2010 Annual Report

Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library Annual Report 2010 NORWEGIAN AMERICAN GENEALOGICAL CENTER , I NC . 2010 A NNUAL REPORT GREETING FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS My board colleagues and I offer our gratitude to the growing constituency who supported NAGC & NL during 2010, a year of important accomplishments and well-deserved recognition. Throughout this period, our membership, board, staff, volunteers, and many friends have all contributed greatly to our success. In late August, the Norwegian Government and H.M. Harald V, King of Norway, recognized Blaine Hedberg’s lifelong contri - butions by awarding Blaine the St. Olav Medal. The citation described his “…active works to promote knowledge and appreci - ation of Norwegian culture and history in the United States, especially in the Upper Midwest, through involvement, leadership, and professional genealogical research with the Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library.” This fitting commendation recognizes the lasting contributions that Blaine has made, most recently in his continuing role as Naeseth Chair for Research and Publication. 2010 also witnessed several milestone accomplishments for our organization. Our endowments continued to grow. Our mem - berships also grew; income from membership now provides a healthy 24 percent of our annual operating budget. During the four years of our independent existence, our membership participation in the annual fund has also grown from a solid ten per - cent to an enviable sixteen percent response rate. Tribute gifts have nearly tripled, and memorials have doubled. We are pleased and honored to include the recognition and thanks for these memorials and tributes for 2010 in this report. All our members agree that their memorial and tribute gifts are highly appropriate ways to support an institution that discovers, shares, and pre - serves family histories and heritage. We are particularly grateful to the many individuals and families who are adding to and building up the memorial funds for their ancestors here each year. Over eleven percent of our membership has also now joined in one of the higher annual dues categories, which we call the philanthropic member levels. We urge all readers of this annual report to consider joining in this groundswell of annual membership support by renewing at one of the higher levels, providing much-needed funding for our mission through membership dues. With thanks, we list our Supporter and Contributor members here for the first time. During 2010, two important research accomplishments stand out. The first is the completion of the computer scanning for the Gerhard Naeseth and NAGC correspondence files, capturing these records for future generations. Thanks to the earlier (2009) generous and thoughtful donations from Louise Naeseth Hubbard and Barbara and Eric Greenfeldt, this unique archive cover - ing nearly six decades of research can now be regularly consulted by our staff as a vital aide to current research. During the same time, long-planned consultations and much hard work resulted in the late August launch of the new online database subscrip - tion service. While work continues on building and augmenting these databases, their availability to the public through our mem - bership program is a notable event in our organizational history. This has been made possible by a bequest from Harriet M. Hustvedt and by funds from the Gerhard and Milma Naeseth Charitable Foundation. We mourn the deaths of Professor Carl Loper and collector-philanthropist Dean Madden, both eminent friends who will be greatly missed. Three dedicated board members retired from active service at the end of 2010. Audrey Dybdahl, Phil Dybdahl, and Don Hoganson were crucial to these first years of our independent existence. We are fortunate to maintain their service as they participate on our Advisory Council. Beginning board service at the end of 2010 were Eric Greenfeldt, Anne Veslemøy Lind - blom, and Paul Larson. Anne is the Honorary Consul of Norway in Wisconsin, and at the center of the Norwegian-American community in the Madison area. Eric is the retired associate librarian of the Princeton (New Jersey) Public Library and brings over thirty years of professional library experience. Paul is the retired co-director of the Mohs Surgery Clinic at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and is a valuable member of the NAGC & NL Madison-area Friends’ committee. Board member David J. Hardy, who has long been a leading advocate for this organization, made three meaningful 2010 dona - tions, including support for operations and the publication of an issue of “Norwegian Tracks.” An additional generous Hardy gift added to a fund he created earlier, a most important “quasi-endowment” that is invested for future operating needs. This thoughtful Hardy contribution, as well as the many gifts, large and small, from many sources and hundreds of members, remind us once again of the diverse and wonderful investments – financial gifts and grants, volunteer time, gifts-in-kind, and member - ships from all parts of the country and from Norway, Canada, and Japan – that help make this organization the leading resource for Norwegian and Norwegian-American genealogy and family history. Your generosity is vital, and we are very grateful to all who contributed in 2010. Dan F. Huebner Chairman - 2 - MESSAGE FROM THE NAESETH CHAIR FOR GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH & P UBLICATION As a genealogical research institution, NAGC has been in operation for nearly thirty-six years. This is the report on our opera - tions during the year 2010. 2010 marked the release of phase two of our website branded with the same graphics as found in our newsletter, Norwegian Tracks . The highlight of phase two was the release of hundreds of thousands of names and vital records from Norwegian- American cemetery records, Norwegian-American church records, census records, Norwegian emigration lists, and other sources. We are delighted with all the updates that our members have shared for these databases. On April 18, 2010, we brought together 165 members and friends for a Madison-area Friends’ dinner and fundraising event. Consul General of Norway in New York, Sissel Breie, gave a lively presentation on her activities. She spoke of her interest in genealogy and the Naeseth Library. NAGC is very grateful to Owen and Naomi Bekkum for taking a leadership role in sponsoring this event. Event co-chairs Ann and David Nelson also helped with sponsorship, and made all feel welcome. The NAGC Advisory Council met on April 19th at Clotho Business Solutions in Madison. The Council, among the first to see the initial draft of phase two of the online database offering, made many suggestions. An update of the 2009 “project plan” out - lining eleven genealogical projects ranging from developing extensive Norwegian immigrant lists from 1851-1860; completing the transcription of Norwegians in the 1850, 1860 and 1880 US census records; purchasing and preparing guides to Norwegian local history ( bygdebøker ); digitization of the NAGC correspondence files; and preparing indexes to Norwegian-American church records was also presented. Several of our long time volunteers, Richard Nelson, Don Ross, Arne Gausmann, and Joanne Harris, are continuing work on tran - scribing and indexing projects aimed at adding more detail to the online databases. We are grateful for their years of dedicated service. Our organization enjoys the support of many other dedicated volunteers who give of their time and talents for the good of the NAGC & NL and its members. We owe each of our volunteers a debt of gratitude, whether they are indexing records, filing census information, mowing the grass, or entering information into new databases An important activity of our mission during the past year was conducting and attending outreach events. It is at these events NAGC & NL staff are able to spread the message about the organization and the work we carry out on a daily basis. I attended 24 outreach events, including the Skogfjorden Genealogy Seminar in Bemidji, Minnesota; Norway Day in San Francisco; Syttende Mai in Stoughton, Wisconsin; Sons of Norway gatherings in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin; several bygdelag meetings; and an extensive outreach visit to Texas. We encourage you to watch Norwegian Tracks for a complete listing of upcoming events. My thanks and gratitude are extended to the Board of Directors for their continued loyalty and support of the organization and staff. The Board’s confidence, conviction, and support of an independent Norwegian-American genealogical center in Madison, Wisconsin, helps to ensure our organization’s very existence. We thank each of you for your past encouragement and many con - tributions to our growth and development. Blaine Hedberg Naeseth Chair for Genealogical Research & Publication - 3 - BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dan F. Huebner, Decorah, Iowa, Chairman Lowell Olberg, Wheaton, Illinois, Vice Chairman Robert W. Anderson, Verona, Wisconsin, Treasurer David Johansen, Iowa, City, Iowa, Secretary Verlyn Anderson, Moorhead, Minnesota Audrey Dybdahl, Madison, Wisconsin (retired Deccember 2010) Philip Dybdahl, Madison, Wisconsin (retired December 2010) Eric Greenfeldt, Princeton, New Jersey (elected December 2010) Jon Grinde, Madison, Wisconsin David J. Hardy, Palatine, Illinois Blaine Hedberg, Reedsburg, Wisconsin Donald C. Hoganson, Wheaton, Illinois (retired December 2010) C. Marvin Lang, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Paul Larson, Waunakee, Wisconsin (elected December 2010)

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