A Montana broadcasting icon is being honored with a new fund designed to support history and culture in Great Falls. On her 90th birthday, a charitable fund in the name of Norma Ashby Smith was announced through the Montana Community Foundation.
Aneesa Coomer reports - watch the video here:
A lifetime dedicated to telling Montana’s stories is now being honored with a lasting legacy. The Norma Ashby Smith Fund has been established through the Montana Community Foundation to support three cornerstone institutions in Great Falls: the C.M. Russell Museum, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, and the History Museum. Together, these institutions form what Norma’s husband, Dwight, calls the “trifecta of museums”, reflecting Great Falls’ status as the museum capital of Montana.
“She really is one of the primary voices of Montana that would come to mind for people. And her passion for history is just unsurpassed,” said family friend Kendra Owen, who is also an Advisory Board Member of the Eagle Family Endowment Fund at the Montana Community Foundation.
Norma has served on the boards of all three museums and was president of both the History Museum and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Norma says, “I know intimately about how they got started and who's been involved. And I couldn't be more thrilled to now be the spokesperson for the three of them.”
One of Norma’s most enduring contributions is the C.M. Russell Art Auction, which she helped create to benefit the Russell Museum and young artists. Norma said the idea came after she attended an auction in Geraldine, and decided to bring one to Great Falls. Norma explains, “We started on a brand new idea in Great Falls, Montana, the Russell auction of original Western art. And it took off like a tornado.”
Now in its 56th year, the Russell Auction draws artists and collectors from around the world and has helped launch the careers of countless Western artists while generating millions of dollars for the local economy. According to Norma’s husband, Dwight Smith, “It wasn’t just about raising money. It gave young artists a launchpad, and it changed their whole lifestyle and brought their creative abilities to the forefront.”
Norma’s passion for Montana history has long been clear to those closest to her. Dwight says, “When I got stationed up here at Malmstrom in 1984, there was Norma to help me with history lessons of Montana and her passion for Charlie, for Lewis and Clark, for all history of Montana, including her great grandfather, George Bailey, who arrived in Montana in 1862. And the stories that were told around the living room about him, all the likeness and the heart for Montana history.”
Norma’s dedication extends beyond museums and art. She has long been committed to honoring Native American history and culture, and she is an honorary member of the Blackfeet Tribe, known as Thunder Woman — a recognition she holds as one of her most meaningful honors.
The Norma Ashby Smith Fund ensures that her commitment to Montana history and the arts will continue for generations, keeping Montana-based philanthropy invested in local institutions.
“This fund will just be a legacy. Norma and Dwight may be coming up with creative ways to use those funds through the various museums. And this is just the beginning of what their plans are,” Owen says.
Through her decades of work, Norma Ashby Smith has left a mark not just as a broadcaster, but as a mentor, historian, and cultural leader, ensuring Montana’s stories, art, and heritage are preserved for future generations.
