Árbók Háskóla Íslands - 01.01.1962, Page 52

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Hr. George T. Richardson, Chairman, Board of Governors,
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg:
Your Excellency, Mr. Rector, Ladies and Gentlemen.
The University of Manitoba is proud, indeed, to have His
Excellency, the President of Iceland, as its most recent gradu-
ate for from its very beginning it has been associated, through
academic staff and through students, with people of Icelandic
descent.
The first permanent Icelandic settlement in Canada was
established on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg in the Pro-
vince of Manitoba in 1875. The University of Manitoba began
in 1877. Only the Cities of Reykjavík and Akureyri have more
people of Icelandic descent than Winnipeg. Our University
therefore was very pleased to be invited to be represented at
your 50th anniversary.
The establishment of the Chair of Icelandic Language and
Literature at the University of Manitoba was a very signi-
ficant addition to the University. This was made possible by
an Endowment Fund contributed by members of Icelandic com-
munities assisted by a generous contribution from the Govern-
ment of Iceland.
Thanks also to the generosity of many Icelandic individuals
and groups in Canada and yearly donations from the people
of Iceland, the University of Manitoba has a large and excel-
lent Icelandic library.
Professor Haraldur Bessason has asked me to bring a very
warm and special greeting to his Alma Mater, both from him
and from the Icelandic Department of the University of Mani-
toba.
In the years that lie ahead it is our hope that there will
be an increasing number of exchange students between our
two Universities.
I cannot close these words of greeting without referring to
the recent visit to Manitoba and to our University of His Ex-