Troll Hjem

A Brief History of Troll Hjem Chapter

by Herman Berg

The seed for the Troll Hjem Chapter was sown back in March of 1975 when the Norwegian Society of Texas was organized in Dallas. Two Fort Worth people, Kay and Lawrence Hanley, attended that March 8th meeting and. In the following months, other Fort Worth people learned of the organization and joined. In August of 1976, one of those people, Maud Reimholz, thought it would be a good idea for the Fort Worth members of NST to learn to know each other better, so she invited us to her home for a get-together on a hot Sunday afternoon. We talked about getting together again, but nothing happened until February 1977, when the following invitation went out: "Calling all Fort Worth Norwegians to come to coffee 3:00 Sunday, February 27, with Phil and Adele Mortensen." This invitation was sent out to all Norwegians that they knew, not just to NST members. We don't remember how many people were there, but the group was very enthusiastic about getting together again and decided to meet monthly. So the following month, my wife, Alice Marie, and I opened our home to the group. On Saturday evening, March 26, forty people came — we were "wall-to-wall" people! Needless to say, a group that size was too large for most of our homes, so arrangements were made to meet in the Fellowship Hall of Faith Lutheran Church. Kay Hanley was appointed temporary chairman until the group could be formally organized and a slate of officers elected.

We started Norwegian classes that spring with two native Norwegians, Ingrid Thompson and Ingrid Barklis, teaching the Norwegian language. When the two Ingrids decided that they could no longer continue the classes, Herman Berg took over as teacher. Most recently, Bjorg Stanley, a native of Stavanger, Norway, has assumed teaching responsibilities for the group.

After recessing for the Summer, the Norwegian group met on September 25, 1977, and formally organized as the "Norwegian Club of Fort Worth." Finn Wahl, a native of Norway, was elected president. NST President Gunnar Engen and Vice-president Chuck Rosendahl attended that meeting to give us information about NST and encourage us to affiliate. The following month, on October 23, 1977, the group voted unanimously to become a part of NST, so we now celebrate 25 years as a chapter of the Norwegian Society of Texas.

Through the 25 years of our existence, we have continued to hold monthly meetings on the fourth Sunday afternoon of each month except during the summer. Our programs have been varied but we have tried in some way, usually, to emphasize our Norwegian heritage. We have observed Syttende Mai with parties in Bob and Marie Iverson's beautiful home and yard, and with picnics in Gordon and Andrea McGuinness's spacious back yard.

Sankthansaften has usually been observed with a picnic and a bonfire (sometimes the fire was small, but it was a bonfire). These picnics were held at times at the home of John and Bjorg Stanley and at Art and Freida Hoel's home. Our annual Juletrefests have always been outstanding.

In addition to our usual meetings and festivities, we should mention some of the special events of our twenty-five year history. Many of these were held in conjunction with the other Metroplex chapters.

In April 1978, we closed our charter with 40 names on the roll and later that year we adopted a constitution and by-laws. In 1979, as our chapter became larger, we changed our meeting place to the Fellowship Hall of Trinity Lutheran Church, where we continue to meet. We named our chapter "Troll Hjem" and began publication of a monthly newsletter, the Troll Hjem Posten. Through two of our members, Ken Sanderson and Bob Iverson, who were on NST's Special Projects Committee, we participated in the placing of the Reiersen Memorial in the cemetery of Four Mile Church. In 1980, we had a major role in entertaining the Stoughton Norwegian Dancers of Stoughton, Wisconsin.

When Ken Sanderson became president in 1981, one of his objectives for the year was to start a Norwegian Folk Dance group — and he did it! The Folk dancers from the Dallas area were invited to demonstrate the art of Folk Dancing , and we were convinced! In September, about 30 people (including a few spectators) met for the first rehearsal with Carla Sanborn (now Carla Jones) as dance instructor. I think that most of us had two left feet, and I know for sure that at least one of us didn't know left from right, but Carla was patient and enthusiastic and kept telling us how good we were doing. Believe it or not, we actually learned how to dance. In fact, we were able to perform one dance at our Juletrefest three months later. The Troll Hjem Leikarring has become perhaps the best ambassador for our chapter as they give many performances, not only in Fort Worth and the Metroplex area, but also, along with other Metroplex dancers, in many parts of Texas and other states.

1982 was a busy year as NST commemorated the 200th anniversary of the birth of Cleng Peerson, with three big events — the "Norway Today" seminar at UTA, hosting a group of 85 Norwegian tourists for a Syttende Mai celebration, and the visit of King Olav of Norway. Troll Hjem members participated in all these events.

We were not so busy in 1983, but we did host the Althing in April. In 1984, we helped host the Stavanger youth Choir, furnishing lodging and meals for about half the group during their five day stay in the area.

In 1985, along with the other chapters, we celebrated NST's Ti Ars Jubileum, with several members having special responsibilities and many members attending the festivities.

More than once, we had discussed taking a trip as a group to Bosque County, and that's just what we did in April 1986. Our all-day trip to Bosque County was one of the highlights of the year. Another highlight was the visit of Leikarringen Rakne of Ullensaker, Norway. Members of Troll Hjem's Leikarring helped host the group.

Our 1986 bus trip was so much fun that, in April 1987, we took another, this time to Brownsboro and Four-Mile Prairie, sites of the first Norwegian settlements in Texas. And then came the big event of the year, our tenth Anniversary Celebration.

The highlight of 1988 was the trip of the Metroplex Leikarring to Norway as guests of Leikarringen Rakne, when 28 of us enjoyed their hospitality. The two dance groups have continued to exchange visits about every five years.

During the following years, the Troll Hjem chapter has continued to be active with a variety of programs, including participation by visitors from Norway. As we contemplate our past history, it has been a great 25 years, and we continue to look forward to an active future as we "Enjoy, Preserve, and Promote our Norwegian Heritage."