Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.01.2008, Page 1

More photo
mysteries
$2Single copy price:
Stefan
Stefanson
Gimli’s “Grand Old Man,”
who took such an active part
in the Icelandic community,
has passed on / page 12
PHOTO COURTESY OF NELSON GERRARD
Part two of Nelson Ger-
rard’s “casebook” on the
identities of people in old
family photos / page 6
STEINÞÓR GUÐBJARTSSON
Nation Builder
of the Year
Toronto’s Don Johnson
was named Canada’s Nation
Builder of the Year for his
work in philanthropy / page 3
Publication Mail Agreement No. 40012014, PAP # 8000 ISSN 0047-4967
LÖGBERG
HEIMSKRINGLA
The Icelandic Community Newspaper • 15 January 2008 • Number 2 / Númer 2 • 15. janúar 2008
INSIDE
i l
ri :
Visit us on the web at http://www.lh-inc.ca
120
years of
1888 - 2008
The honour brings attention
to the Icelandic community
Dr. Ken Thorlakson given Order of Canada
Steinþór Guðbjartsson
Recently, Dr. T. Kenneth Thorlakson of Winni-peg was named a Mem-
ber of the Order of Canada for
his contributions as a volunteer
and fundraiser dedicated to the
preservation and promotion of
Icelandic heritage and culture
in Manitoba.
In recent years his leader-
ship in fundraising has seen
two campaigns succeed beyond
their goals. He served as chair
of the Valuing Icelandic Pres-
ence Millennium Campaign to
support the Department of Ice-
landic and the Icelandic Collec-
tion at the University of Mani-
toba. Since 2004 he chaired the
Future Fund Capital Campaign
to stabilize and support Lög-
berg-Heimskringla.
The Icelandic community
in Manitoba and Canada can
attribute the continuing surviv-
al of these important cultural
institutions to Dr. Thorlakson’s
efforts.
After Her Excellency the
Right Honourable Governor-
General Michaëlle Jean had
announced the new appoint-
ments to the Order of Canada
in the end of 2007, Dr. Thor-
lakson said to the Winnipeg
Free Press that many of the
projects he had been involved
with in the Icelandic commu-
nity, his father had something
to do with years before, so they
were quite important to him.
When the L-H’s mission
was accomplished last sum-
mer Dr. Thorlakson noted that
the fundraising goal of $1.5
million had been achieved.
“All three objectives of the
campaign were met. We now
have a permanent endowment
fund that will provide annual
income in perpetuity, past is-
sues of the newspaper are now
easily accessible and tremen-
dous progress has been made
in improving the quality and
financial viability of the news-
paper.”
Dr. Ken Thorlakson says
that being named a Member of
the Order of Canada is a won-
derful honour. “I am pleased
that this honour brings atten-
tion to our Icelandic commu-
nity. I am grateful to have had
the opportunity to work with
so many others in the Icelandic
community. This award reflects
on what we have achieved to-
gether.”
The formal induction into
the order will probably be in
the fall in Ottawa.
Dr. Thorlakson will be
honoured at the Ljósanótt
tribute dinner in Winnipeg on
January 26. Deadline for pur-
chasing tickets is January 22;
call Lögberg-Heimskringla for
more information.
Dr. T. Kenneth Thorlakson
Lögberg’s debut on 14 January
1888 followed other attempts to
publish Icelandic newspapers,
and a split from Heimskringla /
pages 8 – 9