Biography

The Iowa City Norse Club was begun in 1937 by Trudy and Oscar Nybakken. The Nybakkens wanted to celebrate their heritage with other Norwegian descendants but knew of only one Norwegian couple in Iowa City. In order to recruit club members, the Nybakkens went through the phone book and called people with Norwegian sounding names. They found about twenty couples this way and had a get to know each other meeting on Syttende Mai (May 17th), the celebration of Norwegian independence. They formalized the club, chose officers, and began meeting regularly. The Norse Club originally consisted mostly of males. During World War II, it became a women's group, but reverted to allowing members of both sexes by the 1960s. The club made it a tradition to celebrate their Norwegian heritage through music, food, humor, and friendship, with smorgasbords on Syttende Mai and at Christmas. Members presented speeches on Norwegian history, dress, food, and other topics. During World War II, citizens of Iowa City and members of the Norse Club sent care packages of food to Norway; Norse Club members were called upon to translate thank you letters received from Norwegians. When Norwegian students came to study at the University of Iowa after the war, Norse Club members invited the students into their homes.

Found in 1 Collection or Record: