2007: Joel and Donna Johnson

The Preservation North Dakota 2007 Bentley Award for "Volunteer of the Year" was presented to Joel and Donna Johnson, dedicated volunteers and preservationists. There appreciation for rural North Dakota, and telling its story with historic places are evident in the time and energy they have donated to preserving the history and shaping the future of the small rural community of Sims and securing its presence in the State of North Dakota.

Danielle Stuckle, master of ceremonies, began her announcement of the award, by informing the audience that, "the awards committee didn't have to debate the worthiness of this nomination, it was basically impossible to select anyone else."

In 1884, the town of Sims had a population of more than 1,000 people; it was once the largest town in Morton County. It was only one year old, but a coal-mining boom, plus a brickyard, brought people to town in droves. Just six years later, only about 400 remained. The post office closed in October, 1947, and Sims is now pretty much a ghost town.

Nestled in the rolling grasslands of Morton County, the Sims Scandinavian Lutheran Church and its parsonage still stand intact. The church is the state's oldest protestant church west of the Missouri River, the parsonage being built as the first church in 1884.

The parsonage was constructed out of native Sims brick. The building provided worship space for the congregation on the second floor and churchgoers climbed a winding staircase to a cramped upper room to sing and worship. The room was little more than an attic, and although pastors wheeled in hog troughs for kneeling benches, many people were forced to stand throughout the entire service.

A private entrance and living quarters for the resident pastor were on the first floor. A lean-to addition at the back of the building afforded room for a Norwegian School. The building became a residence after the construction of the new church in the early 1900s. Sometime in the 1940s, the parsonage served its last pastor, and in 1984, the last occupant closed the doors for good. The parsonage fell into disrepair, and church members decided to save it. After sitting empty for over 20 years, the Sims Historical Society has rescued the property and turned it into a museum of local and congregational history.

Preservation North Dakota was pleased to use the project as a demonstration project, and after three years of restoration work, the project is now complete. The Sims Historical Society, with Joel and Donna Johnson in the lead, has done a tremendous amount of work in restoring the old parsonage building to its former glory. Paneling and suspended ceilings were ripped out, layers of old wallpaper stripped, crumbling plaster repaired or patched, walls and ceilings re-papered, floors sanded and re-finished or painted, windows re-glazed and painted, foundation repaired, bricks re-mortared or tuck-pointed, and stucco repaired and painted. Thousands of hours of hard labor were dedicated to lovingly restore this beautiful building.

Joel and Donna Johnson not only spent many hours working on the project, but helped organize other volunteers, meals for the volunteers and paid for supplies out of their own pockets. Although, after papering the ceiling in the very first room restored, they vowed never to paper a ceiling again, they persevered until the whole building was completely restored. Their hard work and dedication is evident in everything you will see when you visit Morton County's newest museum.

Accepting the award were Joel and Donna Johnson.

2006: Janinne Paulson

The Preservation North Dakota 2006 Bentley Award for "Volunteer of the Year" was presented to Janinne Paulson, a dedicated preservationist. Her wisdom, effort, and passion are evident in the time and energy she has displayed in preserving the history and shaping the future of the community of Stanley and the State of North Dakota.

Lt. Col. Shirley J. Olgeirson (ret.), master of ceremonies, began her announcement of the award, by informing the audience that, "the awards committee tried to 'not' give the award to Paulson, but after two years of multiple nominations from a variety of individuals, it was impossible to select anyone else."

Paulson, a licensed social worker for Mountrail Co., is the mother of three and grandmother of two. Paulson's lifetime interest in architecture and old buildings began when she amused herself drawing floor plans, growing up in Page, ND. Recent community efforts in Stanley to save the former First Presbyterian Church from demolition introduced her to Preservation North Dakota where she has finally found an outlet for this interest. The church is now The Sibyl Center, a venue for the arts. Paulson is a Board Member of The Sibyl Center, Stanley, ND. She resides in Stanley, home of the one and only, Whirl-a-Whip ice cream treat.

Paulson has jumped head first into becoming an active board member with Preservation North Dakota. She has attended out of state board training, in state strategic planning sessions, and presented at the annual historic preservation conference where she earned high praise from attendees. She is chair of the 2007 Preservation Conference Committee, and is currently in full swing planning the upcoming May 4-5-6 conference in Minot, ND.

PND Board members say, "Her enthusiasm and energy in preservation is readily apparent, and we are lucky to have her passion and interest in historic preservation in our state."

Accepting the award was Janinne R. Paulson.

2005: Deborah Olson Frederickson

The Preservation North Dakota 2005 Bentley Award for "Volunteer of the Year" was presented to Deborah Olson Frederickson, a dedicated preservationist. Her wisdom, effort, and passion are evident in the time and energy she has displayed in preserving the history and shaping the future of the communities of Fargo/Moorhead.

Frederickson, a Fargo native, is active in a number of preservation minded organizations. She is actively involved with the Hawthorne Neighborhood Association as the liason between the city and the neighborhood keeping in contact with city officials and letting the association know what city actions will affect them and what to watch for to benefit the neighborhood. Frederickson worked with Dawn Mayo, City Planner, as the principal investigator for the historic overlay district, compiling reports and gathering additional historic information. She volunteers with many Hawthorne neighborhood activities and writes articles for the neighborhood newsletter. Frederickson is very committed to her projects. Her associates know that when she accepts a task or responsibility, she runs with it. You always get more than you ask for, and Frederickson is very dependable.

In her role as principal investigator of the Island Park Addition "Historic Overlay District," Frederickson surveyed many of the homes herself. No matter what the weather was, rain or shine, sun or snow, Fargo residents noticed her dedication while she photographed and documented the region's historic homes and spent hours researching individual properties at the Institute for Regional Studies at NDSU. This is Fargo's first overlay district, and it was created to protect the historic characteristics of the unique residential neighborhood. The plan recently won approval from Fargo's Historic Preservation Commission and will go on to the Fargo Commission for final approval.

Frederickson has served for several years as Treasurer for the Fargo-Moorhead Heritage Society. As an active member of this local organization, she has worked on promoting historic preservation by organizing walking tours of historic districts, conducting countless hours of research on historic properties, helping to organize events and coordinate activism efforts in support of historic preservation. Her activist efforts contributed to the preservation and adaptive reuse of the Douglas House in Moorhead, and the defeat of the controversial "Cityscapes" development plan that would have called for the demolition of numerous historic buildings on a block adjacent to Broadway in downtown Fargo. This measure was defeated by 70% of the voters due to the efforts of preservation minded citizens like Frederickson. As a representative of the Fargo/Moorhead Heritage Society, she was instrumental in planning "Restore America: Communities at a Crossroads," North Dakota's Annual Historic Preservation Conference, held in Fargo in 2005.

Deborah and her husband Neil live in the historic Lars Christianson House, built in 1884. This house was one of the first homes built in the Charles Roberts Addition of Fargo. Frederickson is an inspiration for us all and we know she will continue to have an influence on historic preservation both locally and state-wide.

Accepting the award was Deborah R. Olson Frederickson.

2004: Cory R. Lien

The Preservation North Dakota 2004 Bentley Award for "Volunteer of the Year" was presented to Cory Lien for his incredible efforts on behalf of preserving the history and helping to shape the future of a tiny spot on some old maps, a spot called Numedahl.

Cory is being recognized for organizing and spearheading the restoration of the former Nore Numedahl Norwegian Lutheran Church, located northwest of Walhalla. The Congregation was formed in 1896 by immigrant homesteaders and was named for the district of Nore in Norway. The church building, built circa 1900, was originally used as a one room schoolhouse in Canada. It was moved across the border to the Numedahl area by steam engine in the early 1900s and was moved to its current location near the Nore Numedahl cemetery in 1921. The last formal service in the church was a funeral held in 1972.

The push toward restoration of the church began in 1997 when Cory and his uncle replaced the windows of the church, which had been abandoned, boarded up, emptied by vandals and riddled with shotgun holes. Word spread and enthusiasm grew in the local community, and soon family members and neighbors pitched in with materials and elbow grease to clean up the old church building and put it in useable condition. Furnishing the interior has been an important part of re-creating the sense of place and spirituality conveyed by the small clapboard building. Lien and others organized the first annual picnic in the church yard in 1997 and the event, which is held on the third Thursday of July, has grown each year to just under 100 participants from across the nation in 2004.

Cory has also assembled and published a book about the Numedahl community, which lists history, location, and family lineage of the original homesteaders and church members. His youthful energy and positive attitude have helped this community preserve vital pieces of their past, and the rural scandinavian heritage of North Dakota.

Accepting the award was Cory R. Lien.

2003: Wanda R. Melchert

The Preservation North Dakota 2003 Bentley Award "Volunteer of the Year" was presented to Wanda Melchert of Golden Valley and Manfred ND, for her tireless leadership efforts on behalf of preserving the character of small town America as embodied in Manfred, ND. Her positive attitude and guidance has resulted in: the collection and sharing of Manfred area history, the organization of a group of individuals dedicated to history and preservation - Manfred History and Preservation, Inc., Vang Lutheran Church being listed on the National Register of Historic Places and preservation work on the prairie church, restoration work on several other buildings including a historic home and bank, creation and dedication of a small town museum, publishing a quarterly newsletter and community betterment efforts, just to name a few! There has been no volunteer job too big or too small for Wanda; preserving rural North Dakota history is her full-time career.

Accepting the award was Wanda R. Melchert.

2002: Rebecca R. Heise

The Preservation North Dakota 2002 Bentley "Volunteer of the Year" Preservation Award was presented to Rebecca R. Heise of Valley City, ND, for her tireless efforts on behalf of prairie church preservation across the state and heritage tourism in the Sheyenne River Valley. There has been no volunteer job too big or too small for Becky; preserving North Dakota history is her full-time avocation.

Accepting the award was Rebecca R. Heise.

2001: Dale R. Bentley