Founders Dave and Ruth Amundson both retired school teachers hold degrees in Education. The couple enjoy traveling, researching and writing about local historical events. Dave and Ruth are both dedicated community servants, volunteers of the Westby Syttende Mai Festival and are committed to bringing history alive to Westby High School students through various presentations and hands on activities.

 

Dave, a Westby graduate has spent over 2 decades working with the American Field Service Organization. He is very passionate about all things history; he enjoys collecting vintage photos, historical research, photography and tennis. Dave is also a co-author of “Fra Norge Til America Til Westby” a book exploring the history of the Westby area.

 

Ruth is a Montana native has found her home here in this Norwegian community with her husband Dave and their Norwegian Elkhound, Astri. She was a Jr. High Science teacher at Westby High School for over 32 years and enjoys keeping in touch with many of her former students, reading and is very active within the community.

 

Their combined 60+ years of teaching experience and interest in local history have led them to this next chapter. The History Alive Project is a passion project; creating"out of the box" projects to discover and maintain the Westby area's history for community member of all ages.