Founder, Fox Valley Folklore Society
President of the Aural Tradition Folk Music Society
Founding member, The City of Lights Ukulele Society
On November 13th, 1946, Juel Ulven was born on a rural farm in Moorhead, Minnesota. At 17, he joined the United States Navy, where he attended school for radar and electronics, and discovered the folk music that would shape his life’s work. While deployed aboard the USS Nicholas (DD-449) in Pearl Harbor, he embraced the powerful folk revival of the 1960’s, inspired by artists whose music reflected storytelling, tradition, and social consciousness. “I was unknowingly exposed to folk music as a child, when my mother and uncle would sing songs in English and Norwegian to me. But I became ‘infected’ during my time in the Navy, where I discovered a friend’s record collection with albums by Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and more,” Ulven noted.
After graduating from college in Milwaukee, WI in 1969, Ulven began a distinguished 33-year career as an engineer with Bell Labs, and settled in Aurora In 1970. In 1975, he founded the Fox Valley Folklore Society (FVFS), and is widely recognized as the father of the organization. Under his leadership, FVFS became a cornerstone of the region’s cultural life, presenting more than 4,000 folklife events, including the Fox Valley Folk Music and Storytelling Festival (Illinois’ largest folk music festival), barn dances, concerts, storytelling gatherings, sea shanty sings, and weekly song circles.
During COVID-19, Ulven combined his engineering expertise with his passion for music, transforming his home into a virtual production space and guiding artists and audiences into the digital realm, ensuring the community remained connected. An avid collector of folklore literature and folk instruments, he became passionate about restoring well-loved instruments, and spent much of his retirement working at Cremer Guitarworks, repairing intricate inlays, replacing knobs and frets, and restoring instruments to their prime. Ulven also served as president of the Aural Tradition Folk Music Society, and helped found The City of Lights Ukulele Society and Festival.
Diagnosed in September 2019 with stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma linked to Agent Orange exposure during his naval service, Ulven faced his illness with resilience and advocacy. Juel Ulven passed away on August 19, 2022. The Fox Valley Folk Society continues to flourish as it approaches its 50th anniversary - an enduring testament to his vision, leadership, and lasting legacy in the folk arts community.