MDN File Photo Arlene Saugstad of Minot, shown in this March 1991 photo, was posthumously awarded the North Dakota Person of History Award. Saugstad helped shape the Minot arts community

BISMARCK — Arlene Saugstad has been posthumously awarded the North Dakota Person of History Award from the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

The historical society announced the winners of its 2025 Local History Awards in three categories on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

The North Dakota Person of History Award recognizes those individuals who have had a prominent role in the history of North Dakota. Eligible nominees must be deceased at least 10 years.

According to information from the historical society, Saugstad’s dedication to and financial support for the events, organizations and programs she valued helped shape the Minot arts community. As secretary-treasurer of the Ward County Historical Society, she played a significant role in preserving local history.

A former editor for the Ward County Independent, Saugstad later wrote a monthly arts column for The Minot Daily News. In 1978, she was honored with the North Dakota Governor’s Award for the Arts in recognition of her lifelong commitment to promoting the arts. The Mouse River Players named their theater “The Arlene” in 2006 to honor her instrumental role in founding the group. She died in 2014, two months shy of her 102nd birthday.

Fargo Air Museum and Toine Schreinemachers both received the Excellence in Local History Award, and Gerald G. Newborg received the Heritage Profile Honor Award.

The Excellence in Local History Award recognizes individuals or groups who have dedicated their time, talent, and efforts to local and regional history that can serve as a role model of excellence. The award honors those associated specifically with local, county, and regional historical organizations within North Dakota.

Fargo Air Museum was recognized for its continued efforts to educate the community, pay tribute to those who served, safeguard aviation history, and encourage future generations to explore the world of flight, according to the historical society.

After learning there was a Venlo in North Dakota, Schreinemachers, of Venlo, Netherlands, spent decades uncovering the story of this small farming community in Ransom County. A butcher by trade and historian by passion, Schreinemachers has traced the origins of the settlement, visited archives, and interviewed descendants to preserve Venlo’s history.

The Heritage Profile Honor Award identifies individuals who have made a lasting or significant contribution in preserving, interpreting, researching, publishing, promoting, or otherwise extending the knowledge and understanding of the history of North Dakota and have demonstrated long-term dedication and personal commitment in pursuit of these goals.

Newborg, of Bismarck, served as director of the State Archives and state archivist for the State Historical Society from 1981 to 2007. Under his leadership, the archives became a leader in newspaper preservation, microfilming, news film preservation and reference services. Newborg guided the agency into the digital age, introducing early digital preservation practices and providing online access to collections. One of his most notable achievements was overseeing a major expansion of the State Archives in 2007, a milestone that reinforced its role as the repository of North Dakota’s memory.