Joseph "George" Norby was born in Paulina, Iowa on February 24, 1924 to Joe and Amy (Shook) Norby. His first job was as a type - setter for ads at the Ireton Ledger in Iowa. George worked as well for the Hawarden Independent in Iowa and then later for the Wishek Star in North Dakota. Before moving to Brookings, SD in 1952 he worked for a time at a commercial printing shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
While in Brookings; George worked at Harold's Printing and Advertiser and at Hauff Printing. George began working at the Brookings Register in September 1970. Here he worked as a pressman, camera man and news compositor until his retirement in February 1986. He continued to work part time at the Register for another five years. On May 29, 1953 George married Evelyn Marie Pederson in Sinai, South Dakota. They have two children; Diana Norby–Munger and David Norby. Evelyn Norby was born on August 6, 1932 in Sinai, South Dakota to John and Emma (Thompson) Pederson. Evelyn graduated from Sinai High School in 1950. She worked for many years at the Brookings Laundry and as a motel housekeeper from 1955 – 1982. Evelyn also worked from 1982 – 1986 at the Brookings Register as a custodian.
Beginning around 1965 when the old Register building was torn down George and Evelyn begin to collect photographs and newspapers, some dating back to 1890. Their collection began to grow over the years and soon many knew of the collection.
The Norby's were active members in many Brookings area organizations and clubs. George was a member of the Odd Fellows and on the County Museum Board of Directors. Evelyn was greatly involved with the First Lutheran Church in the First Lutheran Church Women, the Church Library Committee and the quilting group. She was also a member of the Brookings Genealogical Society. Evelyn also volunteered at the Agricultural Heritage Museum at South Dakota State University.
Both were involved with the Rebekah Lodge, Brookings Area CB Club, Brookings County Historical Society and members of the First Lutheran Church. Both were given the "South Dakota Preservationist of the Year" award for 1998. Evelyn Norby died in Sioux Falls, SD on May 8, 2002. George Norby died on September 11, 2003 at the age of 79.
The Norby collections is composed mainly of Brookings, S.D. area newspapers and photographs. Also included is collections of databases compiled by George Norby related to the city of Brookings with a small amount of information covering Brookings County and South Dakota.
| Source of Acquisition |
The George and Evelyn Norby Collection was donated by David Norby and Diana Norby-Munger in September 2003. |
| Conditions Governing Access |
This collection is open to research. Items in the Archives do not circulate and may be used in-house only. Researchers are asked to make an advance appointment to access archival material. Due to limited staffing, we are unable to identify, locate, and retrieve requested materials on a walk-in basis. Please call or e-mail prior to visiting the collection and indicate as much detail as possible about a particular topic and intended use. South Dakota State University supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted as a result of their fragile condition or by contractual agreements with donors. |
| Copyright Information |
Copyright restrictions apply in different ways to different materials. Many of the documents and other historical materials in the Archives are in the public domain and may be reproduced and used in any way. There are other materials in the Archive carrying a copyright interest and must be used according to the provisions of Title 17 of the U.S. Code. The Archive issues a warning concerning copyright restrictions to every researcher who requests copies of documents. Although the copyright law is under constant redefinition in the courts, it is ultimately the responsibility of the researcher to properly use copyrighted material. |
| Preferred Citation |
The George and Evelyn Norby Collection, South Dakota State University Archives and Hilton M. Briggs Library Special Collections. |
