Norse Club records

Collection

Identifier: IWA0845

Staff Only
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Scope and Contents

The Norse Club records date from 1930-2009 and measure 18 linear inches. The records are arranged in two series: Administrative Records and General.

The Administrative records include histories of the club, minutes beginning in 1946, treasurerer's reports dating from the 1950s to the early 1990s, and membership lists and programs. Information about the founding and early years of the club can be found in the red 1937-1977 scrapbook in the General series. Also included are questionnaires sent to the club by historian Odd Lovell, a short essay by Terry Tonneson about her Norwegian heritage, and a portion of member Audrey Jordahl's autobiography that concerns her childhood and her service in the WAVES.

The General series consists primarily of information about Norwegian history and culture that were used for presentations at Norse Club meetings. Also included are obituaries of members, photographs, and four scrapbooks that contain photographs, newspaper clippings, and other material by and about the club.

Dates

Creation: 1930-2009

Creator

Norse Club (Iowa City, Iowa) (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

The records are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to the University of Iowa.

However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

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.