Lögberg-Heimskringla - 05.02.1982, Síða 6

6-WINNIPEG, FÖSTUDAGUR 5. FEBRÚAR 1982
In memoriam
Vigfus Jakobsson, 1921*1981
It has been said that death often
comes as a thief in the night and in
the case of my friend, Vigfus
Jakobsson, it certainly did. Vigfus
died of a heart attack in his sleep
last Dec. 14. This tragic loss came as
a great shock to all in the Icelandic
community in the San Francisco Bay
Area. Some of us had helped him
celebrate his 60th birthday only a
few weeks before and as always he
was the picture of good health, there
was no warning whatsoever of our
Did you ever wonder what the
word "Scandinavia" means? When
the Romans visited the Norse coun-
tries during their conquest of
Europe 2,000 years ago, they realiz-
ed the lands that sit at the top of the
world were out of their reach and
unconquerable. They gave the
Norse countries their name —
"Scandinavia," meaning a place
apart.
"Scandinavia — A Place Apart" is
the title of a new film by Fritz and
Ingaborg Kahlenberg which
premieres at the United Nations ear-
ly in 1982. The Kahlenberg's are
After spending years in storage at
Borg Memorial Home, four paint-
ings by Emile Walters, noted Ice-
landic painter, are being displayed
at the University of North Dakota
Art Department galleries.
Earlier, the paintings hung in the
Fleet Art Studio in Winnipeg, Man.
The paintings will later be offered
for sale with proceeds being used to
help defray the cost of window in-
stallation at Borg Memorial Home,
Mountain, N.D.
Walters, born to Icelandic parents
in 1893 in Winnipeg, spent his youth
in North Dakota and western
Canada.
Studying at the Chicago Institute
of Art and later the Pennsylvania
Academy of Fine Arts, his early
style was influenced by the French
impressionists.
Walters donated the paintings to
the Borg Home in 1949.
The paintings are: ''Land Blink in
the Bad Lands of North Dakota,"
"Dutchess County, New York,”
"Kafla Strund, a Residence in Ice-
land" and "Delphiniums."
The paintings were viewed for
several years during the 1950s in the
Borg Home before they were taken
down and placed in storage. Except
for a few older residents, the paint-
ings were largely forgotten.
coming loss.
Vigfus was born and raised at Hof
in Vopnafjorður, the son of the Rev.
Jakob Einarsson and his wife, Guð-
bjorg Hjartardottir. He attended the
Menntaskoli in Akureyri,
graduating in 1941. A year later, he
came to the U.S. and studied
forestry at the University of
Washington in Seattle. He spent the
summers collecting seeds in Alaska
for the Icelandic Department of
Agriculture which was at the time
two of the country's leading film
makers on people and places of the
world.
Like most of their films, "Scan-
dinavia — A Place Apart" is not a
standard travelogue. "Places begin
to look more and more alike in
travel films,” Fritz Kahlenberg said.
"What we did with "Scandinavia —
A Place Apart" was highlight how
the people and the unique scenery
of Scandinavia separate that area
from other areas of the world, and
then zero in on specific differences
between the five countries
themselves. We consider the film a
Mrs. Arni V. Johnson, Mountain,
was among those who kept inquir-
ing about the Emile Walters paint-
ings, but no one at the home knew
their whereabouts.
Several years later, Lyle Hoverson
was hired as administrator and one
day while rummaging through
around the storage room he
discovered the paintings. Even
though he claims he isn't an artist,
he said he knew he found something
quite valuable.
Margabet Johnson and Ellen
Erlendson, members of the Borg
board, then arranged to have the
paintings hung at the Fleet Art
Studios in Winnipeg, honoring the
lOOth anniversary of the arrival of
the first Icelandic settlers in Win-
nipeg on Oct. 11, 1875.
The paintings were later returned
to the Borg Home for display. Then
Laurel Reuter, UND Art Depart-
ment, agreed to have them brought
for display.
They will remain on display at the
UND Art Galleries until January,
when they will be returned to the
Borg Home. Tentative plans now
cali for holding an art auction in
June, 1982, with the proceeds going
to the home.
Courtesy of Grand Forks, N.D.
Herald.
interested in exploring the possibili-
ty of growing Sitka, Alaska asp and
other kinds of trees in Iceland.
Vigfus' interest in this venture was
keen. But he decided to return to
Seattle for a master's degree and did
a thesis on wooden marine struc-
tures.
As fate would have it, however, it
was not in Vigfus' future to work in
forestry, for around 1947-48 he set-
tled on the west coast of the U.S.
and it was in the Bay Area that he
personality profile of Denmark,
Finland, Iceland, Norway and
Sweden."
"Scandinavia — A Place Apart" is
the sixth film about Scandinavia the
Kahlenbergs have made in the last
ten years. Each has won many first
prizes at the most prestigious inter-
national film festivals. Because the
Kahlenbergs have not been satisfied
to make travelogues, but have add-
ed depth and personal dimension to
their films, all of these productions
are bought by public libraries
throughout'the United States.
"Scandinavia — A Place Apart" is a
color/sound film that runs 28
minutes. It is available for distribu-
tion to television stations and travel
agents and planners for group show-
ings from Audience Planners, Inc.,
One Rockefeller Plaza, New York;
NY 10020, or 645 No. Michigan
Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, or 6290
Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA
90028. More information about the
film is available from the Scandina-
vian National Tourist Offices.
made his home. He became a
developer and a builder as so many
Icelanders and men of Icelandic
descent have done in this part of the
world. Vigfus was very successful in
this venture and leaves behind
many beautiful private dwellings in
the Oakland hills and elsewhere.
One could say, that for those of us
in the San Francisco Bay Area, it
was our good fortune, that Vigfus
did not stay in Iceland. He was one
of the founders of The Icelandic
Society of Northern California, serv-
ed as its president several times and
was for many years one of its pillars
of strength. He always served with
distinction and was always
resourceful and generous with his
time and his talents, willing to listen
to problems and lend a hand in solv-
ing them. Beyond that, he had a vast
knowledge of Icelandic history as
well as current affairs that not a few
of us had come to rely on. Although
he had been an American citizen for
many years, he was a true Icelandic
patriot in the best sense.
We will miss our friend, Vigfus,
keenly. We will miss him, not only
for all he did for us but also for what
he was: a man with a kind and góod
heart and a very fine mind. The
outer shell may sometimes have
seemed hard to those who did not
know Vigfus, but the warmth, the
kindness and the faithfulness in
friendship which were his
hallmarks were quickly discerible
to those who cared to look.
A ' Vigfus Jakobsson Memorial
Fund has been established for the
benefit of a future Icelandic Old
Folks Home in California. Contribu-
tions to this fund may be sent to:
Mrs. Inga Black, 61 Muth Drive,
Orinda, California 94563.
Hilda S. Lorensen
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"Scandinavia" translated new film
world premiere at United Nations
Walters' Icelandic paintings
on display at UND galleries