Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.11.1991, Side 3

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 1. nóvember1991 • 3
over. I followed his advice
andweweresuccessful. At
one time, 36 members be-
longed to the club and we
held teas, bazaars,
þorrablót and even sang
Icelandic songs in down-
town Montreal. I credit
Gigi Fridrikson for the
many connections we
made with Icelanders in
Montreal, and I still keep
in touch with some of
them.”
After moving back to
Winnipeg in 1978, Evelyn joined the
Frón chapter of the INL and served as its
social chairperson for two years. She
served on the board of Lögberg-
Heimskringla as secretary, and also sat
on the HIP committee for two years. In
1986 she was hired as the first executive
secretary of the INL and was, among
other things, responsible for coordinat-
ing the 1988-1991 conventions.
The Icelandic National League con-
ventions, which Evelyn witnessed as a
young woman and thought utterly bor-
ing, were run quite differently from the
ones held today. “At the time, it seemed
to me that the presidents of each club or
chapter read their complete annual re-
port to the assembly of older people, and
the rest was devoted to lengthy speeches.
Now, however, morc young people are
involved in the League and the conven-
tions are both entertaining and produc-
tive,” Evelyn says.
Forthe pasttenyears, Evelyn has also
been employed by the Manitoba Curling
Association as executive secretary, and
lastyearshe served as protocol chairman
for the World Curling Championships
held in Winnipeg.
“Although Iam
very proud of being
the fírst woman
President of the
INL, I wish to point
out that quite a
number ofboth
women and men
have devoted a lot
of time and energy
to the organization
throughout the
years, and ofthe
INL’s 15 chapters
or clubs and affíli-
ates, 8 of them are presided over
by women.
“My predecessors in this position are
Oli Narfason and Neil Bardal. They have
great vision for the League and its poten-
tial for being a unifying force for all
people of Icelandic descent in North
America. I have great respect for both
these men and what they have accom-
plished and they have been very support-
(L-R): Elva Simundsson,
Stefan and Olla Stefanson,
Evelyn and Gordon
Thorvaldson, INL representa-
tlves at the Leifur Eiríksson
Conference in Washington,
D.C., held in early October.
Below: Evelyn Thorvaldson
addresses the crowd at an
INL appreciation dinner,
honouring former executive
members.
ive of me,” she says.
Since Evelyn Thorvaldson came into
office, she has visited Markerville, Al-
berta, where she met with representa-
tives of the I NL’s Leifur Eiríksson Calgary
Club, Edmonton’s Norðurljós Chapter,
and the Stephan G. Stephansson Soci-
ety, as well as members of the Vonin
Ladies Aid. She also attended the Brúin
of Selkirk First Day of Summer Celebra-
tion, and on behalf of the Winnipeg Frón
Club, dressed in her upphlutur, greeted
guests at last summer’s Folklorama. This
past October, Evelyn attended the Leifur
Eiríksson Conference in Washington,
D.C., the first Icelandic-North Ameri-
can conference ever held, and in the
near future she will visit with members
of the Icelandic Canadian Club of To-
ronto.
“I am very fortunate in that my hus-
band, who incidentally just retired from
a senior position with Air Canada, is
able to get us low cost, or free air travel.
This privilege has and will enable me to
i----------------
DQBOQl billboard
familyI funeral
COUNSELLORS
President of the INL takes to the “egg on a
spoon” race.
visit with some of the INL’s chapters,
clubs or affiliates in other regions of
Canada and even in the US. During the
past few years, communication between
the INL executive and member chapters
as well as with Þjóðræknisfélag
íslendinga, or the INL of Iceland, Jias
improved immensely. Excellent commu-
nication and growth of the organization
are things we are presently working to-
wards with a new and updated directory
of all our members and by networking
with Icelandic clubs throughout North
America who possibly would like to be-
come member chapters or affiliates of the
League,” she says.
“Personal interaction with the people
is one of the things I enjoy the most,” says
Evelyn. “When I visit the INL chapters or
clubs in their regions, I become better
aware of what they are doing and, in
return, they get to know me. Our annual
presidents’ and youth meetings are com-
ing up at the beginning of November,
here in Winnipeg, and in May we will
hold our convention at the beautiful
Hecla Island Resort. I’m looking for-
ward to thcse events and I encourage
people to attend our convention. I also
encourage all people of Icelandic de-
scent to become involved in their local
Icelandic National League chapter, be-
cause it has been my experience, that few
things are as rewarding as those pcrtain-
ing to our Icelandic heritage.”
Ii\'l. Presidents
& Yoiitli Meetings
Mov. 1: Friday — 7 - 10 p.m.
Mov. 2: Saturday — 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
at the Scandinavian Centre, 764 Erin Street in Winnipeg
73rd V\AL \1. CONVENTION
GULL HARBOUR LODGE RESORT
May 1, 2 & 3, 1992
in Hecla, Manitoba
For further information, please contact the
INL Office Headquarters
699 Carter Avenue,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3M 2C3
Telephone & Fax: (204) 284-5686
This space is provided monthly by Neil Bardal Inc., Family Funeral
Counsellors, for the use of community groups. If your group would
like to use this space, give us a call 949-2200.
A loss to us all
By Hulda Karen
Daníelsdóttlr
Late last week I re-
ceived a phone call from
Hannes Thomasson, a
friend of Paul A.
Sigurdson, telling me that
Paul had passed away at
the Health Sciences Cen-
tre in Winnipeg. I knew
that Paul was in the hos-
pital, but the news came
as a shock to me. During
the previous week, Paul
had just sent me yet another of his
excellent translations of K.N.’s poetry,
which had become a regular feature in
our newspaper. As always, he had also
written a few encouraging and comple-
mentary words in the margin. And I
had begun to look forward to the result
of his collaboration with Árný
Hjaltadóttir in translating Stephan G.
Stephansson’s Andvökur.
I met Paul for the first and only time
at the 17th of June Inde-
pendence Day Celebra-
tion at St. Stephen’s
Church in Winnipeg last
summer. We had often
talkcd on the phone and
correspondcd, and itwas
a great honour for me to
finally meet him in per-
son. On that occasion, a
tribute was being paid to
him, and five of his
musical compositions
were performed.
Paul A. Sigurdson was a man of
many talents and I know I speak on
behalf of all of Lögberg-Heimskringla’s
readers, who had come to know him
through his excellent contributions to
the paper, when I offer his family my
deepest condolences.
A short story by the late Paul A.
Sigurdson will be featured in thisyear’s
Christmas issue.
Paul A. Sigurdson