STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY EMPLOYEES HONORED; STATE’S HISTORY AGENCY ALSO FILLS STAFF POSITIONS

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rick Collin
January 4, 2008
(701) 328-1476

STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY EMPLOYEES HONORED;
STATE’S HISTORY AGENCY ALSO FILLS STAFF POSITIONS

BISMARCK – Several employees of the State Historical Society of North Dakota (SHSND) have been honored with service awards at the state history agency’s recent annual holiday gathering in Bismarck. The SHSND also recently filled three staff positions at the agency’s headquarters, the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck.

Mike Heyd is the recipient of the 2007 Staff Award for Excellence, an honor given annually to a State Historical Society employee selected by his or her colleagues as the agency’s outstanding employee. Heyd, who is assistant security supervisor, has been with the agency since February 1978. He became assistant security supervisor in September 2004. A native of Mott, North Dakota, he earned an associate of arts degree in criminal justice from then-Bismarck Junior College. In November 2007, Heyd participated in ribbon cutting ceremonies for the Cold War exhibit at the North Dakota Heritage Center. A Navy veteran, he represented that branch of the military at the grand opening ceremonies for The Atomic Age Arrives: The Cold War in North Dakota.

Writes one Society employee in nominating Heyd for the award: “Mike is one of those people that you are always happy to work with. He does his job well, is not afraid to pitch in, and after working here for a thousand years, he still has a great attitude. He has literally come into contact with thousands of visitors over the years, and has been a great representative for our agency and state. He is an active participant in the (SHSND) employee council and works tirelessly with the North Dakota Public Employee Association, and until this year was president of Chapter 4.”

Also honored at the holiday gathering were the following staff members for their years of service with the SHSND:

35 Years: Jean Erickson, Administrative Assistant

20 Years: Lotte Bailey, Deputy State Archivist, Fern Swenson, Historic Preservation Division Director

10 Years: Jenny Yearous, Curator of Collections

5 Years: Cathy Carlson, Account Technician, Tom Linn, Architectural Project Manager, Shane Molander, Reference Specialist, Tim Reed, Research Archaeologist

The SHSND also recently filled three staff positions:

Naomi Frantes began work November 14 as cataloguer, responsible for accessioning, cataloguing, filing, labeling, and preparing published materials for use in the State Archives and Historical Research Library. She was employed for 17 years at the North Dakota State Library, where she worked in reference, interlibrary loan, state documents, and as head of technical services. A Minnesota native, she earned a master of library science degree from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut, and a bachelor of arts degree in history and German from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.

Melissa Thompson began work December 4 as collections assistant. Before moving to North Dakota, she was the collections assistant for two years at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa. While there, she moved 10,000 objects into a new state-of-the-art study and storage facility, improving accessibility for researchers and storage conditions for the objects. A native of Milwaukee, she earned a master of science degree in anthropology and a museum studies certificate from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. She also holds a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology and history from the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities.

Ann Jenks began work January 2 as State Archivist. She is the University Archivist and Head of the Center for Archival Collections at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where she has been employed since 1996. Prior to that, she was state historian at the South Dakota State Historical Society in Pierre, where she worked in the archives division. Her work has included appraising and accessioning county, municipal and state records in Ohio and South Dakota. Jenks has earned master of arts and bachelor of arts degrees in history from Bowling Green State University. She replaces Gerald Newborg, who retired November 9 after serving as State Archivist since 1981. Jim Davis, the SHSND’s head of reference services, served as the acting director of the State Archives and Historical Research Library in the interim between Newborg’s retirement and Jenks arrival.

Also, SHSND Photo Archivist Sharon Silengo recently received designation as a certified archivist from the Academy of Certified Archivists. The designation requires that the applicant hold a masters degree, and have at least one year of experience in the archives field as well as passing the national certified archivist exam. Silengo has been employed as the agency’s photo archivist since July 2000. A California native, she received a masters degree in information resources and library science from the University of Arizona in Tucson in 1998.

The State Historical Society of North Dakota manages 55 state historic sites and two state museums, operating as North Dakota’s department of history, archaeology and archives since 1895. The agency has 60 full-time employees and some 200 volunteers working in its four divisions statewide.

For more information about the Society, contact the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck, call (701) 328-2666 or visit the Society’s web site at www.nd.gov/hist.

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