magazine's list of the most influential Madisonians of the 20th Century.