DeBorgia woman honored for schoolhouse contributions

Norma A. Hansen was honored recently at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Dinner and celebration held in the Historic DeBorgia School House.  Norma is one of the last three living members of the original group that comprised the Happy Homemakers Club.  The Happy Homemakers Club was founded over 25 years ago to save the Old DeBorgia School House as the school house had been effectively abandoned when Norma and her fellow members intervened to save the school house for posterity.

Since the original founding, the Happy Homemakers worked tirelessly to raise the necessary funds to restore and maintain the Old School.  Norma’s team succeeded in their community venture and was even successful in having the building listed on the historic registry. The school is now over 100 years old and is one of the last remaining buildings to survive the 1910 fire.  Year after year, the Happy Homemakers would arrange and manage various fund raising projects to cover the ever increasing cost of maintenance.  These projects included the now traditional fall dinner with a quilt raffle (again made by the Happy Homemakers) and the famous homemade apple pies which are known throughout Montana and neighboring states.  The St. Patrick’s Day dinner is the newest of these annual fund raisers.

Norma was presented with a professional copy of an original water color of the school house commissioned by Susan Charles.  The painting is, appropriately for the West End, entitled “First Snow.”  All present sang Happy Birthday to Norma, our very special 90 year old lady.