ted beck – a man for all seasons

Contents

ICELANDIC CLUB OF GREATER SEATTLE NOVEMBER 2008

GeysirGeysirNewNew

Consider joining The Icelan-dic Club of Greater Seattle! The dues are still reasonable. The monies help cover the cost of mailings, as well as, seed money for events where we need to cover costs ahead of time. We ask your help to reach Icelanders who do not belong and encourage them to join. Thanks for your help!Board meetings are held

montly.

Ads are accepted

Visit the Icelandic Club of Greater Seattle online at www.icelandseattle.com.

Membership

Ted BeckPage 2

Icelandic Club PicnicPage 3

Svanur VilbergssonPage 4

Travels to IcelandPage 5

Nordic SpirtPage 6

Emotional AddressPage 7

Book ReviewPage 8Tivoli

Page 9Seattle Club rides in Parade

Leifur EiriksonPage 10

Obituaries, IcecubesPage 11

From the President Membership Form

Ted Beck – A Man For All Seasons

(Continued on page 8)

Ted Beck

Outdoorsman, research engineer, family man, and proud Danish-Icelander, Ted Beck is a senior member of the Seattle Icelandic community, and an inspirational example of a life well lived.Ted is a Seattle native, the son of an Icelan-

dic immigrant mother and a Danish immi-grant father. His mother moved to Canada in 1914, emigrating with the mother of Thor Viking, late member of the Seattle Icelandic Club. She settled in the Argyle District of Manitoba, later moving to Winnipeg, then to Edmonton, and finally to Seattle, where she and Ted's father met and married. Ted was born in 1926, but he was left without a mother when she died just two years later. When he was five years old his father decided that it would be best to take Ted to Denmark to live with his grandparents. Fortuitously, on the voyage to Denmark, his father met a Danish woman who he mar-ried, and who, in a few months, returned to reside in Seattle with Ted and his father.Ted received all his formal education in Se-

attle, in the public schools and at the Uni-versity of Washington. Also, as a young man, he developed what would become a lifetime involvement in mountain climbing and hiking, becoming a member of the Seattle Moun-taineers in 1947. Today, with over fifty years' membership, he is one of the elite few who no longer have to pay annual dues. Besides his involvement in the Mountaineers, he also

took an interest in folk dancing, in the Skandia Folk-dance Club, and it was in Skandia that he met Ruth, his life companion. They were married in 1951.After receiving his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at

the University of Washington Ted had to face the fact that the Northwest was not the most advantageous place for gainful employment in his chosen profes-sion. In 1952 he took a job with DuPont on the east coast, and he and Ruth lived in Wilmington, Delaware. They enjoyed their time there in many ways, but they missed the west coast and the mountains. They left the east coast In 1954, when Ted was of-

fered employment with Kaiser Aluminum, in work that called for electrochemical expertise, the subject of his Ph.D. dissertation. The new job took Ted and Ruth to northern California, where they lived for five

years--not exactly the Northwest, but at least in the West, and close to the Sierras, and in the company of many Sierra Club members. When Kaiser had some financial problems causing cutbacks, Ted decided to change his employment, joining a company in Nevada, but when that company decided to consolidate its operations in the Los Angeles area Ted decided it was time to find a place in the Northwest, the place the Becks considered home, and close to the mountains he loved. He found his new employment with the Boeing

Company, working on fuel cells and batteries with Boeing Aerospace, starting in 1961. This led to a move to the Boeing Scientific Research Laboratory in 1964. involving research on titanium metal, the material planned for the proposed Boeing supersonic trans-port, and correcting a serious problem with erosion

Henry Björnsson

ICELANDIC CLUB OF GREATER SEATTLE2

We had a great turn out for a day that the “sky opened up” and the rain came down in “buckets”!! I truly believe that the people who braved the rain came out for the won-derful pylsar. Some of the people brought salads and desserts to share. Adrienne Box sent items for the children to enjoy despite the rain. They were blowing large bubbles with an oversized bubble ring and had balls

Icelandic Club Picnic – August 24, 2008Emily Kristjanson to throw around. Some of the children want-

ed to know when the egg toss was going to be held. We hadn’t planned on that, which would have been rather sloppy, but perhaps something we can include next year. Those children probably had been to family gath-erings where they did have egg toss and it can be a fun game, until you get egg all over you!!!I hope that

more of you

will plan to be with us next year. We try to have it the 3rd or 4th Sunday of August. If you have a better time that would work for you, please let us know. We had the covered area at Lynndale Park which was a blessing on such a rainy day. We make the reserva-tions in January so we can get the covered area again.Thank you to those who came and joined

the festivities.

Children at Play

Hauker and Marcus

Hauker, Laura & Emily

ICELANDIC CLUB OF GREATER SEATTLE 3

At the Picnic

Alexis & Elena ‘Olafsson

Svanur VilbergssonIcelandic classical guitarist Svanur Vilbergs-

son is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the most promising young performers of his instrument. As a two-time recipient of grants from the Cultural Council of Iceland, he has given concerts in the Schoenberg-Hall of The Hague (Holland), the Bonnenfanten Museum (Maastricht, Holland), Escola Luthier of Bar-celona (Spain), and the Great Hall of Devon (England). He is a regular guest ar tist for the Casa Eulalia Concert Series in Mallorca, Spain, and was selected to take part in The Gulf Stream Project, a series of concerts in Norway as part of the Icelandic-Norwegian cultural exchange program.Vilbergsson holds a Bachelor’s degree from

the Maastricht Conservatory (Holland), where he studied with Carlo Marchione and

Mallorca), and a series of outreach concerts for the Musicians Worldwide Foundation of the Netherlands. In addition to his concerts throughout Europe, Svanur Vilbergsson con-tinues to perform on the most visible stages in his native country, playing at the Reykjavik Town Hall at the Culture Night Festival and also performing in the Musical Hour Concert Series in Egilsstadir and in the Blue Church Concert Series in Seydisfjordur.

Svanur Vilbergsson will be performing Friday, November 21st at 7:30 pm

at St. John United Lutheran Church, 5515 Phinney Ave N. Seattle, WA 98103Appetizers will be served before and refreshments following the program.

Donation at the door. Any questions, contact Emily at 206.713.0716

Yrsa Sigurdardottir debuted as a crime writ-er in 2005 with LAST RITUALS which so far is sold in more than 30 languages. Her second crime novel on attorney Thora Gudmundsdot-tir, MY SOUL TO TAKE, was published in 2006. My Soul to take is already sold in 14 languages, including in the US, UK, Germany, Italy, Greece, Poland, Spain and Scandinavia. Yrsa'a third crime novel, Ashes to Dust was published in 2007 and was a huge success.Previously, Yrsa has written 5 novels for chil-

dren and pre-teens, two of which have won Icelandic prizes for literature, in 2000 the IBBY

About Yrsa Sigurðardóttiraward and in 2003 the Icelandic Children's book award. All of them are exciting and en-tertaining tales, bursting with humour and the joy of storytelling. She is married with two kids. Yrsa leads two

different lifes; as a crime writer and a civil en-gineer. Yrsa is also a geothermal engineer. She will

be in Seattle November 20-22nd to give a talk about her books as well as geothermal activity in Iceland. Time and place will be announced on a later date. She will bring her books to be autographed and sold.

had Chamber Music studies with cellist Al-exander Petrasch and violist Henk Guittar t. His other teachers have included Arnaldur Arnarsson (Escola Luthier, Spain) and Enno Voorhorst, with whom he attained his Mas-ter’s degree from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague (Holland). Upcoming projects include the premier of a

solo guitar work by composer Mateu Malon-dra, recitals in Spain (Auditorio Son Gener,


After years of talking about traveling to our homeland of Iceland, this summer we finally made the trip and had a wonderful time. Both of my parents were born and raised in Blaine Washington. All four of their parents were born in Iceland and traveled first to Canada in their late teens and early twenties and all eventually settled in Blaine.Our traveling group consisted of my 85 year

old father, my brother and his son, my three daughters, my brother –in –law and me. We left on June 13th and returned June 26th. Our first four days were spent in Reykjavik, followed by farm stays on the beautiful Snaefellsnes Pen-insula, then a three day stay in a farmhouse in Akureyri in the far north and finally one last night back in Reykjavik before flying home.There are so much to relate to you about our

trip that I could write pages but I will try to capture only some highlights and observations. First of all we wondered about the weather during our trip. Generally during our trip the weather was very nice, most of the time sunny, low to mid 60’s. The wind often blew which made layering of clothes a really good idea. What struck us all, was the fact that during our stay, the sun never really set. It would darken

Our family’s travels to Iceland this past summer Jim Stephanson

like dusk about 11:30 pm and then about 2 am the sunrise would begin. The constant sunlight energized us, confused us a bit and caused ma-jor havoc with our sleep patterns. My brother and I literally slept an average of 3 hours a night for the first week there before we eventually found darker curtains to allow us to sleep.While in Reykjavik we enjoyed the down-

town area, the beautiful churches, many Icelan-dic wool shops, the weekend night life which generally started late and went until morning (this may have had something to our lack of sleep), and nice restaurants. The city has a big international feel like many European cities and at the same time relaxed, small towns feel. You (Continued on next page)

can basically walk to anywhere in the downtown and we always felt very safe.We had the luck

of being in Reykjavik during National Day. We saw presenta-tions from the Presi-dent and other dig-nitaries, a car show, the world’s stron-gest man competi-tion, food booths and just an overall festive atmosphere. We commented to ourselves how ev-eryone in Reykjavik seemed to be on the streets that day. We really sensed great pride that resi-dents had in their country. We also noted how many young families with babies in strollers we saw everywhere. Not once did we see a par-ent scold a child, not once!We saw all the sights in and around Reyk-

javik including the Blue Lagoon, the Pearl, the National church, the Golden circle that included amazing waterfalls, geysers, and the Allthing or Thingvellir (The original Icelandic parliament) this was one of the favorite places of my dad, my brother and me. There was truly an awe inspiring feeling to this place both in historical signifi-cance and in natural beauty.As we traveled

out of the city and toward the eastern peninsula of Snaefellnes we discovered how beautiful and vast the landscape of the country is. We stay in farm-house cottages along beautiful coastlines right at the base of the Snæfellsjökull Glacier. Here we experienced wonderful family style home-made meals, golfing at midnight; sea cliffs lined with birdlife, and were introduced to the Hilda folk or little people. Throughout this area you would often see in the lava rock fields rocks piled up in a pyramid. According to the locals the little people lived in these houses and it was important that they stay happy for your own good fortune to remain intact. I recall a conversation that my dad had with the owner

of our farmhouse stay. He asked; you don’t really believe in the little people do you? The owner a bit offended said but of course. There is also a local belief that the Glacial Mountain also radiates mystical powers similar to sun rays. If you stay in one cottage where the rays cross and you’re trying to have a baby, you are almost guaranteed of success.Our last stay was in the country’s second larg-

est city, Akureyri located in the northern cen-tral area of Iceland. This was in birthplace of my dad’s father and grandfather. We also had the honor of being hosted by our second cousin Rosa Eggertsdottir and her family. She treated us to a complete traditional diner that she said was similar to what my grandmother would have served 80 years ago. She shared with us much of our family’s history in Iceland. After our evening with Rosa we were able to visit the actual farms of our grandfather and great grandfather the next day. This was a thrill for all of us, especially for my dad.Also while in Aukereyri we saw Godafoss wa-

terfall, Lake Myvatn, the Immigrant museum and got to fish for Icelandic Cod in the Artic Sea, meet a local craft beer producer. The farming areas along the fjords here were beautiful with many Icelandic horses and sheep to be seen. Many farms are still small family run in quite traditional ways.Some other general observations from our

trip;People were friendly and helpful especially so

after knowing we were Icelanders ourselves. They have a great admiration of Americans but shake their head at our current president. There was a sense to me of openness and in-nocence to people there.


The Nordic Spirit to Sail AgainTara Cox

For several years INL Iceland has arranged tours to the numerous Icelandic communities in North America. These tours have always been planned with the help of Icelandic or-ganizations in North America. The idea is to meet and mingle for a bit with local people, get acquainted, hopefully meet with relatives

Visit Iceland in 2009 and make new friends. On such occasions, discussions have often led to the question: ’’Have you ever been to Iceland?’’ Answers vary, some have been others have not but everyone agrees that they would love to go someday. Next year is the ideal time to come for a

visit. The Emigration Centre at Hofsos is plan-ning a three day event for people of Icelan-dic origin from North America. Thortravels

(www.vesturheimur.com) is making plans for anyone interested. The idea is to fly to Iceland in early June, attend the festival at Hofsos and do a tour around the island afterwards. Some may have friends or family in Iceland, choos-ing to spend time with them but others, who have never been may like the tour idea. For fur ther information contact Jonas Thor at [email protected]

Jónas Thor

The opening of Norway Day at the 1909 Alas-ka Yukon Pacific Exposition featured the sailing of a Viking-style ship—an emblem of the Nor-dic community’s participation in Seattle’s first World’s Fair. During next summer’s city-wide centennial celebration of the Exposition, a Vi-king-inspired ship called the Nordic Spirit, part of the Nordic Heritage Museum’s collection, will sail again, following extensive renovations.The Nordic Heritage Museum considers the

restoration of the Nordic Spirit an opportunity to both honor the past and inspire current and future generations. The restored Nordic Spirit will be a testament to the tradition of Scandi-navian shipbuilding and adaptive reuse. The ves-sel has already had two lives: as a Norwegian coastal fishing boat in the late 18th or 19th cen-tury and as an interpretive reproduction, out-fitted with Viking-style embellishments, in the mid-20th century. Much-needed restoration of the vessel will enhance its current role as an educational object for the Museum’s ongoing

working with the Museum to facilitate program plans, funding, and research. We invite you to participate in the renovation of the Nordic Spirit. Please contact Jason Herrington at [email protected] or 206.789.5707 x27 for additional information.

(Continued from previous page)

Icelanders have an active outdoor lifestyle, everyone it seems swims in a local community pool to start or end their day.There is a wonderful sense and appreciation

for history and genealogy with most people. Family records have great value.I talked about farmhouse stays and highly rec-

ommend them. They are much cheaper then hotels. Generally they are cottages or rooms with a large gathering area. We often ate fam-ily style breakfasts and dinners served by the owners, eating along with the other guests.The landscape is vast and awe inspiring. Some

times you feel like you’re in the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone Park. Photography is my pas-sion and I was in picture taking heaven.Once you leave Reykjavik you realize how

unpopulated and unspoiled the land is. The geysers, hotpots, waterfalls, mountain ranges, glaciers, and beautiful coastlines are all around you and never tiring to take in.There were eight of us on this trip and every

cultural programs. This next life of the Nordic Spirit will begin in the spring of 2009, with its display at such events as the celebration of Norway’s Consti-tution Day (May 17), the North-west Folklife festival, and the Ballard Seafood Festival, culminat-ing with the cen-tennial celebration of the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition. The Nordic Heritage Museum is joining with

a committed cadre of community members to lead the restoration project, with support from Ballard-based maritime shipbuilding industries. A number of local cultural organizations and historical advocates from the Seattle area are

one of us expressed a strong desire to return soon. The country is stunningly beautiful, the people are welcoming, and the feel and pace

of Iceland was intoxicatingly easy and relaxed. It’s a trip I’d highly recommend, whether you’re an Icelander or not.

Our Alternate Princesses

Christina Elin RussoForrest Kristine KasperAmanda Kristjanson

Our Princess


Icelandic Prime Minister, Geir H. Haarde’s ad-dress to the nation in a live broadcast to appraise the current financial crisis gripping the country, and the world.The speech is unusually frank and emotional

and details the government’s intention to give far greater powers to the Finance Ministry and the Financial Supervisory Authority to steer the banks, and the whole nation, through the troubled finan-cial markets.The law was later passed with support from

the opposition and goes into effect immediately. There follows a full transcript of Haarde’s speech in English:

“Fellow Icelanders,I have requested the opportunity to address you

at this time when the Icelandic nation faces major difficulties.“The entire world is experiencing a major eco-

nomic crisis, which can be likened in its effects on the world’s banking systems, to an economic natural disaster. Large and well established banks on both sides of the Atlantic have become victims of the re-cession and governments in many countries are row-ing for all they are worth to save whatever can be saved. In such circumstances every nation thinks, of course, first and foremost of its own interests. Even the biggest economies in the world are facing a close struggle with the effects of the crisis.“The Icelandic banks have not escaped this bank-

ing crisis any more than other international banks and their position is now very serious. In recent years the growth and profitability of the Icelandic banks has been like something akin to a fairy tale. Major opportunities arose when the access to capital on foreign money markets reached its peak, and the banks together with other Icelandic companies, ex-ploited these opportunities to launch into new mar-kets.“Over this period the Icelandic banks have grown

hugely and their liabilities are now equivalent to many times Iceland’s GNP. Under all normal circum-stances larger banks would be more likely to survive temporary difficulties, but the disaster which is now engulfing the world is of a different nature, and the size of the banks in comparison with the Icelandic economy is today their main weakness.“When the international economic crisis began just

over a year ago with the collapse of the real estate market in the US and chain reactions due to the so-called sub-prime loans, the position of Icelandic banks was considered to be strong, as they had not taken any significant part in such business. But the effects of this chain of events have turned out to be more serious and wide ranging than anyone had expected.“In recent weeks the world’s financial system has

been subject to devastating shocks. Some of the big-gest investment banks in the world have become the victims and capital in the markets has in reality dried up. The effects have been that large interna-tional banks have stopped financing other banks

Icelandic PM in emotional address to nationand complete lack of confidence has developed in business between banks. This has caused the posi-tion of Icelandic banks to deteriorate very rapidly in the last few days.Fellow Icelanders“The Government of Iceland, the Central Bank and

the Financial Supervisory Authority have over the past days and weeks worked ceaselessly to find a solution to the enormous difficulties which threaten Icelandic banks, in good cooperation with the banks. Various parties have been involved in this work, for example the pension funds and representatives of the labour market. The Government has, for its part, aimed for the sale by Icelandic banks of foreign as-sets and a reduced presence abroad, so that the Ice-landic state, so small in comparison with the Icelan-dic banks, would have the capacity to support them. We should bear in mind in this connection that the huge measures introduced by the US authorities to rescue their banking system represent just under 5% of GNP. The total economic weight of the Icelandic banks, however, is many times the GNP of Iceland.“Thus a decision on wide-ranging rescue measures

for the Icelandic banks is not only a matter of tax payers shouldering a heavier load temporarily, but concerns the position and future of the Icelandic na-tion as a whole.“The Government has stated that it will do what is

in its power to support the banking system. With this aim in view many important steps have been made over recent weeks and months. But in the perilous situation which exists now on the world’s financial markets, providing the banks with a secure life line poses a great risk for the Icelandic nation. People must bear this in mind when there is talk about the Icelandic state taking on loans of thousands of bil-lions to defend the banks in the rough waters which they now find themselves in.“There is a very real danger, fellow citizens, that

the Icelandic economy, in the worst case, could be sucked with the banks into the whirlpool and the result could be national bankruptcy. No responsible government takes risks with the future of its people, even when the banking system itself is at stake. The Icelandic nation and its future takes precedence over all other interests.“Over the weekend there were virtually continuous

meetings on the state of the financial system. I can assure you that everyone who took part tried their absolute best to find an arrangement so that the operations of the banks and investment institutions could continue today and the result of the weekend’s work was that yesterday evening the banks would be able to continue operations for the moment.“For this reason I said yesterday evening that it was

my judgement and that of the Government that there was no reason to introduce special measures on our behalf. No responsible government introduces dra-matic measures on the banking and financial system of the nation unless all other courses are closed.“The position has today altered completely and for

the worse. Major credit lines to the banks have been closed and it was decided this morning to suspend

trading with the banks and with the savings funds in the Icelandic Stock Exchange.“We now need responsible and measured reac-

tions. I will present immediately a bill to parliament which will allow the exchequer to address the cur-rent situation on the financial markets. I have spo-ken to the opposition parties and received assurance that the bill will be passed today. I would like to thank them for their cooperation.“By making these changes in legislation we will

adapt the banking system to Icelandic circumstanc-es and rebuild the trust of foreign operators in Ice-landic banking and financial operations. If the bill is passed today it can be assumed that the measures will come immediately into force.“I would like to diffuse all doubt that deposits by

Icelanders and private pensions savings in all Icelan-dic banks are secure and the exchequer will ensure that such deposits are reimbursed to savers in full. No one need be in any doubt on this. The authorities will also ensure that the countries businesses have access to capital and banking services to the maxi-mum extent possible.Fellow countrymen“I am well aware that this situation is a great

shock for many, which raises both fear and anxiety. In such circumstances it is extremely urgent that the authorities, companies, social organisations, parents and others who can contribute make every effort to ensure that daily life is not disrupted.“If there was ever a time when the Icelandic nation

needed to stand together and show fortitude in the face of adversity, then this is the moment. I urge you all to guard that which is most important in the life of every one of us; protect those values which will survive the storm now beginning. I urge families to discuss together and not to allow anxiety to get the upper hand even tough the outlook is grim for many. We need to explain to our children that the world is not on the edge of a precipice and we all need to find an inner courage to look to the future.“Despite this major setback the future of the na-

tion is both sure and bright. What is most impor-tant is that the foundations of our society and the economy are solid, even though the superstructure has given way in the face of the present disaster. We have natural resources, both on sea and land, which will ensure us a good living whatever happens. Our level of education and the human resources which we have here are no less enviable in the eyes of other nations than our natural resources.“By the same token, we will have the opportunity

to rebuild the financial system. We have learnt from those mistakes which were made during that period of massive growth and that experience will prove to be valuable when put to the test. With a common ef-fort and with that optimism which characterises the Icelandic people, we will emerge from these difficul-ties and make a new and energetic come-back.Fellow Icelanders“The task of the authorities over the coming days is

clear: to make sure that chaos does not ensue if the Icelandic banks become to some extent non-opera-tional. For this the authorities have many options and

(Continued on page 10)


by Bill HolmMilkweed EditionsNote: Bill Holm will talk about his new book,

The Windows of Brimnes, at Village Books in Fairhaven, Bellingham, at 7 p.m. on December 9 and in Seattle at 7:30 p.m. on December 10 at Elliott Bay Book Co., 101 South Main Street, in the Pioneer Square district.Bill Holm, the Western Icelandic poet and

essayist, has published his tenth book, a col-lection of essays giving his view of the world, and particularly of the United States, in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centu-ries, from a tiny village in Skagafjord. This is a Bill Holm book, which is to say that it is witty, humorous, informative, gracefully written, and honest.Bill is a son of Minneota, in the southwest

corner of Minnesota, a place he left as a young man. When, in his thir ties, he came back to Minneota, he felt that returning to his home town was the final capitulation in a life of failure. It was not, of course, and he discovered things he had not appreciated about the heavily Icelandic community where he had grown up, and where he was nur-tured, and about the larger politically liberal arena of the Minnesota that had produced Hubert Humphrey, Gene McCarthy, and Paul

Bill Holm

The Windows of Brimnes--an American in Iceland Book Review by Henry Bjornsson Wellstone, an arena which suited him very

well. Minneota is still his home, and he obvi-ously loves the place. He also discovered the importance, and utility, of failure in life, which has become a favorite subject of his poems and essays.His return to Minneota was a return to his

roots, with a fresh appreciation for them. Similarly, he returned to his genetic roots in 1979, when he served as a Fulbright professor teaching American literature at the University of Iceland. That teaching stint led him back to Iceland again and again. In 1999 he discov-ered Hofsos and, almost to his amazement, he found himself the owner of a cabin there, a cabin called Brimnes. Brimnes is a small building close to the water of the Skagafjord, giving him a clear view across the fjord to the mountains to the west and the islands and sea cliffs to the north. He now spends a few months there each year, and he finds the world as seen through the windows of Brim-nes is a different world, separated from the U.S. not only by distance, but refreshed by a return to a simpler existence, less techno-logical, less driven by television and news and the other distractions of life with all its mod-ern “improvements.” The sounds of Hofsos are the sounds of nature, of birds and wind. There is a lot of silence.The Windows of Brimnes talks about Ice-

land, past and present, about the island’s wildlife and dramatic geography, its sagas, mythology, genealogy, and poetic heritage. The devil he sees there comes from the U. S. and Europe, and from Iceland’s push to build great wealth through commercial and indus-trial development. His book was written well before the present economic meltdown, and he obviously will have much to say about that in his future writings. Bill Holm does not think technology can

produce a good society. He writes on paper with a pen, eschewing computers and other electronic gadgets. He does not own a TV. He hates canned music, and he makes his own music on a real piano. His advice to Ameri-cans, Icelanders, and everyone else is to slow down, listen, and appreciate the joy of a sim-pler life. His love for America and Iceland is clear, but he is critical of both. He argues with wit and charm, but with great force. His new book deserves a wide readership.

Both Snorri and Snorri Plus Pro-grams have been successfully concluded with the participation of 29 marvelous individuals.The Web site, www.snorri.is has now

been updated for 2009. The new Snorri

website, as announced at the INL-con-vention in Calgary, will not be launched for a while.Snorri Program deadline: January 12, 2009

Snorri Plus deadline: February 26, 2009 - direct link: www.snorri.is/snorri-plus.htm

Snorri and Snorri Plus Programs The sooner people apply the better! As most of you know, we celebrated 10

years of Snorri this summer. If any orga-nizations/clubs would like copies of our anniversary magazine please contact me. ‘Asta Sól Krisfjánsdóttir.


Kathi Olason did a fine job of scheduling food and workers for our Annual Booth at the Nordic Heritage Museum Tivoli cel-ebration. We had a little bit of food left over which is a good thing. We have run out sometimes in the past but it worked out well this year. We had wonderful warm weather and lots of people who enjoy the Icelandic kleiner, vinaterta, pönnukükur, and brown bread. We do have some regulars who look for-ward to coming to enjoy the desserts. Our Princess, Amanda Kristjanson, helped on Sunday along with Markus Rook. These young people are the future of the Club and we are delighted that they are willing to help. We want to thank all the bakers who provided the food, as well as, those who took time to work a few hours in the booth.

Tivoli - 2008Emily Kristjanson

Amanda Kristjanson, Emily Kristjanson and Audrey Steinberg

of control valve surfaces, which was found to be due to electrochemical causes, in his area of specialty.About 1969-70 Boeing experienced a severe

economic downturn, with decreased sales and widespread layoffs. Ted decided to leave Boe-ing, joining a research company in Kent.Then, in 1975, he formed his own compa-

ny, Electrochemical Technology Corporation, headquartered in Seattle and working on gov-ernment research projects and doing research for private companies. His company continued in operation until 1996, when he closed it and retired, although he still works as a consultant in various capacities. He was President of The Electrochemical Society in 1975-76 and re-ceived the highest Society award, the Acheson Medal, in 1990. He also has been a part time Affiliate Professor and Research Professor in the U of W Chemical Engineering Depart-ment.When Ted and Ruth returned to Seattle in

1961 they were reconnected with much that had involved them in the 1940s and 1950s, especially Ted's activities in the Mountaineers. He has made hiking and climbing a vital part of his life for many years, and has climbed many mountains, including Mount Rainier four times, Glacier Peak three times, Mount Baker twice, Mount Adams once, and Mount Saint Helens also once, before it famously blew its top off in 1980 and became a lesser mountain than the one he climbed!Harvey Manning, who was probably the best

known authority on hiking in the Northwest, and who wrote many books on the subject, was Ted's friend and hiking companion for many years. In 1968 he, Ted, and two others formed the Elderly Birdwatcher's Hiking and Griping Society. Every year since 1968 the So-ciety has taken a nine to eleven day back pack trip, although the membership in the society

Ted Beck(Continued from page 1)

has changed over that time. Ted is the only one of the original four still backpacking. Harvey Manning died in 2006.Because his mother died when he was an in-

fant, Ted grew up not knowing much about her, other than that she was Icelandic, and knowing very little about Iceland. All that changed in 1971 when he received a call advising him of the death of one of his mother's sisters. This led to contact with his mother's family in the northeast, near Husavik, and to his first trip to Iceland that year. To date he has visited about 25 times. Ruth has accompanied him on many of these trips. He has developed a large genea-logical record. A few years ago he and his fam-ily attended a family reunion with about 100 attending. A relative there suggested that he come back the next winter to attend a Thor-rablot with his relatives and their neighbors, which he did. The Thorrablot was attended by more than 100 people, each family furnishing food. It involved a lot of humorous skits and a “roast” of some of the relatives. Later that year, in the fall, Ted and Ruth returned for the annual sheep roundup and sorting of about 3,000 sheep.Ted has also had several trips to Denmark,

where he has been able to meet many rela-tives and to know more about his father's fam-ily, and to attend a family reunion.

In addition to their visits to Iceland and Den-mark, Ted and Ruth have traveled extensively in Europe, including Germany, Austria (Ruth’s father’s home), Norway, Sweden, England, Ire-land, the former Yugoslav republics, the Czech Republic, and Eastern Europe; and to Mexico, Guatemala, Hawaii, the Antarctic Peninsula, New Zealand, and China.Ted and Ruth have two daughters and two

grandchildren. Their daughter Randi is a physi-cian with Group Health in Seattle. She is the first physiatricst at the Capitol Hill Campus south Specialty Center, Randi Beck, MD, has achieved significant clinical advances in pain management among patients with injuries or neurological disorders. Her skills as a clinician are widely recognized, she was listed in Se-attle magazine’s 2007 Top Doctors list. And she earns the 2007 Ward C. Miles Award for Clinical Excellence for her improvements in chronic pain management that will increase patient satisfactions and safety. When she was in high school Randi played viola with the Se-attle Youth Symphony Orchestra, and she has continued her musical interest, playing in the Lake Union Civic Orchestra and chamber mu-sic groups. Their other daughter, Maren, who is also a former member of the Youth Symphony, lives in Oregon with her family.

DID YOU KNOW ?That if you lived in Iceland three years after the age of sixteen and you

are over the age og sixty seven, you qualify for a pension from Icelandi. Tryggingastofnun Ríkisins/Social Insurance Administration.

That the first president of Vestri was Pjetur Herman and the first president of the Icelandic Club of Greater Seattle was Tani Bjornson.


On August 2nd each year, the Mountain, N. D. Icelandic community has a celebra-tion. Last year, we participated with our princess, Amanda Kristjanson, riding in a red convertible and the Kristjanson fam-ily of about 70 rode on straw laden open

Seattle Club Rides In Parade In North DakotaEmily Kristjanson

Audrey Steinberg, Emily Kristjanson and friend.

trailers. This year, Marilyn and Jim Johnson and Audrey Steinberg and I rode in vehi-cles with our magnetic signs that read: The Icelandic Club of Greater Seattle on the side. The parade had about 50 participants and we were well received. Comments such as “all the way from Seattle” were heard along the way. We continually put ourselves out in the com-munities to let them know we have an active club. If you have an opportunity to do a little “marketing” of the clu b, let us know. We have the magnetic signs available.

The Icelandic Club of Greater Seattle was invited by the crew of the Virginia V to cele-brate Leifur Eirikson Day with a cruise on Lake Washington. The Virginia V Foundation has a cruise every year so this year we participated. Ahead of time, we brewed and bottled beer in Edmonds, we ordered wine from Stimson Wine Co through our good member, Sig Johnson. We

Leifur Eiriksson Day CruiseEmily Kristjanson

Leifur Eiríksson was probably born at Eiríksstaðir in West Iceland ca. 970-980.His father ,Eiríkur the Red , was outlawed

from Iceland for three years because he had slain men. He decided to spend the time searching for

land that had been sighted by Gunnbjörn Úlf-sson when he was blown off course. Eiríkur found the land and spent the three years of his outlawry exploring the area. He named it Greenland because he felt that people would

Leifur Heppni - Leifer Eiríkssonbe more likely to move to a land with an at-tractive name. He returned to Iceland when he had served his three year sentence.Around 985-986 Eiríkur the Red moved with

his wife Þjóðhildur Jörundsdóttir, three sons, Þorvaldur, Þorsteinn and Leifur and a daughter, Freydís to Greenland. He established a farm and named it Brattahlíð.This was a permanent move and that is where Leifur was brouht up.As a young man Leifur travelled to Norway,

where he spent time with King Ólafur Tryggva-son who ruled 995-1000. The king had con-

verted to Christianity. Leifur became a Christian and the king sent

him to Greenland to spread Christianity.On the way he rescued fifteen ship wrecked

people. Thereafter he was called Leifur Hep-pni- Leifur the Lucky. In the year 1000 Leifur Heppni explored the land that he named Vín-land.The sagas say that Bjarni Herjólfsson made a

chance sighting of Vínland, Leifur Heppni ex-plored Vínland and Þorfinnur Karlsefni settled Vínland.For more detailed stories read the Sagas of

the Greenlander and Eirik The Red.

Anna Hauksdottir

were hosted with appetizers from Ray's Boat House in Ballard and treated to a dinner menu of fish cakes, meatballs and as-sorted items that were delicious. The beer and wine were available for purchase but there was also soda pop, water and coffee for those that did not wish to im-bibe. The weather was incredible with sunshine then a beautiful sunset. The Icelandic Male chorus which has honored us with their fine music entertained along with the Tre Norske instru-mental group. Of course, the Icelanders had a

sing-a-long at the end of the cruise. There were about 100 people on the cruise of which about 20 were Icelanders. Thanks to Laura Hanson for arranging this for the Club.


ObituariesMargaret Svanfri-

dur Kristjanson Tho-massonMargaret was born

to Barney and Krist-bjorg Kristjanson on December 12, 1920 and passed away on Monday, September 1, 2008.Margaret married

Richard E. (Dick) Thomasson on Oc-

tober 26, 1940. They had two children, Richard (Rick) F. and Charlene S. Thomasson. Margaret and Dick lived in Gardar, North Dakota until 1960 when they moved to Grafton, N. D. Mar-garet moved to Kent, Washington in August 2007 to live with her son, Rick and Pam. She broke her hip in April, 2008 and gradually de-clined from that incident.Margaret Thomasson is survived by two chil-

dren, Rick Thomasson and wife Pam, Kent, WA; Charlene Thomasson Woodell and husband Tim, El Paso, TX., four grandchildren; Ricky Tho-masson and wife Heather, Kristine Greenwood and husband Brandon, Timera Drake and hus-band James, Brandon Woodell and wife Misty; five great grandchildren, Isabella Thomasson, Tristen Gerber, Gabriella Greenwood, Felicity Woodell and Aspen Woodell; three sisters - Lara Stanton, Anna Brorson and Rosa Thorfinn-son and one brother - Sibbie Kristjanson.She was preceded in death by her parents,

three brothers, and her husband.Margaret joined the Icelandic Club of Greater

Seattle when she moved to Kent.

Ingibjorg Thora (Baby) Kristjanson, wife, moth-er, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and loved one of many, passed away on Monday, July 28, 2008. After a life-long battle with Rheuma-toid Arthritis and Pulmonary Fibrosis, she passed on peacefully at Ballard

Hospital. Baby was born on December 8, 1923 to Steve

and Sigrid (Erickson) Hallgrimson in Mountain, North Dakota. She married Steve Kristjanson on November 30, 1944. Baby is survived by the love of her life, Steve,

and their children: Mark Kristjanson of Maple Valley; Cathy (Bob) Horne of Se attle; Pam (Rick) Thomasson of Kent; Debbie (Steve) Mit-telstadt of Shoreline; Don (Crisanta) Kristjanson of Burien; Merv (Barb) Kristjanson of Everett; grandchildren: Kristopher and Tracy Horne; Ricky (Heather) Thomasson; Kristine (Brandon) Greenwood; Eric, Kari and Lindsey Mittelstadt; Brandon Martinez, Michelle Moretti (Shelby and Austin Frazier) and Tara (Shea) Bluhm (Brod-erick) and great-grandchildren: Tristen Gerber, Isabella Anne Thomasson and Gabriella Baby Greenwood. Baby was loved and adored by all her family and loved ones. She was the “matri-arch” of our family and will be deeply missed. A “celebration” of Baby’s life was held at Cal-

vary Lutheran Church at 7002 23rd Ave. N.W. on Saturday, July 9th at 2:00 P.M.

Fax #: 206-784-3227

Scandinavian Hour

Saturday Mornings 9 - 10 a.m.

KKNW 1150 AMwith your hostsRon Olson & Doug Warne

Sibble Kristjanson206-719-1380

Emily Kristjanson206-713-0716

Ted Sturlaugson206-229-3647

40 + Years Experience Interested in Icelandic lessons ? Contact Margrét Sölvadóttir

at 206.789.0699 or 206.250.5481Email: [email protected]

Icecubes

…..You want to live in Iceland but don’t speak Icelandic…? I don’t think so! A Gallup Poll taken at the beginning of August found that 92% of Icelanders think immigrants should have to learn Icelandic. When asked how Icelanders treat immigrants about half said they think immigrants are treated fairly.…..Icelanders are still going Viking. Sam

Hotels in Denmark changed Icelandic owner-ship for a measly 2 billion krónur ($25M) at the beginning of August. Young ambitious and finan-cially savvy Icelanders have been making names for themselves taking over businesses in Europe for the last 15 years or so. Icelanders now own stakes in department stores, airlines, and food distribution in England, newspapers and hotels in Denmark, banks in Great Britain and Scandinavia and pharmaceuticals and breweries in other parts

of Europe.…..Mr. Olafur Ragnar Grimsson was

sworn in for his 4th term as president of Iceland on August 2. There were no other candidates for the office this year.…..Iceland won its second Olympic silver

medal at this year’s Olympics in China! Or should we say 2nd through 16th? The men’s national handball team made it all the way to the cham-pionship game before losing to France. The only other silver medal won by an Icelander was at the 1956 Olympics by Vilhjálmur Einarsson in the triple jump. Congratulations to the boys!!.....Fast forward to...The global financial crisis is

hitting Iceland hard. All three major banks have been taken over by the federal government. It’s been less than 10 years since the banks were sold to private investors. This means that anyone who had money invested in those banks lost it all. All deposites are safe of course although currency ac-counts have been frozen for the most part for the time being. It’s been a wild ride...!....And for you soccer fans there is some

positive news. Ásgeir Sigurvinsson has just been selected as the greatest player in Icelandic Soccer Association’s first 62 years. Ásgeir left Iceland at the age of 17 and played professional soccer in Europe for 17 years, most of them in Germany.

Pétur Guðmundsson

Emotional address

they will be used. Both in politics and elsewhere it will be important to sheathe our swords. It is very im-portant that we display both calm and consideration

(Continued from page 6)during the difficult days ahead, that we do not lose courage and support each other as well as we can. Thus with Icelandic optimism, fortitude and solidarity as weapons, we will ride out the storm.God bless Iceland.”


Your membership gives you the New Geysir, other event mailings, símaskrá, discounts to events as well as support to The Icelandic Club of Greater Seattle.

Send your Membership Dues to:The Icelandic Club of Greater SeattleP.O. Box 70102Seattle, Wa 98127

Member Renewal

Individual:Family:Senior Citizen:Senior Citizen Couple:Student:

Scholarship Donation:

$30$40$15$25$15

New Member

Membership Application

Name:

Address:

Phone:

E-mail:

Memorial donations go to scholarships

I want to thank all of you who have partici-pated this past year. Whether it was on a com-mittee, making phone calls, mailing newsletters & post cards or just support in general. This will probably be my last article as President. We have elections in January at the General meet-ing and I trust you will support the new officers and Board. We have had so much support this year and we have accomplished many goals.If you haven’t joined the Club, I would encour-

age you to do so. We need your help with the projects and events to make them successful. Many hands make it easier for those in charge.

From The President: If you would like to be in charge of an event, please let us know. We welcome new ways of doing things, as well as, carrying out the old ways! Our Membership Chairperson, Becky John-

son, has done a wonderful job of updating our membership mailing. There were many names that needed to be removed or changed due to moves or death. We don’t have many returns (and postage due) now that she has it updated.

Ad Size: 2 x 3 1/2”

(Business Card size)

$100.00 per year

Sign up and learn how to make traditional Icelandic delicious dishes,

creative cakes, & yummy treats! Cost: $25 a person.

Contact: Edda Konráðsdottir at (425)355-1210 (home) and (206)930-5188 (cell).

Icelandic Cooking Classes

Jens Industrieswww.smak.is

Jens is an Icelandic Jewellery store, which has been a leader on the market with handmade unique jewellery since 1965. Now Jens also makes handmade gift

products. Jens has opened up an internet store to increase our level of service. The store has a secure payment system, the products are priced in Icelandic kroner and the page is in English and Icelandic. Now is the time to safe some

money and support Icelandic industries.

It is appreciated when you make a move to contact Becky or a Board member to make the address change. We have to pay for the returned mail. Thank you for doing your part.I look forward to the new leadership and trust

you will work with them, as well. Thank you for your support.Emily Kristjanson

The Golf Tournament went off without a “hitch” even without the ‘organizer’. Sibbie’s

oldest sister passed away so he left for North Dakota and left the details to his sons, Greg and Stan.We had 42 players

and 21 hole sponsors. A success, for sure. The weather was co-operative and a good time was had by all. THANK YOU TO GREG AND STAN

Golf Tournament FOR STEPPING IN AND MAKING SURE IT WAS A SUCCESS.The total funds

amounted to $2,120 for the Scholarship Fund. (There was an additional $20 donation by one of the golfers.)Due to a fund drive by Gisli and Agnes Olaf-

sson, we received an additional $400 for the Scholarship Fund. We appreciate their efforts on behalf of the Icelandic Club. Thank you to Gisli and Agnes and to those who were not identified. We appreciate the extra mile they have gone to help out the Fund.

Icelandic Club of Greater SeattleP.O. Box 70102Seattle, WA 98127

The New Geysir is sponsored by

PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSEATTLE WA

PERMIT NO. 1852

PresidentEmily Kristjanson

Vice PresidentMargaret Hlastala

Recording SecretaryBaird Bardarson

Membership SecretaryBecky Johnson

TreasurerLinda Bjarnason

Paul HansenLaura Hansen

Margrét SölvadóttirWillard Larson

Pétur GuðmundssonÞórunn Sellars

Michael HlastalaSibbie Kristjanson

Kathi OlasonGeir T. Jonsson

Anna Hausksdóttir

OFFICERS

BOARD MEMBERS

GeysirGeysirNewNew

ICELANDIC CLUB OF GREATER SEATTLE JULY 2008

Icelandic Club Board

EditorAnna Hauksdóttir

21088 88th Place WestEdmonds, WA 98026

425.776.9518

Layout / DesignThe Journal Newspapers

4610 200th St., Ste. FLynnwood, WA 98036

425.775.2400

New Geysir Staff

Submission Deadline for the next Newsletter is January 15, 2008

ted beck – a man for all seasons

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