The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1956, Side 48

46
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Summer 1956
landic scholar as he is ancl steeped in
Icelandic history and literature, he
has made special friends among the
older generation, who cherish their
memories of Iceland. When talking
to them, their harps have been tuned
together in speaking of Iceland and
things Icelandic.
Professor Finnbogi has been a
standard bearer in the community and
as such he has been a person of some
prominence. He has held aloft the Ice-
landic flag. This is in keeping with
his background and his position with
the Chair. His work in this field will
be missed.
For us in Canada, the magnetic pole
is on the Boothia peninsula. For Pro-
fessor Finnbogi it is in Iceland. To
this magnetic pole he is being at-
tracted and drawn. He returns to Ice-
land with our best wishes for personal
happiness and an illustrious career.
hakk fyrir goSa viSkynningu og far
heill. Wilhelm Kristjanson
II
In view of the fact that Dr. P. H. T.
Thorlakson, the Chairman of the
Foundation Committee of the Chair
of Icelandic Language and Literature
at the University of Manitoba is un-
able to be present this evening, it is
my pleasure to be given the opportun-
ity to express to Professor Finnbogi
GuSmundsson the thanks and ap-
preciation of our Committee to him
for his able and diligent services
rendered in laying the foundation of
the Chair of Icelandic Language and
Literature at the University of Mani-
toba.
Professor Finnbogi GuSmundsson
was recommended to the Board of
Governors of the University of Mani-
toba by Dr. Alexander Johannesson,
Rector of the University of Iceland,
as being the most suitable educationist
then available in Iceland for the
organization and setting up of the
Department of Icelandic at the Uni-
versity of Manitoba; as a result he ar-
rived in this city late in November,
1951, to undertake and carry out this
mission. At this stage, I wish to state
to you, Professor Finnbogi, that it is
the considered opinion of the members
of our committee and that of Professor
W. J. Waines, the Dean of the Arts
and Science faculty of the University
of Manitoba, that you have performed
excellent work in the organization of
your Department and in the supervis-
ing of the setting up of the Icelandic
Library at the University of Manitoba,
which as we know is one of the larger
libraries of its kind outside of Ice-
land, and it is being added to each
year.
We are all aware of the fact that
Professor Finnbogi has during his
short stay with us been very active in
his efforts to acquaint the Canadian
and American people of Icelandic
orgin and descent with the cultural
aspects of the Icelandic language and
literature, and has journeyed far and
wide to all of the centers of Canada
and the United States where there are
Icelandic settlements of any conse-
quence to spread his gospel. Our
Committee wishes to express its ap-
preciation to Professor Finnbogi Gu5-
mundsson for this missionary work
which is so essential towards the even-
tual success of the Icelandic Depart-
ment at the University of Manitoba.
At this stage I wish to point out to
Professor Finnbogi and those as-
sembled here this evening that we
must not be discouraged by the fact
that the students who have taken the
course in Icelandic have been few in
number, as I remember being a stu-
dent in the Icelandic course at Wesley
College in the year 1915, when the