Lögberg-Heimskringla - 06.02.1975, Page 2

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LÖGBERG-’HEIMSKRINGLA, FIMMTUDAGINN 6. FEBRÚAR 1975
Högberg-geunsferingla öJrlla tt tn Emjltati
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TWIN CITIES HEKLA CLUB MARKS 50th
The Hekla Club, Icelandic
women’s organization in
Minneapolis and St. Paul,
has just marked its 50th an-
niversary The actual foimd-
ing date was January 30th,
1925, and observance of the
club’s half-century mark
came at the regular January
meeting on the 18th.
The meeting was held in
the party room of Kellogg
Square in St. Paul, the
downtown apartment center
where Mr. and Mrs. Willard
Johnson live. Hostesses with
Mrs. Marie Johnson were
Miss Louise Anderson, Mrs.
Ina Cortes, Mrs. Gudrun
Bödvarsson Lux, Mrs. Shar-
lotte Mendenhall and Mrs.
Freddie (Fridrikka) White-
Making up the executive
board now are Miss Mildred
Olson, president; Mrs. Her-
dís Sigtrvggsson, vice pres-
ident; Mrs. Vera Younger,
Secretary; Mrs. Gail Mag-
nusson, treasurer; Mrs.
Steffie Angevine, past presi-
dent.
A history of the Twin
Cities Hekla Club’s 50-year
span of activity was read by
Miss Frances Gunnlaugson,
prepared by her at the time
of the 40th anniversary, and
revised now for the new
major birthday occasion.
Siides showing some of the
events of the past, provided
by various contributors,
were also Shown. Fourteen
members whose names have
been on the roster for more
than 25 years are still there
and top rank among vete-
rans goes to two who have
been members for 49 years:
Mrs. Thora Ledding and
Mrs. Svana (Athelstan) Ros-
sman-
The full list of those ser-
ving in the presidency over
the past half century was
presented to members: 1925
and 1926, Mrs. Walter S.
Paulson; 1927 and 1928, Mrs.
Kaitrin Heen; 1930, 1931 and
1932, Mrs. Marie Ersted; 1933
and 1934, Mrs. Ella Rask;
1935 and 1936, Mrs. Svana
(Athelstan) Rossman; 1937
and 1938, Mrs. Johanna Gis-
lason; 1939, 1940 and 1941,
Mrs. Augustine Bjömson;
ANNIVERSARY
1942 and 1943, Mrs. Rose
Donehower; 1944 and 1945,
Mrs. Pauline Swenson; 1946
and 1947, Mrs- Thora Led-
ding; 1948 and 1949, Mrs. Em
(Guðmundur) Guðmundsson;
1950 and 1951, Mrs. Margaret
Zeuthen; 1952 and 1953, Miss
Iva Magnuson; 1954 and 1955,
Mrs. Helga Brogger; 1956
and 1957, Mrs. Margaret
Tomasson; 1958 and 1959,
Miss Christine Hallgrimson;
1960, Mrs. Ella Bjomson;
1961, Mrs. Elsa Amason;
1962 and 1963, Miss Frances
rinpla.’nTfion: 1964 and 1965,
Mrs. Inez Youngmark; 1966,
Miss Iva Magnuson; 1967
and 1968, Mrs. Leola Josef-
son; 1969, Mrs. Marie
Johnson; 1970, Mrs. Gudmn
Bjömson; 1971, Mrs- Shar-
lotte Mendenhall; 1972. Mrs.
Thora Dech; 1973, Mrs.
Steffie Angevine; 1974 and
1975, Miss Mildred Olson.
An account of the recent
presentation to the Univer-
sity of Minnesota of 285 Ice-
landic children’s books waS
given by Mrs. Leola Josefson
the club’s director of special
projects. At a meeting last
winter Mrs. Josefson had
directed the attention of the
club to the fact that there
was only one Icelandic book
in the remarkable collection
of 28,000 volumes of child-
ren’s literature from various
lands known as the Kerlan
collection, for the man who
bequeathed it to the Univer-
sity upon his death in 1963.
He was a doctor who made
a hobby of collecting child-
ren’s books from all over
the world and at his deafh
the special library included
not only the 28,000 volumes
but also 1,000 manuscripts,
in addition to original Dlus-
trations for about 2,000
books.
The HekTa Chib’s roTe in
s^curing the 285 Icelandic
children’s books was a direct
and vet rather an involved
one. A long time member,
Mrs. Hazel Huffman, who
li’,ed in Ml'nn«ota for a
?ood manv years, took the
nrohlem with her on one of
her periodic visits to Reyk-
iavik to visit her dancrhter,
Betty. the wife of Sigurb-
iom Thorbiömwson, now the
chief tax adminisrator of
Iceland- Sigurbjörn took the
matter up with publishers,
eleven of whom promptly
gave books. One donor in-
sured the books for ship-
ment, another gave wood for
the crates, still another
nacked the books, and the
Icelandic steamship Com-
nany - the EimSkipafjelag -
transported the books from
Revlriavik to Norfolk. Co-
ordination of the whole
effort wps completely in the
hands of the HekTa Club
member’s son-in-Iaw, Sigur-
biöm ThorbjörSson.
The Hekla Club’s mid-
December meeting took the
form of a thoroughly Ice-
landic Chris+mas observance
this time, held at the Inter-
national Institute in St. Paul.
President Mildred Olson
onened the festivities and in
charge of maior program
arrangements was Herdis
Sigtryggsson who, with her
husharid, Magnus, moved
here from Iceland some time
back; she will succeed Mil-
dred Olson as president of
the cJub this soring.
The traditional dance
around the Christmas tree
with a singing of Icelandic
carols was a maior feature,
with the goodly number of
voungsters present taking
part. The “star of the show”
was Helga Kristiánsdóttir,
wife of Ólafur Kardal, who
was the chief “iólasveinn”,
dressed up like Santa CTaus
and carrying on lively dial-
ogue with the youngsters.
Young ladies from Iceland,
both members of the club
and some who attend its
meetings frequently, took
over the refréshments, with
the finest of cakes and
cookies, as well as the more
common vinarterta and klei-
nur. An unusual item on the
menu was laufabraud, an in-
tricate product common to
the bíngeyjarisýsla region of
northem Iceland- There
were nearly 200 in atten-
d-mce at this most successfuT
event.
Valdimar Bjömson.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
It would be very much appreciated if you
would publish the following message to your
readers:
The 86th annual Icelandic Festival of Mani-
toba (íslendingadagurinn) wiH be held at Gimli on
August 2, 3 and 4, 1975.
Four years ago the festival committee institut
ed a patronage program which made it possible to
expand upon the cultural programs of the festival
and extend it to a full three day event.
We continue to receive exellent response
from our regular patrons. However, this year we
expect over 1000 visitors from Iceland to help us
celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the
arrivel of the Icelanders to Manitoba and our
desire to improve upon the programs and the
festival in general makes it necessary to solicit
new patrons-
Patrons will receive suitáble recognition in
the festival publications and official receipts will
be issued allowing the deduction of donations
from Income Tax.
Should you wish to lend your assistance as a
patron please make your cheque for $50.00 pay-
able to “Islendingadagurinn” and forward it to
Mr. Harold K. Goodmanson,
Treasurer,
466 Bredin Drive,
Winnipeg, Manitoba.
R2K 1N6.
Any contribution under $50.00 will list your
name as a donor in the special lOOth anniversary
program.
Thank you for your consideration of this
matter.
Yours respectfully,
Ted K. Amason,
President,
The Icelandic Festival of Manitoba-
1
WANTED
Office work to do at home.
Fully experienced. Phone: 582-5589
NÝJUNG!
Lægstu Þotufargjöld
beinaleið til Islands
frá Chicago
Loftleiðir (Icelandic Airlines) gefa nú völ á áætl-
unar þotuflugum til Islands frá New York EÐA CHI-
CAGO! Allt fyrir lægri þotufargjöld, en nokkur önnuir
áætlunar flugþjónusta hefir upp á að bjóða til íslands
og Luxembourg, í miðpunkti Evrópu.
Einnig reglubundin áætlunar þotuflugþjónusta frá
New York eða Chicago, með ísland í leiðinni, til Oslo,
Kaupmannahafnar, Stockholms, Glasgow og London.
Þú getur staðið við og litast um á íslandi, á leiðinni
til anniarra Evrópu landa, án þess að borga auka far-
gjald.
Leitaðu fullra upplýsinga og ferðabæklinga hjá
ferða agentum, eða hafðu samband við:
ICELANDIC LOFriIIDIR
630 Fifth Ave„ New York, N.Y. 10020; Phone (212) 757-8585
37 S. Wabash Ave„ Chicago, III. 60603; Phone (312) 372-4797