Lögberg-Heimskringla - 11.11.1994, Blaðsíða 1

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eimskringla
The lcelandic Weekly
Lögberg Stofnaö 14. janúar 1888
Heimskringla Stofnaö 9. september 1886
108. Árgangur
108th Year
Publications Mail Registration No. 1667
Föstudagur 11. nóvember 1994
Friday, 11 November 1994
Inside this week:
Grímkell's Story, seventh installment.
Campaign for Chapel Funds..........5
From Halli's Kitchen...............6
Einar's Anecdotes..................6
Upcoming events....................7
Children's Corner..................7
Númer 39
Number 39
lcelandic
News
These Bald Stones:
■ An lcelandic Video-tape has recently
received "The Silver Screen Award"
under the classification of educational
films at the university level, in the USA.
As no Gold was awarded this year, the
film received top awards in its category.
The tape was made by the film compa-
ny "Kvikmyndagerðin AX", operated by
the filmmaker, Olafur Rögnvaldsson,
and deals with the famous sculptor,
Sigurjón ólafsson, and his portrait
sculpture. The film is partly built on an
interview made by Erlingur Jónsson, a
sculptor, with Sigurjón in I980. Besides
Sigurjón's portrait sculptures, the artist's
photography is used as well as live pic-
tures of the artist at work. The tape is
intended for home and individual use as
well as for educational purposes.
Support for Vinarskógur:
■ Her Royal Highness, Beatrice, The
Queen of Holland, visited lceland last
summer along with her husband Prince
Klaus. The lcelandic Tree Planting
Association has now received a $7,000
donation in commemoration of the visit,
to be used for planting trees in
"Vinarskógur," Friends' Woods, in Þing-
valla county. The Queen planted a tree
in Vinarskógur last summer along with
heads of state of the Nordic countries.
From the establishment of Vinarskógur
12 heads of state have visited the area
and planted trees with lcelandic
President, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir and
many have given financial support.
Foreign Embassies and their staff have
also frequently donated and planted
trees there. A stone pillar has been
erected in Vinarskógur and on it are fas-
tened shields with the names and greet-
ings from the heads of state and other
friends who have visited. Seen here are
Hulda Valtýsdóttir, manager of the Tree
Planting Association of lceland, receiv-
ing the gift from Joop Hoekman,
Holland's Ambassador to lceland.
GUNNUR ISFELD
Leífur EíriLsson Statue
Dedícated ln ITIinot
J
Report By Jón Orn Jónsson
Honorary lcelandic Consul
In Saskatchewan
uðrún and I had the
pleasure of participat-
ing in the dedication
ceremony for the Leifur
Eiriksson statue in the
Scandinavian Heritage Park in Minot
on Tuesday, October 11. We were
there at the invitation of the Icelandic
Heritage Society of Minot.
We drove down on Monday in blaz-
ing sunshine and twenty five degrees
and stopped for lunch at the home of
Mike and Connie Geller. Many of you
Winnipeg Icelanders will know Connie
as a Davidson-Solmundson progeny.
Connie and Mike are happily
ensconced on a farm near Estevan.
Besides their daughter Carrie, son-in-
law Nick and grandchildren Tino and
Alexandra they keep company with an
Icelandic pony, three llamas, three pea-
cocks, a goat, exotic ducks, chickens
and numerous cats and dogs. A regular
“Old McGeller Has a Farm” setting.
After a real farmer’s lunch and an
inspection of the premises and the
menagerie, we motored on to Minot
where we were booked into the
Sheraton Riverside Hotel and
Convention Centre. As we were check-
ing in people were arriving in droves
and by the bus loads for the Norsk
Hostfest festivities.
Tuesday dawned bright and beauti-
ful. The dedication ceremony was
scheduled for two o’clock so we spent
the morning looking around Minot
and locating the Scandinavian
Heritage Park.
We arrived in the park, well ahead
of time, in bright sunshine with warm
breezes blowing. Indeed, as perfect a
day as the Icelandic Heritage Society
could have asked or hoped for.
As we stepped out of the car the lilt-
ing sound of Icelandic folk songs,
being played on an accordion, greeted
us. The musician, who played non-stop
for an hour, was another transplanted
Icelander, Jóhann Sörenson, from
Stykkishólmur and Reykjavík, and
now retired in Milwaukee, Oregon.
We had a delightful time in the park
visiting with íslendingar and Vestur
íslendingar from all over North
America. A highlight was meeting the
widow of Vilhjálmur Stefánsson,
Evelyn Vilhjálmsson-Nef. Vilhjálmur
was being inducted, the next day, into
the Scandinavian American Hall of
Fame. And we also ran into our good
friend Marj Amason. Yes, the one from
Gimli.
The dedication ceremony duly took
place at ihe appointed hour. It was
brief and dignified with the singing of
the Icelandic, Canadian and American
national anthems and remarks by a
number of dignitaries.
Susan Jacobson, the president of the
Icelandic Heritage Society of Minot,
looking regal in the Icelandic costume,
sang “Ó Guð Vors Lands” beautifully,
and unaccompanied at that. She also
sang it the next day at the Hostfest
opening ceremonies.
Guðrún and I were both struck by
the number of Minot dignitaries pre-
sent and speaking at the ceremony,
including the Mayor of Minot and the
President of Hostfest. It soon became
apparent to us, as we talked to them,
that their presence reflected the com-
munity’s respect and esteem for the
Icelandic Heritage Society, its activities
and accomplishments.
The fund raising, the commission-
ing, and the erecting of the Leifur
Eiríksson statue speaks volumes for the
pride and the drive and dedication of
this small, but stalwart, group in dis-
Cont’d p. 2
lceland Honours
Minnesota Professor
By Jón H. Björnson
Honorary lcelandic Consul
Minneapolis, Minn.
Highlight of the annual
Leif Eiríksson dinner
in Reykjavík recently
was the presentation
of the “Partnership
Award” by Ambassador Charles E.
Cobb, former ambassador to Iceland
from the United States, to Carol H.
Pazandak, professor at the University
of Minnesota, for her continuing
efforts in promoting the shared inter-
ests (partnership) between Iceland
and the United States.
Ms; Pazandak has headed the
University of Minnesota Exchange
Program between the University in
Minneapolis and the University of
Iceland since it was initiated in 1982.
The program has seen yearly
exchanges since then of both students
and faculty.
The “Partnership Award” was
founded in 1991 by then Ambassador
Cobb to mark the 50th anniversary of
the establishment of diplomatic rela-
tions between the U.S. and Iceland.
To celebrate the occasion,
Ambassador Cobb commissioned the
Icelandic sculptor, Pétur Bjarnason,
to create the bronze sculpture called
“Partnership”. The award brings with
it a miniature replica of the original
sculpture. It is presented annually to
an American who lives or spends
considerable time in Iceland. A panel
of representatives from the American-
Icelandic Chamber of Commerce, the
Icelandic Business Association, the
Icelandic American Association, and
the U.S. Ambassador’s office in
lceland selects the awardee.
The replica Ms. Pazandak is hold-
ing was awarded to her for her years
of promoting educational exchanges
between the Universities of Minn-
esota and Iceland.
“Whether one measures the part-
nership between the United States
and Iceland over 50 years of diplo-
matic relations or the 1,000 years
since Leif Eiríksson discovered
Vinland and America, the only con-
clusion is that it has been an endur-
ing and rich partnership,” Charles
Cobb said in making thé award pre-
sentation.
“I am proud of my association
with the Icelandic Exchange Program
and hope that my participation will
help in its continued success,”
Pazandak said in accepting the
award. “This award”, she added, “sig-
nifies the collaboration and contribuT
tions of many in Minnesota and in
Iceland in making this partnership
effective.”
During the life of the program, the
University of Minnesota has provid-
ed an annual full tuition scholarship
at the graduate student level while
living expenses have been provided
Cont'd p. 3