The Icelandic Canadian - 01.03.1974, Qupperneq 10

B
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
SPRING 1974
turn of the century was Margret
Benedictsson, editor of the womans suf-
frage paper Freyja, and at that time
several Icelanders were prominent in
the Good Templar movement. At the
beginning of the century, shoemaker
Magnus Smith was Canadian Chess
Champion. Arni Eggertson, member
of the city council in 1907, 1908, and
1917, played an important part in the
promotion of City Hydro. In 1909
and 1910 Skuli Johnson and Joseph
T. Thorson, students at Wesley Col-
lege and Manitoba College respective-
ly, proceeded to Oxford as Rhodes
scholars. About the same time Drs.
O. Bjornson and B. Brandson and
others were on their way to eminence
in the medical field.
In the Norris cabinet, commencing
1916, Hon. Thos H. Johnson was a
key member and effective in social re-
form measures. Icelanders were well
represented in World War I in the
Winnipeg based battalions such as the
8th, 27th, 44th and 78th. Many paid
the supreme sacrifice. In 1920, the
Falcons of Winnipeg, Allan Cup hold-
ers that year, carried the Canadian em-
blem to victory in the Olympic hockey
games. Charles Thorson, originator of
Bugs Bunny, was prominent on Walt
Disneny’s staff. Together with their
fellow Winnipegers’ people of Ice-
landic origin endured the searing ex-
perience of the Depression of the
1930’s. Alderman Paul Bardal was at
that time the administrator of relief
in the city. In the period 1925-1963,
Dr. Thorvaldur Johnson of the Dom
inion Laboratory of Plant Pathology
on the University of Manitoba campus
conducted rust research that saved the
farmers of the West millions and won
for him international recognition.
Indicative of the the growing social
unity of the multi-racial population
of the city, neighbors may be and have
been Canadian-born, English-born,
Danish-born, Icelandicdjom, Polish-
born, Ukrainian-born, and German-
born. Good neighbors and good
friends all. The accelerated rate of
racial inter-marriage is a yet more vital
example of the process of racial inte-
gration and the development of a Can-
adian people in the cosmopolitan city
of Winnipeg, now celebrating its one
hundred years of history.
The Icelandic Canadian regrets to
announce the death of two devoted
members of the magazine staff, Hjalm-
ur F. Danielson and John V. Samson.
Hjalmur Danielson was Business and
Circulation Manager from the time
of the founding of the magazine, in
1942, until 1968. John Samson was
his successor. Biographical accounnts
are featured in this issue. —Editor.