The White Falcon - 06.10.1978, Síða 1

Volume 34, Number 40 Keflavik, Iceland October 6, 1978
Center
Base receives new facility
President turns
over new Leif
Last week a ribbon cutting was
held at the newly completed Com-
munity Center. Captain Thomas J.
Keene, Commanding Officer Naval
Station Keflavik, conducted the
ceremony, accompanied by Rear Ad-
miral C. C. Held, Commander Atlan-
tic Division, Naval Facilities En-
gineering Command.
Construction of the buildine
began in July 1977, and total con-
Captain Thomas J. Keene, Commanding
Officer Naval Station Keflavik, and
Rear Admiral C. C. Heid, Commander
Atlantic Division, Naval Facilities
Engineering Command, share ribbon-
cutting duties with construction
officials last week at the Commun-
ity Center. (photo by PH3 Tom Wall)
for community
struction cost of the project was
just under $600,000.
The new facility is a rein-
forced concrete building which
will provide approximately 5,000
square feet of meeting rooms,
kitchen, restroom facilities and
office space in addition to a
large multi-purpose room for
dances, meetings or other commun-
ity activities.
Guests included Iceland State
Architect Hordur Bjarnason, who
provided design suggestions for
the building; Vilhjalmur Arnasson,
Chairman of the Board, Iceland
Prime Contractors, which was re-
sponsible for construction of the
facility; Naval Station Public
Works Officer Commander R. Heine,
who will maintaining the facil-
ity and Resident Officer in Charge
of Construction Lieutenant Com-
mander Alec T. Pringle, who ad-
ministered the construction con-
tract.
Beginning this year, Columbus
Day will officially become Leif
Erikson Day by proclamation by
President Jimmy Carter.
The President designated each
Oct. 9 as Leif Erikson Day when
he made the proclamation Sept. 5.
The proclamation is excerpted
as follows:
"Stories of brave men battling
fearful odds fire our imaginations.
We honor such men long after the
memories of their adventures have
been dimmed by time.
So it is with Leif Erikson.
His original discovery and explora-
tion of North America was the su-
preme achievement of a race of men
who truly were the masters of the
sea. His voyage enlarged mankind’s
horizons and pointed the way West
for others who were to follow.
Today we honor Leif Erikson, and
in honoring him we also honor the
human qualities of imagination,
courage, and perseverance which
characterize both his men of old
and Americans of Scandinavian de-
scent today."
The center is expected to begin
operating Oct. 16. Further infor-
mation concerning rooms and reser-
vations may be obtained by calling
Mrs. Melinda Witt at 4559.
Major Jack Morris, a
former EC-121 pilot,
flying the E-3A, re-
ceives a version of
"the Future AWACS"
from Captain Jerry
Crozier, an EC-121
pilot during the EC-
121 deactivation
ceremonies.