Professor GERHARD B. NAESETH
The core of the Genealogical Center research collection was assembled by Gerhard B. Naeseth (1913-1994), who was internationally renowned in the field of Norwegian and Norwegian-American genealogy and immigration.
A former University of Wisconsin professor, Naeseth served as associate director for the libraries of the University of Wisconsin from 1948-1978. During his tenure at the University of Wisconsin, he helped build one of the largest collections of Norwegian local & genealogical history in the United States.
Following his retirement, he administered the Genealogical Center, beginning in his home and later in the present quarters. In 1990, the genealogical research library was named in his honor. In 1993, he completed and published volume one of his massive research, “Norwegian Immigrants to the United States: A Biographical Guide, 1825-1850.”
In 2001, the Genealogical Center established the Gerhard B. Naeseth Chair for Genealogical Research and Publication as a tribute to his lifetime accomplishments in the field of Norwegian and Norwegian-American genealogy.
2020 Board of Directors Officers
(L-R): Gary Smithback (Vice Chairman), John W. Thompson (Chairman), Paul M. Berge (Treasurer) and Ken Larson (Secretary)
Board of Directors
Scott R. Johnson Chairman – Madison, Wisconsin | Peder Moren Madison, Wisconsin |
Gary Smithback Vice Chairman – Stoughton, Wisconsin | Ellen Smithback Stoughton, Wisconsin |
Ken Larson Secretary- Batavia, Illinois | Tom Solheim Madison, Wisconsin |
Rolf Killingstad Treasurer – Madison, Wisconsin | |
Craig Gjerde Madison, Wisconsin | |
Ann Leon Madison, Wisconsin | John Thompson Chairman Emeritus – Madison, Wisconsin |
Marg Listug Stoughton, Wisconsin | Paul Larson Chairman Emeritus – Waunakee, Wisconsin |
Christine Milligan-Ciha Stoughton, Wisconsin | Lowell Olberg Chairman Emeritus – Wheaton, Illinois |