Board of Directors

The Iron Range Historical Society is governed by a 9-member Board of Directors, which includes the executive officers. The Board of Directors are nominated and elected at the Iron Range Historical Society Annual Meeting. Officers are elected by the Board of Directors at the first regular meeting of the year. Members of the Iron Range Historical Society are eligible for nomination and election to the Board providing they place the welfare of the Society above personal gain, support the goals of the Society and are a paying dues member 30 days prior to the date of election. Members of the Board of Directors are elected to staggered terms. Meetings of the Board of Directors occur on the second Tuesday of the month at the Gilbert Senior Citizens Center in the new Gilbert City Hall. Board members are responsible to attend at least four meetings per year, which includes the Annual Meeting. Please contact us if you are a member interested in serving on the Board of Directors; we are always looking for individuals with a fresh perspective and vision for the future of the Iron Range Historical Society. The current Iron Range Historical Society Board of Directors are (top to bottom, left to right):

MARSHALL F. JOHNSON (Board Member)
Marshall Johnson is a former math and music teacher for District 709 in Duluth, Minnesota. A resident of Duluth, Mr. Johnson has been a member of the Iron Range Historical Society since 2003 and has family ties to the Sparta location near Gilbert, Minnesota.

WILLIAM M. DIRKS (Ex-Officio Member, Senior Advisor)
Bill Dirks is a former industrial arts instructor at Northwestern High School in Maple, Wisconsin. A resident of Duluth, Minnesota, Mr. Dirks has been a member of the Iron Range Historical Society since 1999 and is the spouse of Marian Dirks.

MARIAN C. DIRKS (Board Member)
Marian Dirks, a former medical technologist from Duluth, Minnesota, has been a member of the Iron Range Historical Society since 1985. Marian is the spouse of Bill Dirks and has family ties to the Sparta location near Gilbert, Minnesota.

AUDREY F. SURLA (Board Member)
A resident of Eveleth, Minnesota, Ms. Surla has been a member of the Iron Range Historical Society since 2001 and is a former employee of the Arrow Shirt Company.

GREGORY S. GLAVAN (Executive Board)
Greg Glavan, a dentist from Delano, Minnesota, has been involved with the Iron Range Historical Society since 1982, when he did a research paper on Iron Range Ghost Towns for Freshman Composition at the University of Minnesota. The current President of the Iron Range Historical Society, Dr. Glavan has family ties to Aurora, Minnesota.

PALMA A. VOSS (Board Member)
Palma Voss is a former apparel arts instructor at Hibbing Technical College in Hibbing, Minnesota. A previous resident of Fayal Township, Ms. Voss now lives in Eveleth, Minnesota, and has been a member of the Iron Range Historical Society since 1994.

ROBERT P. HEDLUND (Board Member)
Robert Hedlund, a native of Eveleth, Minnesota, is a former manager for Unisys Corporation. Mr. Hedlund has been a member of the Iron Range Historical Society since 1993, and is the spouse of Shirley Hedlund.

SHIRLEY J. HEDLUND (Ex-Officio Member, Senior Advisor)
Shirley Hedlund, a former retail sales associate with Powers and Sears department stores, has been a member of the Iron Range Historical Society since 2000. Shirley is the spouse of Robert Hedlund and a native of Eveleth, Minnesota.

ELLEN M. PICKERING (Executive Board)
Vice-President of the Iron Range Historical Society Ellen Pickering has been a resident of various communities on the Mesabi Iron Range for over 30 years. An artist currently residing in Aurora, Minnesota, Ms. Pickering has been a member of the Iron Range Historical Society since 2000 and was an elementary school teacher at Parkview School in Mountain Iron, Minnesota.

JOAN R. HOLMES (Board Member)
Joan Holmes is a lifelong resident of the Mesabi Iron Range. A previous resident of the Belgrade location near Biwabik, Minnesota, Ms. Holmes currently resides in Aurora. An administrative assistant, Joan has been a member of the Iron Range Historical Society since 1999.

KATHLEEN M. BERGAN (Executive Board)
Kathy Bergan is currently the Secretary of the Iron Range Historical Society and has been the volunteer curator of the Iron Range Historical Society since 1986. If there’s anything you need to know, she’s the lady to ask. Kathy has helped to catalog all of the pictures, artwork, and huge variety of artifacts that have been donated to the museum.  Ms. Bergan is a resident of Biwabik, Minnesota, and a former math teacher for the Gilbert School District and substitute teacher for the Biwabik (Mesabi East) School District.

EVELYN J. DAVIS (Executive Board)
Evelyn Davis, a resident of the unincorporated community of Lakeland, Minnesota (near Biwabik) is currently the Treasurer for the Iron Range Historical Society. A former day care provider and retail sales associate for both the Target Corporation and the Lakeland store, Ms. Davis has been a member of the Iron Range Historical Society since 1988.