The Icelandic Canadian - 01.03.1974, Page 18

16
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
SPRING 1974
arriving there at 10:00 a.m. August
30. At 11:30 p.m. we left there in the
steamboat Ironsides, across Lake Mich-
igan, arriving in Milwaukee at 6:00
a.m., August 31. We the injured, had
a long wait on the boat while Paul
Thorlaksson was trying to persuade the
railway officials to provide and care
for us until we had fully recovered.
While we were waiting, a resident of
Milwaukee, Thorgrimur Laxdal, came
to visit us. After a long wait
Paul returned with a vehicle in which
we were driven, at his expense, to the
home of an Icelander named Plarold,
where all the Icelanders stayed for a
few days. (Translator’s comment: It
appears that Paul was unable to per-
suade the railway authorities to assume
responsibility for the accident. Plow
times have changed!) After a nine-day
stay at Harold’s, eighteen of the Ice-
landers left Milwaukee. Having re-
mained there for fifteen days, I left
for Stoughton.
Was this misadventure a harbinger
of the shape of things to come in the
Promised Land? No! A thousand
times “no”! This was a land that “sob-
er-sided Freedom chose”. Here op-
portunities and challenges beckoned.
I had survived my ordeal of fire rela-
tively unscathed. In no way did it dam-
pen my youthful exuberance.
—End of series
MARVIN I. NORDMAN
Deputy Minister of Public Works
Marvin I. Nordman has been ap-
pointed Deputy Minister of Public
Works in the Manitoba Government.
He has been Assistant Deputy Minister
of Public Works since February, 1971.
Born at Cypress River, Manitoba, he
worked for a major oil company in
1941-42 before joining the R.C.A.F.
He served as a pilot instructor at
Gimli and Souris. Mr. Nordman re-
turned to the oil business in 1946,
joined Canadian Natonal Railways in
1947, and re-enlisted in the R.C.A.F.
in 1951. He was stationed throughout
Canada, in France and at Tyndall,
Florida.
On retiring from the Armed Forces
in 1970, Mr. Nordman joined the
Manitoba government as a program
co-ordinator and was appointed as-
sistant deputy minister the next year.
Marvin I. Nordman