Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Joseph “George” Norby was born on February 24, 1924, in Paulina, Iowa, to Joe and Amy (Shook) Norby. He began his career as a typesetter for advertisements at the Ireton Ledger in Iowa and later worked for the Hawarden Independent in Iowa and the Wishek Star in North Dakota. Prior to moving to Brookings, South Dakota, in 1952, Norby was employed at a commercial printing shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
After relocating to Brookings, Norby worked at Harold’s Printing and Advertiser and at Hauff Printing. He began employment with the Brookings Register in September 1970, where he served as a pressman, cameraman, and news compositor until his retirement in February 1986. He continued to work part time at the Register for an additional five years.
On May 29, 1953, Norby married Evelyn Marie Pederson in Sinai, South Dakota. They had 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. She graduated from Sinai High School in 1950 and worked for many years at the Brookings Laundry and as a motel housekeeper from 1955 to 1982. From 1982 to 1986, she was employed as a custodian at the Brookings Register.
Beginning around 1965, when the old Brookings Register building was demolished, George and Evelyn Norby began collecting photographs and newspapers, some dating back to 1890. Over time, the collection expanded significantly and became widely known within the community.
Both George and Evelyn Norby were active members of numerous Brookings area organizations and clubs. George was a member of the Odd Fellows and served on the County Museum Board of Directors. Evelyn was actively involved with First Lutheran Church, including the First Lutheran Church Women, the Church Library Committee, and the quilting group. She was also a member of the Brookings Genealogical Society and volunteered at the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum at South Dakota State University. Together, the Norbys participated in the Rebekah Lodge, the Brookings Area CB Club, the Brookings County Historical Society, and First Lutheran Church. In 1998, they were jointly awarded the South Dakota Preservationist of the Year.
Evelyn Norby died on May 8, 2002, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. George Norby died on September 11, 2003, at the age of seventy-nine.