Lögberg-Heimskringla - 25.04.2003, Page 4

page 4 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Friday, 25 April 2003
My Career as an lcelandic North American
This colurnn recognizes people oflcelandic descent who have made or are making a contribution to the Icelandic/North American community. Please let us kpow if there is someone
you would like to see featured. Contact (204) 284-5686 or email us at logberg@mts.net
June Parker Has a Big Heart
June Parker received a Life Membership in Norðurljós, the Edmonton
Icelandic Society, chapter of the Icelandic National League of North America,
at Edmonton’s Þorrablót on March 1, 2003.
Gloria Krenbrenk
Edmonton, AB
Gloria Krenbrenk made the
following remarks on the
occasion of presentation to
June of a Life Membership.
I am so pleasured, on
behalf of Norðurljós, to pres-
ent a Life Membership to my
friend and yours, June Parker.
June is an Alberta girl,
born and bred, from
Markerville. She has in her
possession a genealogy chart
tracing her family tree all the
way back to Adam and Eve.
You can’t get much better than
that!
June is a real people per-
son. She loves to talk to peo-
ple and spread the word about
our Icelandic Society. It was
June on the other end of my
phone twenty-one years ago,
and I am so thankful because
I’ve had a great time with
Norðurljós and with the Saga
Singers. I think there are quite
a few people here tonight who
are very glad that June takes
the time to share her enthusi-
asm for things Icelandic.
June has been involved
with Norðurljós and the Saga
Singers for something like
twenty-seven years. Whether
you know it or not, you have
all enjoyed Icelandic foods
made in June’s kitchen. One
year she made seven batches
of pönnukökur for Þorrablót.
Seven batches!
June was a teacher in her
working life; and she has a
special interest in young peo-
ple and in providifig club
activities for our younger gen-
eration. She will always take
the time to speak to and
encourage the young people.
One place where June
shines is at Heritage Days, our
annual three day multicultural
festival in Hawrelak Park on
the August long weekend. As
many as 200,000 to 400,000
people attend this event. June
sits at our Icelandic display
table telling people about
Iceland and spotting new
members for our Society. She
wears her Icelandic costume
all day, no matter how hot the
weather. She is my hero
because she doesn’t even take
a bathroom break.
Some years ago, June
came home from an Icelandic
National League convention
with enthusiasm for fundrais-
ing, and she volunteered to
look after our Ways and
Means. She sold T-shirts,
sweatshirts, apróns, caps and
pins, and anything else she
could think of. At the
Markerville Picnic, people
would look for “Peddler June”
selling out of the trunk of her
car. For a few years this was
the only real income our club
had, and others carry on the
Ways and Means project to
this day.
Another one of June’s ini-
tiatives was our Multi-genera-
tional Weekend Language
Experience Camp. We had
been trying to come up with
new ways of doing language
learning in the Edmonton area,
especially something where
the children could be involved.
June volunteered her lakeside
cabin for a location and eight
camps were held from 1993 to
2000. Campers had a wonder-
ful time learning about
Icelandic language and culture.
Now of course June didn’t do
this all by herself. But without
her leadership, co-ordination,
and generously opening her
cabin, this project would never
have come to fruition.
June Parker has a big
heart; she is always there to
help, always working away
behind the scenes for the bene-
fit of us all. In 1982 it was
June, along with Ninna
Campbell, who came to my
house, measured me all up, cut
a piece off a big bolt of materi-
al, and explained how to sew
up the skirt I needed for Saga
Singers. This year, twenty-one
years later, it is June, along
with Hiltrud, who has taken
the time to help our new Saga
Singers get properly outfitted
for tonight. She just doesn’t
quit!
I think the last time June
was honoured was in 1980
when she performed her duties
as Fjallkona for Alberta. So
it’s high time that we say thank
you, June, for all your contri-
butions over the years. This is
- recognition well deserved.
June is first generation
Vestur Islendingur as her
father Jón Rögnvaldur
Hermansson Hillman was bom
in 1886 at Fjall, Iceland. He
emigrated to North Dakota in
PHOTO COURTESY OF ICELANDIC HERITAGE CALENDAR (INL JULY 1999)
June Parker with granddaughter Megan Parker read the
diary of June’s great-grandfather, Jón Rögnvaldsson
(Hillman)
1887 with his parents, Herman
Jónsson and Margrét
Ögmundsdóttir. The diary of
Herman’s ' father, Jón
Rögnvaldsson, has been a
valuable resource for informa-
tion on emigration on the St.
Patrick in 1874.
June’s rnother, Halldora
(Dora) Sigridur Johannson
was bom in Calgary in 1891 of
Icelandic parents. Sigríður
Magnúsdóttir from Efri
Hreppur, Iceland, married
Kristján Jóhannsson from
Norður Þingeyjarsýsla in
Calgary in 1891. Kristján emi-
grated in 1888 and moved to
Alberta in 1889.
In 1911, at the age of
twenty, Dora married Hannes
Eymundson who had emigrat-
ed from Langanes, Iceland.
He passed away in 1915 leav-
ing Dora a widow with two
girls. She remarried in 1917 to
long time friend John
Rognvaldur Hillman. Together
they brought up an additional
seven children, two boys and
five girls, on a mixed farm nine
miles north of Markerville,
AB.
In 1961, June married Jim
Parker of Rocky Mountain
House and they made their
permanent home in St. Albert,
AB. Jim passed away in 1990.
Their four children are John in
Calgary, Joanne in
Lloydminster, and Roderick
and Elizabeth in St. Albert.
June has nine grandchildren.
984 Portage Avenue
at Aubrey St.
Ph: (204) 949-2200
Fax: (204) 783-591 6
www.nbardal.mb.ca
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