PAST PRESIDENTS
Presidents of the Canadian Nordic Society since its founding in 1963
1963-67
Daniel G. Harris
Daniel Gibson Harris was born in Buckinghamshire, England in 1915 and trained as a chartered accountant. He joined the British Royal Naval Supplementary Volunteer Reserve, and since he had learned to speak Swedish, was sent in 1940 to the British embassy in Stockholm as Assistant Naval Attache. He and his superior, Captain Henry Denham, managed to obtain details of the position of the new German battleship Bismarck. The mission of the Bismarck, along with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, was to break into the Atlantic Ocean and block Allied shipping from North America to Great Britain. The information provided by Harris and Denham led to the pursuit and eventual sinking of the Bismarck by the British Navy.
After the war, Harris remained in Stockholm for a while as an employee of the English Steel Corporation, and then moved first to New York and then to Alberta. In 1960, he joined the National Energy Board and in 1963 moved to Ottawa, where he helped found the Canadian Nordic Society.
After he retired in the early 1980s, Harris took a BA in History at Carleton University and started seriously pursuing his interest in Swedish naval history. In 1989, he published his first book “F. H. Chapman, the first naval architect and his workâ€. He also published a number of papers and articles on Swedish naval history, continuing to do so until his final years. Towards the end of his life, he also wrote and published a memoir, “Observed Secretly: Northern Windowâ€, about his experiences during the War.Â
In 1991, he was awarded the Silver Medal of Merit of the Swedish Royal Society of Naval Sciences. He was also presented with the Order of the Polar Star by Prince Bertil of Sweden, in recognition of his services in promoting Sweden in Canada.
Despite his distinguished background, he was apparently a very approachable, fun-loving gentleman. My mother remembers him at the annual Santa Lucia celebrations, smiling and apparently enjoying himself hugely as he danced around the Christmas tree with the children.
Harris died on 19 November 2007 at Bells Corners, Ottawa, Canada.
Daniel Gibson Harris was born in Buckinghamshire, England in 1915 and trained as a chartered accountant. He joined the British Royal Naval Supplementary Volunteer Reserve, and since he had learned to speak Swedish, was sent in 1940 to the British embassy in Stockholm as Assistant Naval Attache. He and his superior, Captain Henry Denham, managed to obtain details of the position of the new German battleship Bismarck. The mission of the Bismarck, along with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, was to break into the Atlantic Ocean and block Allied shipping from North America to Great Britain. The information provided by Harris and Denham led to the pursuit and eventual sinking of the Bismarck by the British Navy.
After the war, Harris remained in Stockholm for a while as an employee of the English Steel Corporation, and then moved first to New York and then to Alberta. In 1960, he joined the National Energy Board and in 1963 moved to Ottawa, where he helped found the Canadian Nordic Society.
After he retired in the early 1980s, Harris took a BA in History at Carleton University and started seriously pursuing his interest in Swedish naval history. In 1989, he published his first book “F. H. Chapman, the first naval architect and his workâ€. He also published a number of papers and articles on Swedish naval history, continuing to do so until his final years. Towards the end of his life, he also wrote and published a memoir, “Observed Secretly: Northern Windowâ€, about his experiences during the War.Â
In 1991, he was awarded the Silver Medal of Merit of the Swedish Royal Society of Naval Sciences. He was also presented with the Order of the Polar Star by Prince Bertil of Sweden, in recognition of his services in promoting Sweden in Canada.
Despite his distinguished background, he was apparently a very approachable, fun-loving gentleman. My mother remembers him at the annual Santa Lucia celebrations, smiling and apparently enjoying himself hugely as he danced around the Christmas tree with the children.
Harris died on 19 November 2007 at Bells Corners, Ottawa, Canada.
1967-68
Ninan Glynn
A few issues back, I wrote a little article about our first president, Daniel G. Harris. It seems about time I followed up with more information about the people who have served in that role over the years!
Ninan Glynn was the 2nd president of the CNS, serving in 1967-68. “Ninan" was actually her nickname. She was born Anne Margrethe Knudsen in Norway in 1919. She married Peter Glynn in 1946 and they moved to Canada in 1952, where they raised two sons. They were all avid cross–country skiers. Ninan was also active in the Gatineau Ski Club where she organized the annual fun races for the children.
From 1963 to 1968 Ninan and Peter rented the tiny cabin on Gatineau Ski Trail #1 called “Shilly Shally.” I found a delightful photo blog that explains the history of Shilly Shally and gives a real flavour of what the cabin was like (http://shillyshally). The photo above was taken from that blog. It’s possible that the woman in the photo is Ninan herself. I’m sure one of our members will be able to tell us!
(Many CNS members, especially those of Norwegian heritage, have been and are keen skiers, both downhill and cross-country. Our vice-president, Karin Birnbaum, is very active in both. Member Hjørdis Weibust has also done a lot of skiing in her life. During his lifetime her husband, Thorstein Weibust, ran the Ottawa Ski Club's program for children, with 100 instructors and 600 kids. And of course it was a Norwegian, the famous Herman “Jack Rabbit” Johannsen who first really got cross-country skiing going in Canada.)
Ninan’s husband Peter Glynn was the 7th president, serving in 1972-73. Peter was born in Germany, but he and his family moved to Norway in the 1930’s, when he was in his teens. During the German invasion of 1940, Peter led his mother, brother and sister in a month-long escape through the mountains of Norway, culminating in their evacuation on the last British naval vessel to leave southern Norway. He then joined the British Army, where he served for the duration of the war. After he and Ninan moved to Canada in 1952, he had a career in paper research.
After Ninan’s death in 1986,Peter continued his great interest in the Arctic, travel and nature. At the age of 83, he fulfilled his life-long ambition of visiting the Everest base camp and Rongbuk Monastery in Tibet. He died in Ottawa on April 11, 2003 at the age of 88.
A few issues back, I wrote a little article about our first president, Daniel G. Harris. It seems about time I followed up with more information about the people who have served in that role over the years!
Ninan Glynn was the 2nd president of the CNS, serving in 1967-68. “Ninan" was actually her nickname. She was born Anne Margrethe Knudsen in Norway in 1919. She married Peter Glynn in 1946 and they moved to Canada in 1952, where they raised two sons. They were all avid cross–country skiers. Ninan was also active in the Gatineau Ski Club where she organized the annual fun races for the children.
From 1963 to 1968 Ninan and Peter rented the tiny cabin on Gatineau Ski Trail #1 called “Shilly Shally.” I found a delightful photo blog that explains the history of Shilly Shally and gives a real flavour of what the cabin was like (http://shillyshally). The photo above was taken from that blog. It’s possible that the woman in the photo is Ninan herself. I’m sure one of our members will be able to tell us!
(Many CNS members, especially those of Norwegian heritage, have been and are keen skiers, both downhill and cross-country. Our vice-president, Karin Birnbaum, is very active in both. Member Hjørdis Weibust has also done a lot of skiing in her life. During his lifetime her husband, Thorstein Weibust, ran the Ottawa Ski Club's program for children, with 100 instructors and 600 kids. And of course it was a Norwegian, the famous Herman “Jack Rabbit” Johannsen who first really got cross-country skiing going in Canada.)
Ninan’s husband Peter Glynn was the 7th president, serving in 1972-73. Peter was born in Germany, but he and his family moved to Norway in the 1930’s, when he was in his teens. During the German invasion of 1940, Peter led his mother, brother and sister in a month-long escape through the mountains of Norway, culminating in their evacuation on the last British naval vessel to leave southern Norway. He then joined the British Army, where he served for the duration of the war. After he and Ninan moved to Canada in 1952, he had a career in paper research.
After Ninan’s death in 1986,Peter continued his great interest in the Arctic, travel and nature. At the age of 83, he fulfilled his life-long ambition of visiting the Everest base camp and Rongbuk Monastery in Tibet. He died in Ottawa on April 11, 2003 at the age of 88.
1968-1969
Knut Magnusson
Knut Erik Magnusson was born in Sweden in 1909. He studied engineering and land economics in Stockholm before starting a career with the Swedish government. He met his wife, a Canadian girl from Alberta named Helen Anderson, when she was visiting Sweden with her family. Knut and Helen married in 1936 and he continued his government career, working on various land consolidation projects with the Swedish government. When Helen’s father died, Knut and Helen moved to Alberta and in 1947 took over his farm, Fogelvik Farm. They turned it into one of the highest producing farms in Alberta and are credited with introducing Landrace pigs and Viking ponies to Canada. Knut Magnusson was also involved in some early efforts to introduce reindeer farming to Alberta.
Knut Magnusson was interested in politics and made a submission to the Royal Commission on Canada’s Economic Prospects (the Gordon Report) in 1955. He ran as a Liberal candidate in the 1962 federal election for the riding of Red Deer but was defeated. (Prime Minister Diefenbaker won a tenuous minority government in that election.)
Perhaps it was his interest in politics that eventually drew the Magnussons to Ottawa where he joined the Canadian Nordic Society and served as its President of the Canadian Nordic Society in 1968-69. He died on April 13, 1970, while on a visit to Sweden. His widow Helen returned to Alberta where she died in 1986.
Knut Erik Magnusson was born in Sweden in 1909. He studied engineering and land economics in Stockholm before starting a career with the Swedish government. He met his wife, a Canadian girl from Alberta named Helen Anderson, when she was visiting Sweden with her family. Knut and Helen married in 1936 and he continued his government career, working on various land consolidation projects with the Swedish government. When Helen’s father died, Knut and Helen moved to Alberta and in 1947 took over his farm, Fogelvik Farm. They turned it into one of the highest producing farms in Alberta and are credited with introducing Landrace pigs and Viking ponies to Canada. Knut Magnusson was also involved in some early efforts to introduce reindeer farming to Alberta.
Knut Magnusson was interested in politics and made a submission to the Royal Commission on Canada’s Economic Prospects (the Gordon Report) in 1955. He ran as a Liberal candidate in the 1962 federal election for the riding of Red Deer but was defeated. (Prime Minister Diefenbaker won a tenuous minority government in that election.)
Perhaps it was his interest in politics that eventually drew the Magnussons to Ottawa where he joined the Canadian Nordic Society and served as its President of the Canadian Nordic Society in 1968-69. He died on April 13, 1970, while on a visit to Sweden. His widow Helen returned to Alberta where she died in 1986.
1969-1970
G.O.H. Poulsson
I (Hilde) had to skip over Major Poulsen in my series about past CNS Presidents until now, simply because I was not able to find any information about him. However, Toni Larsen saw my plea for information in a recent newsletter and came to my rescue. She sent me an email telling me that she remembered this fine man very well, and that he was Danish, not Swedish as I had assumed. Our list of Past Presidents showed his name as “Poulsson,” the Swedish spelling, but Toni remembers his name as being spelled “Poulsen” and an article from the old Ottawa Journal dated June 6, 1969 confirms it. (Thank you to Rolf Buschardt Christensen, President of the Federation of Danish Associations in Canada, for bringing that article to my attention via CNS Past President Tim Mark.) Below is the paragraph from the Ottawa Journal.
Nordic Society Elects Officers Ma. G. 0. H: Poulsen heads the Canadian Nordic Society for the coming term. .. . . Also elected to the executive were Dr. Olav Løken and Dr. Edward Jul, vice-presidents; Dr. Peter Williams and Miss Liv Lockeberg. . secretaries; Mrs. P. J. Williams, treasurer; Mrs. Wes Blake-and Mrs. Hans Eichorn, councillors. The society has 165 members as well as 11 honorary members. Many of the members live in Canada for only a few years so the Society has a big turnover in membership.
oni and I met for a cup of coffee and a chat in June and she had quite a bit to tell me about those early years in the Canadian Nordic Society. She knew that Gunnar Poulsen was a Major of the Royal Canadian Air Force stationed at CFB Rockcliffe at the time he was President of the CNS. She remembers him as having been a tall man and very nice.
Toni recalls that the CNS had an annual dinner at CFB Rockcliffe in those years. She remembers attending one with her husband in 1970 and I was able to find a reference to the previous one in the Ottawa Journal of January 26, 1969.
Nordic Society Dinner Dance At CFB Mess Mr. Dan Gibson Harris, president of the Canadian Nordic Society from 1963 to 1968, was honored for his service at the society's annual dinner and dance or "Knuts-bkrt," Thursday evening. Among the 150 guests at the Officers Mess, CFB, Uplands were Swedish Ambassador Per Lind and Mrs. Lind; Danish Ambassador A. Bogh Andersen and Mrs. Andersen; the Charge d'Affaires of Finland, Pertd Raudas and Mrs. Raudas; Mr. Justice J. T. Thorson and Mrs. Thorson and Dean G. C Merrill and Mrs. Merrill. Major G. O. H. Poulsen, society vice-president was master of ceremonies.
Toni also told me about the very special Lucia processions that were held for a year or two at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre. Major Poulsen was recently widowed and had a blonde teenage daughter who was perfect for the role of Lucia. Everyone gathered at the mezzanine to watch as she processed down the staircase, wearing a crown of real, lit candles on her head. Lucia was followed by a procession of girls carrying candles and all dressed in white followed by the Nisser (elves) in red, carrying their lanterns. Toni’s twin boys, Kaj & Sven, who were then five years old, were amongst this group. Several mothers stood by with wet towels on hand, just in case. Quite a sight it must have been! That year CBC filmed the procession and showed it on TV. The fire chief found out about it and that was the end of using the National Arts Centre for the Lucia procession! Toni remembers Major Poulsen as having been a good president. She recalls that he remarried and moved away from Ottawa, likely to a new posting with the Canadian Air Force.
I also learned that Toni herself had served on the CNS Council as Treasurer for a couple of years, starting in the year following Major Poulsen’s presidency. In those days, they tried to have one representative of each Nordic country on Council. As outgoing President, Major Poulsen asked Toni’s Danish husband Hugh Larsen to join the Council. He replied that he was too busy, and suggested Toni. She ended up on Council for a couple of years along with Ed Jull, Peter Glynn, Ed Napke, and Leena Järvlepp (wife of current CNS member Eric Jarvlepp.)
Toni was born and raised in Ireland and moved to England at the age of 26, where she met and married Hugh. Hugh Larsen was the founding president of the Danish Club of Canada, of which Toni is still a member. She told me she has learned enough Danish to read and understand it quite well, but finds it very difficult to pronounce. I am sure she is not alone in that! I couldn’t resist including the little explanation below of how to pronounce any Danish word.
Toni is very interested in cooking and says she may not really speak Danish, but she does cook Danish! We really did have a wonderful conversation and I do hope to see Toni at some of our luncheons and events this Fall.
I (Hilde) had to skip over Major Poulsen in my series about past CNS Presidents until now, simply because I was not able to find any information about him. However, Toni Larsen saw my plea for information in a recent newsletter and came to my rescue. She sent me an email telling me that she remembered this fine man very well, and that he was Danish, not Swedish as I had assumed. Our list of Past Presidents showed his name as “Poulsson,” the Swedish spelling, but Toni remembers his name as being spelled “Poulsen” and an article from the old Ottawa Journal dated June 6, 1969 confirms it. (Thank you to Rolf Buschardt Christensen, President of the Federation of Danish Associations in Canada, for bringing that article to my attention via CNS Past President Tim Mark.) Below is the paragraph from the Ottawa Journal.
Nordic Society Elects Officers Ma. G. 0. H: Poulsen heads the Canadian Nordic Society for the coming term. .. . . Also elected to the executive were Dr. Olav Løken and Dr. Edward Jul, vice-presidents; Dr. Peter Williams and Miss Liv Lockeberg. . secretaries; Mrs. P. J. Williams, treasurer; Mrs. Wes Blake-and Mrs. Hans Eichorn, councillors. The society has 165 members as well as 11 honorary members. Many of the members live in Canada for only a few years so the Society has a big turnover in membership.
oni and I met for a cup of coffee and a chat in June and she had quite a bit to tell me about those early years in the Canadian Nordic Society. She knew that Gunnar Poulsen was a Major of the Royal Canadian Air Force stationed at CFB Rockcliffe at the time he was President of the CNS. She remembers him as having been a tall man and very nice.
Toni recalls that the CNS had an annual dinner at CFB Rockcliffe in those years. She remembers attending one with her husband in 1970 and I was able to find a reference to the previous one in the Ottawa Journal of January 26, 1969.
Nordic Society Dinner Dance At CFB Mess Mr. Dan Gibson Harris, president of the Canadian Nordic Society from 1963 to 1968, was honored for his service at the society's annual dinner and dance or "Knuts-bkrt," Thursday evening. Among the 150 guests at the Officers Mess, CFB, Uplands were Swedish Ambassador Per Lind and Mrs. Lind; Danish Ambassador A. Bogh Andersen and Mrs. Andersen; the Charge d'Affaires of Finland, Pertd Raudas and Mrs. Raudas; Mr. Justice J. T. Thorson and Mrs. Thorson and Dean G. C Merrill and Mrs. Merrill. Major G. O. H. Poulsen, society vice-president was master of ceremonies.
Toni also told me about the very special Lucia processions that were held for a year or two at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre. Major Poulsen was recently widowed and had a blonde teenage daughter who was perfect for the role of Lucia. Everyone gathered at the mezzanine to watch as she processed down the staircase, wearing a crown of real, lit candles on her head. Lucia was followed by a procession of girls carrying candles and all dressed in white followed by the Nisser (elves) in red, carrying their lanterns. Toni’s twin boys, Kaj & Sven, who were then five years old, were amongst this group. Several mothers stood by with wet towels on hand, just in case. Quite a sight it must have been! That year CBC filmed the procession and showed it on TV. The fire chief found out about it and that was the end of using the National Arts Centre for the Lucia procession! Toni remembers Major Poulsen as having been a good president. She recalls that he remarried and moved away from Ottawa, likely to a new posting with the Canadian Air Force.
I also learned that Toni herself had served on the CNS Council as Treasurer for a couple of years, starting in the year following Major Poulsen’s presidency. In those days, they tried to have one representative of each Nordic country on Council. As outgoing President, Major Poulsen asked Toni’s Danish husband Hugh Larsen to join the Council. He replied that he was too busy, and suggested Toni. She ended up on Council for a couple of years along with Ed Jull, Peter Glynn, Ed Napke, and Leena Järvlepp (wife of current CNS member Eric Jarvlepp.)
Toni was born and raised in Ireland and moved to England at the age of 26, where she met and married Hugh. Hugh Larsen was the founding president of the Danish Club of Canada, of which Toni is still a member. She told me she has learned enough Danish to read and understand it quite well, but finds it very difficult to pronounce. I am sure she is not alone in that! I couldn’t resist including the little explanation below of how to pronounce any Danish word.
Toni is very interested in cooking and says she may not really speak Danish, but she does cook Danish! We really did have a wonderful conversation and I do hope to see Toni at some of our luncheons and events this Fall.
1970-71
Olav Løken
Olav Løken was born in Aalesund, Norway in 1931 and studied at the University of Oslo. In 1957 he went to Antarctica to work as a glaciologist at the US Wilkes Station as part of the International Geophysical Year project. This was an international scientific project that marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between nations had been seriously interrupted. From July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958, sixty-seven countries participated in International Geophysical Year projects. The work performed on the Antarctic projects led directly to the Antarctic Treaty, which called for the use of Antarctica for peaceful purposes and cooperative scientific research. Today, 41 nations have signed the Treaty and international collaborative research continues.
A range of moraines near the US Wilkes Station was named after Olav Løken by Carl R. Eklund, the Scientific Station Leader.
After spending a year in Antarctica, Olav made his way to Montreal, to continue his studies in the Department of Geography at McGill University. In Montreal he met Inger Marie, and they married in 1960. They spent the summer together in the Torngat Mountains in Labrador where Olav did field work for his thesis. He received his PhD in 1962 and two years later he was elected a Fellow of the Arctic Institute of North America.
After teaching at Queen's University, Olav joined the Geographical Branch of the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources in Ottawa in 1964. Over his 26-year government career he did much to advance Canadian Arctic science, through extensive fieldwork (particularly on Baffin Island) and a variety of management and policy roles in Energy, Mines and Resources and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs.
After retiring from government he worked with the Canadian Polar Commission, a government agency of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada responsible, among other things, for recommending polar science policy direction to government. Olav’s role was promoting Canadian involvement in Antarctic-related research.
In addition to serving as President of the Canadian Nordic Society, he also served as President of the Arctic Circle.
Like many Norwegians, Olav was a passionate cross-country skier who loved the outdoors. He enjoyed spending free time at the family tree farm near Shawville, tending the forest, doing the interior woodwork for a new house, and building fences and furniture. Olav Løken remained a member of the Canadian Nordic Society until his death on September 18, 2015, at age 84. His wife, Inger Marie, is still a CNS member today.
Olav Løken was born in Aalesund, Norway in 1931 and studied at the University of Oslo. In 1957 he went to Antarctica to work as a glaciologist at the US Wilkes Station as part of the International Geophysical Year project. This was an international scientific project that marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between nations had been seriously interrupted. From July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958, sixty-seven countries participated in International Geophysical Year projects. The work performed on the Antarctic projects led directly to the Antarctic Treaty, which called for the use of Antarctica for peaceful purposes and cooperative scientific research. Today, 41 nations have signed the Treaty and international collaborative research continues.
A range of moraines near the US Wilkes Station was named after Olav Løken by Carl R. Eklund, the Scientific Station Leader.
After spending a year in Antarctica, Olav made his way to Montreal, to continue his studies in the Department of Geography at McGill University. In Montreal he met Inger Marie, and they married in 1960. They spent the summer together in the Torngat Mountains in Labrador where Olav did field work for his thesis. He received his PhD in 1962 and two years later he was elected a Fellow of the Arctic Institute of North America.
After teaching at Queen's University, Olav joined the Geographical Branch of the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources in Ottawa in 1964. Over his 26-year government career he did much to advance Canadian Arctic science, through extensive fieldwork (particularly on Baffin Island) and a variety of management and policy roles in Energy, Mines and Resources and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs.
After retiring from government he worked with the Canadian Polar Commission, a government agency of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada responsible, among other things, for recommending polar science policy direction to government. Olav’s role was promoting Canadian involvement in Antarctic-related research.
In addition to serving as President of the Canadian Nordic Society, he also served as President of the Arctic Circle.
Like many Norwegians, Olav was a passionate cross-country skier who loved the outdoors. He enjoyed spending free time at the family tree farm near Shawville, tending the forest, doing the interior woodwork for a new house, and building fences and furniture. Olav Løken remained a member of the Canadian Nordic Society until his death on September 18, 2015, at age 84. His wife, Inger Marie, is still a CNS member today.
1971-1972
E.V. Jull
I am really enjoying researching the past presidents, and hearing from their family members and others who knew them. In this case I was actually able to speak personally to Past President Edward Jull and his wife Anne by phone! Judging by his last name, I had assumed that Edward Jull was Danish or at least had Danish ancestry. It turns out he was born in Calgary in 1934. It was his grandfather, Walter Jull, who came to Canada in 1888, and not from Denmark but from Kent, England. Edward assured me that any Nordic blood he may carry in his veins goes back a long, long way - maybe to 1,000 years ago when Kent was under Danish rule!
Edward Jull received his B.Sc. from Queen’s University, Kingston in 1956, specializing in engineering physics. From 1957 to 59 he held an Athlone Fellowship (a special fellowship for Canadian students doing postgraduate work in England, named after a former Governor General of Canada, the Earl of Athlone) at University College, London, and he received his Ph.D. in 1960.
He came to Ottawa in 1961 to work for the National Research Council, in their Division of Radio and Electrical Engineering. In 1963, the NRC sent him to the the Technical University of Denmark (just north of Copenhagen) and the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm as a guest researcher. And that is how Edward’s Nordic connection was established! Edward fell for a Swedish girl named Anne Kjellberg. They were married in Uppsala in 1965 and so of course when Edward returned to Ottawa in 1965, Anne came with him. It so happened that Anne had an aunt who knew Marianne Harris, wife of CNS’s founding President Dan Harris. What a great way for a new Swedish immigrant to Canada to meet some fellow Nordics! Edward and Anne joined the CNS and Edward remembers that Dan Harris greeted them both by name at their first CNS meeting in 1965.
Edward Jull was elected CNS President for 1971-72. I asked him if he had any particular memories to share from that time, and he certainly did! Edward arranged for a very distinguished speaker indeed to address the CNS - none other than the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson, 14th Prime Minister of Canada. Pearson gave his talk in late 1972 and Edward noted that it was possibly his final public appearance as he was ill with cancer and died on December 27, 1972.
Anne also shared a CNS memory with me. As a young CNS couple, they were invited to a dinner dance at Rideau Hall during Expo 67. There Anne danced with Pierre Elliot Trudeau, then Minister of Justice but later to become 15th Prime Minister of Canada. Retrieving his charming young wife when the dance was over, Edward took the opportunity to speak to Trudeau himself.
In 1972 Edward joined the Faculty of Engineering at the University of British Columbia, where he is now a Professor Emeritus, having distinguished himself in his field by authoring a book on Aperture Antennas and Diffraction Theory among other accomplishments. He was awarded a D.Sc. (Eng.) from the University of London in 1979. He is a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and served as President of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) in 1990-1993.
Two of the Jull’s four children currently live in Ottawa, and a third will be joining them here this summer, so Edward and Anne are often in the area to visit their family here. Anne informs me that their daughter Victoria has been a member of the CNS and served on Council with Adam Napke (who was President from 2002-04.)
It was such a pleasure to meet Edward and Anne by phone and email, and I do hope they will stop by at one of our lunches or events sometime when they are in town!
I am really enjoying researching the past presidents, and hearing from their family members and others who knew them. In this case I was actually able to speak personally to Past President Edward Jull and his wife Anne by phone! Judging by his last name, I had assumed that Edward Jull was Danish or at least had Danish ancestry. It turns out he was born in Calgary in 1934. It was his grandfather, Walter Jull, who came to Canada in 1888, and not from Denmark but from Kent, England. Edward assured me that any Nordic blood he may carry in his veins goes back a long, long way - maybe to 1,000 years ago when Kent was under Danish rule!
Edward Jull received his B.Sc. from Queen’s University, Kingston in 1956, specializing in engineering physics. From 1957 to 59 he held an Athlone Fellowship (a special fellowship for Canadian students doing postgraduate work in England, named after a former Governor General of Canada, the Earl of Athlone) at University College, London, and he received his Ph.D. in 1960.
He came to Ottawa in 1961 to work for the National Research Council, in their Division of Radio and Electrical Engineering. In 1963, the NRC sent him to the the Technical University of Denmark (just north of Copenhagen) and the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm as a guest researcher. And that is how Edward’s Nordic connection was established! Edward fell for a Swedish girl named Anne Kjellberg. They were married in Uppsala in 1965 and so of course when Edward returned to Ottawa in 1965, Anne came with him. It so happened that Anne had an aunt who knew Marianne Harris, wife of CNS’s founding President Dan Harris. What a great way for a new Swedish immigrant to Canada to meet some fellow Nordics! Edward and Anne joined the CNS and Edward remembers that Dan Harris greeted them both by name at their first CNS meeting in 1965.
Edward Jull was elected CNS President for 1971-72. I asked him if he had any particular memories to share from that time, and he certainly did! Edward arranged for a very distinguished speaker indeed to address the CNS - none other than the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson, 14th Prime Minister of Canada. Pearson gave his talk in late 1972 and Edward noted that it was possibly his final public appearance as he was ill with cancer and died on December 27, 1972.
Anne also shared a CNS memory with me. As a young CNS couple, they were invited to a dinner dance at Rideau Hall during Expo 67. There Anne danced with Pierre Elliot Trudeau, then Minister of Justice but later to become 15th Prime Minister of Canada. Retrieving his charming young wife when the dance was over, Edward took the opportunity to speak to Trudeau himself.
In 1972 Edward joined the Faculty of Engineering at the University of British Columbia, where he is now a Professor Emeritus, having distinguished himself in his field by authoring a book on Aperture Antennas and Diffraction Theory among other accomplishments. He was awarded a D.Sc. (Eng.) from the University of London in 1979. He is a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and served as President of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) in 1990-1993.
Two of the Jull’s four children currently live in Ottawa, and a third will be joining them here this summer, so Edward and Anne are often in the area to visit their family here. Anne informs me that their daughter Victoria has been a member of the CNS and served on Council with Adam Napke (who was President from 2002-04.)
It was such a pleasure to meet Edward and Anne by phone and email, and I do hope they will stop by at one of our lunches or events sometime when they are in town!
1972-73
Peter Glynn
A few issues back, I wrote a little article about our first president, Daniel G. Harris. It seems about time I followed up with more information about the people who have served in that role over the years!
Ninan Glynn was the 2nd president of the CNS, serving in 1967-68. “Ninan" was actually her nickname. She was born Anne Margrethe Knudsen in Norway in 1919. She married Peter Glynn in 1946 and they moved to Canada in 1952, where they raised two sons. They were all avid cross–country skiers. Ninan was also active in the Gatineau Ski Club where she organized the annual fun races for the children.
From 1963 to 1968 Ninan and Peter rented the tiny cabin on Gatineau Ski Trail #1 called “Shilly Shally.” I found a delightful photo blog that explains the history of Shilly Shally and gives a real flavour of what the cabin was like (http://shillyshally). The photo above was taken from that blog. It’s possible that the woman in the photo is Ninan herself. I’m sure one of our members will be able to tell us!
(Many CNS members, especially those of Norwegian heritage, have been and are keen skiers, both downhill and cross-country. Our vice-president, Karin Birnbaum, is very active in both. Member Hjørdis Weibust has also done a lot of skiing in her life. During his lifetime her husband, Thorstein Weibust, ran the Ottawa Ski Club's program for children, with 100 instructors and 600 kids. And of course it was a Norwegian, the famous Herman “Jack Rabbit” Johannsen who first really got cross-country skiing going in Canada.)
Ninan’s husband Peter Glynn was the 7th president, serving in 1972-73. Peter was born in Germany, but he and his family moved to Norway in the 1930’s, when he was in his teens. During the German invasion of 1940, Peter led his mother, brother and sister in a month-long escape through the mountains of Norway, culminating in their evacuation on the last British naval vessel to leave southern Norway. He then joined the British Army, where he served for the duration of the war. After he and Ninan moved to Canada in 1952, he had a career in paper research.
After Ninan’s death in 1986,Peter continued his great interest in the Arctic, travel and nature. At the age of 83, he fulfilled his life-long ambition of visiting the Everest base camp and Rongbuk Monastery in Tibet. He died in Ottawa on April 11, 2003 at the age of 88.
A few issues back, I wrote a little article about our first president, Daniel G. Harris. It seems about time I followed up with more information about the people who have served in that role over the years!
Ninan Glynn was the 2nd president of the CNS, serving in 1967-68. “Ninan" was actually her nickname. She was born Anne Margrethe Knudsen in Norway in 1919. She married Peter Glynn in 1946 and they moved to Canada in 1952, where they raised two sons. They were all avid cross–country skiers. Ninan was also active in the Gatineau Ski Club where she organized the annual fun races for the children.
From 1963 to 1968 Ninan and Peter rented the tiny cabin on Gatineau Ski Trail #1 called “Shilly Shally.” I found a delightful photo blog that explains the history of Shilly Shally and gives a real flavour of what the cabin was like (http://shillyshally). The photo above was taken from that blog. It’s possible that the woman in the photo is Ninan herself. I’m sure one of our members will be able to tell us!
(Many CNS members, especially those of Norwegian heritage, have been and are keen skiers, both downhill and cross-country. Our vice-president, Karin Birnbaum, is very active in both. Member Hjørdis Weibust has also done a lot of skiing in her life. During his lifetime her husband, Thorstein Weibust, ran the Ottawa Ski Club's program for children, with 100 instructors and 600 kids. And of course it was a Norwegian, the famous Herman “Jack Rabbit” Johannsen who first really got cross-country skiing going in Canada.)
Ninan’s husband Peter Glynn was the 7th president, serving in 1972-73. Peter was born in Germany, but he and his family moved to Norway in the 1930’s, when he was in his teens. During the German invasion of 1940, Peter led his mother, brother and sister in a month-long escape through the mountains of Norway, culminating in their evacuation on the last British naval vessel to leave southern Norway. He then joined the British Army, where he served for the duration of the war. After he and Ninan moved to Canada in 1952, he had a career in paper research.
After Ninan’s death in 1986,Peter continued his great interest in the Arctic, travel and nature. At the age of 83, he fulfilled his life-long ambition of visiting the Everest base camp and Rongbuk Monastery in Tibet. He died in Ottawa on April 11, 2003 at the age of 88.
1973-1975
Lars Öhman
We were very sorry to learn of the death on April 19, 2018, of founding CNS member and Past President Lars Öhman. Below is his obituary as published by Tubman Funeral Homes and the Ottawa Citizen, April 24, 2018.
Lars passed peacefully with family at his side on April 19, 2018 at the age of 94. Born in Lycksele, a small town in northern Sweden, he was the eldest of four to parents Halvar and Astrid Öhman, brother to Martin, Margaretta and Birgitta. Beloved husband to Svanhild, mother to their 4 children and predeceased in 1987 and then Maria, predeceased in 2016. Father to Viveka, Lars (Janet), Klas (Susie), and Hans (Kelly). Proud Farfar to Anders (Amanda), Tyra, Hannah, Graison, Laniah, Sam, Avery, and Riley.
Lars’s career started in Stockholm where he studied at Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology receiving his Master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He met Svanhild during this time in Stockholm and in 1950 they married. Prior to coming to Canada, he worked for the Swedish Air Industry Federation (FFA) in Stockholm and SAAB in Linköping as a design engineer.
In June 1960, the young family, five in all, came to Canada by ship immigrating through Halifax’s Pier 21 and then to Ottawa for a new opportunity at NRC’s world class high speed wind tunnel. Lars’s career flourished for over 40 years, retiring as Director of Flight Research at NRC but continuing as a practising Researcher Emeritus well into his 80s. Lars embraced Ottawa and Canada enjoying its outdoors, downhill and cross-country skiing, playing hockey, swimming, jogging, and paddling his canoe at his Pimisi Bay cabin near North Bay. Well cultured, he enjoyed musical concerts at the NAC, playing piano and actively participating in the annual Swedish Santa Lucia festival. A strong supporter of the Scandinavian community, he was a founding member and past president of the Canadian Nordic Society.
Lars was well regarded by all as a scholarly gentleman and the quintessential “Swede”. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society in memory of Svanhild and Maria.The family would like to extend a special thanks to the staff at Chartwell Riverpark for the thoughtful and dignified care provided during the last years of his life.
Below is an NRC photo of Lars taken in 2007, with the following description: “NRC researcher emeritus Lars Ohman pushes the button to start the 50,000th test conducted in the trisonic blowdown wind tunnel since it opened in 1963.” Lars was described by the NRC as one of Canada’s foremost authorities on the CF-18 Hornet, a Royal Canadian Air Force fighter aircraft.
Lars attended CNS luncheons and events regularly with his wife Maria up until her death in 2016. They were both respected and highly valued members of the CNS and are sadly missed.
We were very sorry to learn of the death on April 19, 2018, of founding CNS member and Past President Lars Öhman. Below is his obituary as published by Tubman Funeral Homes and the Ottawa Citizen, April 24, 2018.
Lars passed peacefully with family at his side on April 19, 2018 at the age of 94. Born in Lycksele, a small town in northern Sweden, he was the eldest of four to parents Halvar and Astrid Öhman, brother to Martin, Margaretta and Birgitta. Beloved husband to Svanhild, mother to their 4 children and predeceased in 1987 and then Maria, predeceased in 2016. Father to Viveka, Lars (Janet), Klas (Susie), and Hans (Kelly). Proud Farfar to Anders (Amanda), Tyra, Hannah, Graison, Laniah, Sam, Avery, and Riley.
Lars’s career started in Stockholm where he studied at Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology receiving his Master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He met Svanhild during this time in Stockholm and in 1950 they married. Prior to coming to Canada, he worked for the Swedish Air Industry Federation (FFA) in Stockholm and SAAB in Linköping as a design engineer.
In June 1960, the young family, five in all, came to Canada by ship immigrating through Halifax’s Pier 21 and then to Ottawa for a new opportunity at NRC’s world class high speed wind tunnel. Lars’s career flourished for over 40 years, retiring as Director of Flight Research at NRC but continuing as a practising Researcher Emeritus well into his 80s. Lars embraced Ottawa and Canada enjoying its outdoors, downhill and cross-country skiing, playing hockey, swimming, jogging, and paddling his canoe at his Pimisi Bay cabin near North Bay. Well cultured, he enjoyed musical concerts at the NAC, playing piano and actively participating in the annual Swedish Santa Lucia festival. A strong supporter of the Scandinavian community, he was a founding member and past president of the Canadian Nordic Society.
Lars was well regarded by all as a scholarly gentleman and the quintessential “Swede”. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society in memory of Svanhild and Maria.The family would like to extend a special thanks to the staff at Chartwell Riverpark for the thoughtful and dignified care provided during the last years of his life.
Below is an NRC photo of Lars taken in 2007, with the following description: “NRC researcher emeritus Lars Ohman pushes the button to start the 50,000th test conducted in the trisonic blowdown wind tunnel since it opened in 1963.” Lars was described by the NRC as one of Canada’s foremost authorities on the CF-18 Hornet, a Royal Canadian Air Force fighter aircraft.
Lars attended CNS luncheons and events regularly with his wife Maria up until her death in 2016. They were both respected and highly valued members of the CNS and are sadly missed.
1975-1977
Haakon Aass
Norway has a wonderful online “digital museum” of old photographs and that is where I found the photo above, with the caption “Julaften på Sukkestad Midtre 1936” (Chrismas Eve at the Middle Sukkestad Farm 1936). Haakon Aass is the second from the left. He would have been only 19 years old at the time, and could not possibly have imagined the life and adventures that lay before him!
Haakon joined the Royal Norwegian Air Force and served as a pilot during World War II and later as an aeronautical engineer. My research found him on an unofficial list of personnel at “Little Norway” in Canada for the period 1940-46 (From the book: «The Spirit of Little Norway»by Edvard Omholt-Jensen 1986. The list was compiled and listed by Robert E. Haraldsen and updated in 2009.) It must have been while he was at Little Norway that he met Eleanor Griffiths, whom he married in 1942. The couple apparently emigrated to Norway after the war, but I found Haakon again in the 1950 University of Toronto graduate yearbook, under the heading “APPLIED SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.” He appears to have been on a sabbatical and was listed as “HAAKON AASS, Lena, Norway: Aeronautical.Future:-Return to Royal Norwegian Air Force.”
In 1955, Haakon and Eleanor emigrated to Canada for good. Haakon served first as a civilian in the Canadian Air Force and later as the engineer who was responsible for the successful adaptation of the crash position indicator (CPI) for Leigh Instruments. The crash position indicator is a radio beacon designed to be ejected from an aircraft when it crashes. This helps ensure it survives the crash and any post-crash fires or sinking, allowing it to broadcast a homing signal to search and rescue aircraft. When development was completed in 1959, the license was contracted to Leigh Instruments of Carleton Place to manufacture the system. Largely due to the success of the CPI, Leigh went on to become one of the largest Canadian electronics firms. Although most aircraft now carry non-ejectable beacons, ejectable versions are still built for overwater flight.
Upon retirement, Haakon started his own consulting firm, H. Aass Aero Engineering, which soon included international clients. He was apparently also a sailing enthusiast, as I found a reference to both himself and his son Carl participating in a sailing race near Bon Echo Provincial Park. He and Eleanor had built a cottage in the area in 1957. I would be very surprised if there wasn’t also some cross country skiing done up at that cottage!
Haakon Aass died in Ottawa on November 20, 2000, leaving his widow Eleanor, their three children and several grandchildren. Eleanor later remarried and is still living in the Ottawa area
Norway has a wonderful online “digital museum” of old photographs and that is where I found the photo above, with the caption “Julaften på Sukkestad Midtre 1936” (Chrismas Eve at the Middle Sukkestad Farm 1936). Haakon Aass is the second from the left. He would have been only 19 years old at the time, and could not possibly have imagined the life and adventures that lay before him!
Haakon joined the Royal Norwegian Air Force and served as a pilot during World War II and later as an aeronautical engineer. My research found him on an unofficial list of personnel at “Little Norway” in Canada for the period 1940-46 (From the book: «The Spirit of Little Norway»by Edvard Omholt-Jensen 1986. The list was compiled and listed by Robert E. Haraldsen and updated in 2009.) It must have been while he was at Little Norway that he met Eleanor Griffiths, whom he married in 1942. The couple apparently emigrated to Norway after the war, but I found Haakon again in the 1950 University of Toronto graduate yearbook, under the heading “APPLIED SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.” He appears to have been on a sabbatical and was listed as “HAAKON AASS, Lena, Norway: Aeronautical.Future:-Return to Royal Norwegian Air Force.”
In 1955, Haakon and Eleanor emigrated to Canada for good. Haakon served first as a civilian in the Canadian Air Force and later as the engineer who was responsible for the successful adaptation of the crash position indicator (CPI) for Leigh Instruments. The crash position indicator is a radio beacon designed to be ejected from an aircraft when it crashes. This helps ensure it survives the crash and any post-crash fires or sinking, allowing it to broadcast a homing signal to search and rescue aircraft. When development was completed in 1959, the license was contracted to Leigh Instruments of Carleton Place to manufacture the system. Largely due to the success of the CPI, Leigh went on to become one of the largest Canadian electronics firms. Although most aircraft now carry non-ejectable beacons, ejectable versions are still built for overwater flight.
Upon retirement, Haakon started his own consulting firm, H. Aass Aero Engineering, which soon included international clients. He was apparently also a sailing enthusiast, as I found a reference to both himself and his son Carl participating in a sailing race near Bon Echo Provincial Park. He and Eleanor had built a cottage in the area in 1957. I would be very surprised if there wasn’t also some cross country skiing done up at that cottage!
Haakon Aass died in Ottawa on November 20, 2000, leaving his widow Eleanor, their three children and several grandchildren. Eleanor later remarried and is still living in the Ottawa area
1977-1978
Sirkka Omholt-Jensen
1979-1981
Gurli Woods
Gurli Aagaard, née Nielsen, was born in Silkeborg, Denmark, in 1942. Her childhood and adolescence were spent in Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest city. She graduated from Marselisborg Gymnasium (high school), Aarhus, in 1960, majoring in Modern Languages. She enrolled at Aarhus University and was awarded a DAAD Scholarship (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) to study at Philipps Universität in Marburg an der Lahn in then West Germany, from 1963-65. There she met her future husband, Howard Woods, who was also studying in Marburg. Gurli had brought her Lambretta scooter to Germany, and while there, she drove around Europe on holidays and weekends with Howard on the back seat, a rather unusual sight in the early sixties. They got married in Aarhus, Denmark, in 1965.
After a couple of years in Copenhagen, Howard and Gurli decided to move to Canada, where Howard had ancestors going back to the 1600s. They enrolled at the University of British Columbia in 1967. Gurli graduated with a Ph.D. in German Language and Literature. Howard graduated with a Ph.D. in Linguistics. They moved to Ottawa in 1972 for a Civil Service job at the Language Bureau for Howard, and they had three children: Bjarne (1973), Birgit (1980), and Henrik (1983) who now live in Sweden, the U.K., and Canada, respectively, with their families (six grandchildren now).
In January 1973 Gurli began teaching as a Sessional Lecturer at Carleton University in Ottawa. She retired in 2015 as an Associate Professor with tenure in Women’s and Gender Studies,
cross-appointed also to Comparative Literary Studies and African Studies. She is presently an Adjunct Professor. In between she translated many documents from the Nordic Countries into English for the Federal Translation Bureau. She also taught Danish I, II, III, and IV for Continuing Education at Carleton University in the 1980s. In 2007, she received a Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences 2007 Teaching Achievement Award at Carleton University.
Throughout her career, she presented many papers on Scandinavian women writers at SASS (Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study) conferences in the U.S.A., at AASSC (Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies in Canada) conferences in Canada, and at the International Association of Scandinavian Studies conferences in the Nordic countries. She presented papers on Canadian women writers at the Nordic Association for Canadian Studies conferences in the Nordic countries. Many of her papers were published, and she edited a number of publications. She also translated a National Gallery publication on the Group of Seven into Danish for a Group of Seven exhibition (Terre Sauvage) in Denmark in 2000. While at Carleton University, Gurli was involved in various Scandinavian-oriented activities:
The Canadian Nordic Society in Ottawa:
Gurli was President of the Canadian Nordic Society from 1979 to 1981. She was nominated by the late Dan Harris, one of the founders of CNS, who she found extremely helpful as the Secretary of the Council. Gurli was particularly interested in continuing the old CNS tradition of having an intellectually stimulating series of lectures during the academic year in addition to favourites, such as the Lucia Procession in December. Other members of the CNS Council were also very helpful, namely Herluf Jessen, Ed Ziegler, Charles Nobbe, Lynne Hall, Gabriella Miner, Jocelyn Lillycrop, Olav Løken, and Inge Holst Nielsen.
It was Gurli who drew the generic Viking ship that still appears on our logo, which we use for our newsletter, letterhead, banner, and the “coveted” CNS mug. She remembers using dimes to draw the shields on the ship. She also established CNS contact with the first IKEA store in Ottawa (then at Bell’s Corners) and arranged for Nordic guest speakers through the Nordic Embassies. Her children were often elves at the Lucia processions, and her daughter Birgit was Lucia one year.
The 1980 Lucia procession during her tenure was presented three times: the main event on December 5 with around 200 attendees; at the Museum of Civilization (then called the Museum of Man) on December 6; and finally at IKEA. The second event was filmed by CBC and televised that same evening.
On January 24, 1981, a Scandinavian Symposium was held at the National Gallery which included several speakers from the Canadian Nordic Society. Gurli was interviewed by CBO that morning.
AASSC /AAESC (Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies in Canada/(L’association pour l’avancement des études scandinaves au Canada):
Gurli chaired the ad hoc Committee founding the AASSC/AAESC in 1981-82. During the founding year, she reached over 100 researchers involved in teaching or doing research on Scandinavian-related topics, mainly at Canadian universities, thereby establishing a very useful network of professionals in Canada interested in the Nordic countries. The Nordic embassies and Carleton University provided grants to form the AASSC. By May 1982, AASSC was ready to have a founding two-day conference during the “Learneds” Congress at the University of Ottawa with presentations by scholars from across Canada.
Gurli served as Newsletter Editor, Vice President, President, and Editor of AASSC’s journal Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada for many years between 1982 and 2016. She organized the AASSC conferences taking place during the “Learneds” now called the Congress of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, at Carleton University or the University of Ottawa between 1982 and 2015, and cooperated with the Canadian Nordic Society whenever the “Learneds” met in Ottawa. One example is pianist Derek Yaple-Schobert’s performing at a joint recital between AASSC and CNS on September 17, 1993. The concert was an hommage to Edvard Greig on the 150th anniversary of his birth and also featured Jennifer Rasor on piano, Jan Järvlepp on cello, Wendy Desserud on viola, and Sonia Pescatore on piano.
Gurli also assisted the Norwegian Embassy in awarding Norwegian Travel Grants for AASSC members for many years, and served on the Canadian Scandinavian Foundation Scholarship Committee in Montreal in the 1980s.
Gurli Aagaard, née Nielsen, was born in Silkeborg, Denmark, in 1942. Her childhood and adolescence were spent in Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest city. She graduated from Marselisborg Gymnasium (high school), Aarhus, in 1960, majoring in Modern Languages. She enrolled at Aarhus University and was awarded a DAAD Scholarship (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) to study at Philipps Universität in Marburg an der Lahn in then West Germany, from 1963-65. There she met her future husband, Howard Woods, who was also studying in Marburg. Gurli had brought her Lambretta scooter to Germany, and while there, she drove around Europe on holidays and weekends with Howard on the back seat, a rather unusual sight in the early sixties. They got married in Aarhus, Denmark, in 1965.
After a couple of years in Copenhagen, Howard and Gurli decided to move to Canada, where Howard had ancestors going back to the 1600s. They enrolled at the University of British Columbia in 1967. Gurli graduated with a Ph.D. in German Language and Literature. Howard graduated with a Ph.D. in Linguistics. They moved to Ottawa in 1972 for a Civil Service job at the Language Bureau for Howard, and they had three children: Bjarne (1973), Birgit (1980), and Henrik (1983) who now live in Sweden, the U.K., and Canada, respectively, with their families (six grandchildren now).
In January 1973 Gurli began teaching as a Sessional Lecturer at Carleton University in Ottawa. She retired in 2015 as an Associate Professor with tenure in Women’s and Gender Studies,
cross-appointed also to Comparative Literary Studies and African Studies. She is presently an Adjunct Professor. In between she translated many documents from the Nordic Countries into English for the Federal Translation Bureau. She also taught Danish I, II, III, and IV for Continuing Education at Carleton University in the 1980s. In 2007, she received a Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences 2007 Teaching Achievement Award at Carleton University.
Throughout her career, she presented many papers on Scandinavian women writers at SASS (Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study) conferences in the U.S.A., at AASSC (Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies in Canada) conferences in Canada, and at the International Association of Scandinavian Studies conferences in the Nordic countries. She presented papers on Canadian women writers at the Nordic Association for Canadian Studies conferences in the Nordic countries. Many of her papers were published, and she edited a number of publications. She also translated a National Gallery publication on the Group of Seven into Danish for a Group of Seven exhibition (Terre Sauvage) in Denmark in 2000. While at Carleton University, Gurli was involved in various Scandinavian-oriented activities:
The Canadian Nordic Society in Ottawa:
Gurli was President of the Canadian Nordic Society from 1979 to 1981. She was nominated by the late Dan Harris, one of the founders of CNS, who she found extremely helpful as the Secretary of the Council. Gurli was particularly interested in continuing the old CNS tradition of having an intellectually stimulating series of lectures during the academic year in addition to favourites, such as the Lucia Procession in December. Other members of the CNS Council were also very helpful, namely Herluf Jessen, Ed Ziegler, Charles Nobbe, Lynne Hall, Gabriella Miner, Jocelyn Lillycrop, Olav Løken, and Inge Holst Nielsen.
It was Gurli who drew the generic Viking ship that still appears on our logo, which we use for our newsletter, letterhead, banner, and the “coveted” CNS mug. She remembers using dimes to draw the shields on the ship. She also established CNS contact with the first IKEA store in Ottawa (then at Bell’s Corners) and arranged for Nordic guest speakers through the Nordic Embassies. Her children were often elves at the Lucia processions, and her daughter Birgit was Lucia one year.
The 1980 Lucia procession during her tenure was presented three times: the main event on December 5 with around 200 attendees; at the Museum of Civilization (then called the Museum of Man) on December 6; and finally at IKEA. The second event was filmed by CBC and televised that same evening.
On January 24, 1981, a Scandinavian Symposium was held at the National Gallery which included several speakers from the Canadian Nordic Society. Gurli was interviewed by CBO that morning.
AASSC /AAESC (Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies in Canada/(L’association pour l’avancement des études scandinaves au Canada):
Gurli chaired the ad hoc Committee founding the AASSC/AAESC in 1981-82. During the founding year, she reached over 100 researchers involved in teaching or doing research on Scandinavian-related topics, mainly at Canadian universities, thereby establishing a very useful network of professionals in Canada interested in the Nordic countries. The Nordic embassies and Carleton University provided grants to form the AASSC. By May 1982, AASSC was ready to have a founding two-day conference during the “Learneds” Congress at the University of Ottawa with presentations by scholars from across Canada.
Gurli served as Newsletter Editor, Vice President, President, and Editor of AASSC’s journal Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada for many years between 1982 and 2016. She organized the AASSC conferences taking place during the “Learneds” now called the Congress of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, at Carleton University or the University of Ottawa between 1982 and 2015, and cooperated with the Canadian Nordic Society whenever the “Learneds” met in Ottawa. One example is pianist Derek Yaple-Schobert’s performing at a joint recital between AASSC and CNS on September 17, 1993. The concert was an hommage to Edvard Greig on the 150th anniversary of his birth and also featured Jennifer Rasor on piano, Jan Järvlepp on cello, Wendy Desserud on viola, and Sonia Pescatore on piano.
Gurli also assisted the Norwegian Embassy in awarding Norwegian Travel Grants for AASSC members for many years, and served on the Canadian Scandinavian Foundation Scholarship Committee in Montreal in the 1980s.
1980-1983
Knut Erik Solem
Knut Erik Solem is currently living in Norway, but has lived in Canada at various times in his life and has a Canadian daughter, Birgitte Solem. He earned his B.A. in Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy from the University of Manitoba, having already earned a degree from the University of Oslo. He continued his studies in England, where he obtained an M.Sc in Advanced European Political Studies from the University of Leicester before receiving his Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Oxford in 1968.
He returned to Canada to work for the Canadian government for some years. He was the founding chairman of its Interdepartmental Committee for Futures and Forecasting, a network of experts from 40 federal departments and agencies specializing in strategic trends. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the United Nations Association in Canada, “an historic, national charitable organization providing the leading policy voice on multilateralism in Canada.”
At the Department of National Defence (DND) he was in charge of the “Study on Technological Trends, Threats, and Opportunities” while also a member of its Advisory Group on Knowledge-based Systems and Robotics. From 1991 to 1994 he was in charge of the Futures and Forecasting Program of the Directorate of Social and Economic Analysis of DND, which provided advice, analysis and studies of longer-term socio-economic and technological trends and their impact on defence and security.
Knut Erik Solem has taught and lectured widely in the US, Canada and Europe. He has written and published extensively on political and economic integration as well as on energy, science and technology, forecasting, long term planning, and strategic questions.
In 1994 he was appointed a full professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, from which he has since retired as Professor Emeritus of Political Science.
His daughter is the actress and playwright Birgitte Solem. She co-wrote and performed in the play “The Pigeon King,” which was performed this year at the National Arts Centre. Birgitte co-produced and starred in Canadian productions of Ayad Aktar’s award-winning play “Disgraced.” She has a recurring role in the television series “A Handmaid’s Tale,” among many other accomplishments.
Knut Erik Solem is currently living in Norway, but has lived in Canada at various times in his life and has a Canadian daughter, Birgitte Solem. He earned his B.A. in Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy from the University of Manitoba, having already earned a degree from the University of Oslo. He continued his studies in England, where he obtained an M.Sc in Advanced European Political Studies from the University of Leicester before receiving his Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Oxford in 1968.
He returned to Canada to work for the Canadian government for some years. He was the founding chairman of its Interdepartmental Committee for Futures and Forecasting, a network of experts from 40 federal departments and agencies specializing in strategic trends. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the United Nations Association in Canada, “an historic, national charitable organization providing the leading policy voice on multilateralism in Canada.”
At the Department of National Defence (DND) he was in charge of the “Study on Technological Trends, Threats, and Opportunities” while also a member of its Advisory Group on Knowledge-based Systems and Robotics. From 1991 to 1994 he was in charge of the Futures and Forecasting Program of the Directorate of Social and Economic Analysis of DND, which provided advice, analysis and studies of longer-term socio-economic and technological trends and their impact on defence and security.
Knut Erik Solem has taught and lectured widely in the US, Canada and Europe. He has written and published extensively on political and economic integration as well as on energy, science and technology, forecasting, long term planning, and strategic questions.
In 1994 he was appointed a full professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, from which he has since retired as Professor Emeritus of Political Science.
His daughter is the actress and playwright Birgitte Solem. She co-wrote and performed in the play “The Pigeon King,” which was performed this year at the National Arts Centre. Birgitte co-produced and starred in Canadian productions of Ayad Aktar’s award-winning play “Disgraced.” She has a recurring role in the television series “A Handmaid’s Tale,” among many other accomplishments.
1983-1986
Dr. Ed Napke
Past President Dr. Ed Napke has been an active member of the Canadian Nordic Society from its early years. He attended our 2018 Annual General Meeting and spoke eloquently to the Society about its long history, commending us on its ongoing vitality and successes. Coming from such a distinguished member with such long experience in the Society, this was greatly appreciated by the current Council and those in attendance.
Among his many distinctions, Dr. Ed Napke is the only President of the Canadian Nordic Society to have been born in Lebanon. Dr. Napke was born in 1923 and came to Canada with his parents at the age of six months. They were en route to California where his father had a partnership in a tailoring company, but the American quota system based on country of origin prevented the family from entering the USA and so the family ended up settling in Canada. Dr. Napke went to high school in Newcastle, New Brunswick and then the to University of New Brunswick where he earned his Bachelor of Science. He was awarded a fellowship to take his Masters and Ph.D. at the University of Toronto before studying medicine there and becoming an M.D. He also obtained a diploma in public health.
Dr. Napke first started his medical career as a replacement for other doctors when they were away. From the beginning, he frequently reduced the drug load on his patients as he believed the potential for adverse reactions of the drugs that were being prescribed was not sufficiently known.
In 1961 Dr. Napke was conducting research at Karolinska Institute in Uppsala, Sweden. (His daughter Maria tells me that she always jokes that it was actually the Swedish girls Dr. Napke was researching!) It was in Stockholm that Dr. Napke met Gunvor Svanlund, who was to become his wife. Their daughter Maria was born in Sweden before the family emigrated to Canada. Gunvor had been working for a large shipping company which provided them with their passage to Canada including all their belongings. The family lived in Toronto for a short time before moving to Ottawa.
In 1963 Dr. Napke took on the job of the post-marketing surveillance of thalidomide, a drug that was given to some pregnant women to prevent nausea. It had severely affects on their infants including stunting the growth of their limbs. The thalidomide tragedy dispelled the then-current belief that drugs could not pass through the placenta to affect foetuses.
In 1965 Dr. Napke charted new scientific territory by creating Canada’s first adverse drug reaction reporting system. He also created the National Poison Control Program and other adverse reaction reporting programs. His reporting system ensured that not only physicians, but also nurses, pathologists, and the patients themselves were consulted with regard to adverse reactions. This practice of consulting patients was later adopted by other countries and the World Health Organization. His approach focussed on the reaction of the patients to the entire product, including inactive ingredients, which was another of his innovations.
Dr. Napke was involved in creating the 1976 “Non- Smoking in Public Places By-laws” in Ottawa, as well as other legislation on environmental issues. As a member of several committees for the Canadian Standards Association he was also deeply involved in bringing out the first Child Resistant Packaging Standard.
In 1990 he became a volunteer consultant to the Uppsala Monitoring Centre, an independent, not-for-profit centre for international scientific research, dedicated to helping achieve the safer use of medicines for patients everywhere. Dr. Napke is respected internationally as a true pioneer in
pharmacovigilance and for his significant contributions to that field.
Dr. Napke believes strongly in being active in one’s community. Both he and Gunvor were very active in the Canadian Nordic Society from its early years. In recognition of his work in promoting academic co-operation between Canadian and Swedish universities, the CNS presented him with its Certificate of Excellence. The Society owes a great deal to the sustained involvement of committed members like Dr. Napke and his late wife Gunvor Svanlund.
Past President Dr. Ed Napke has been an active member of the Canadian Nordic Society from its early years. He attended our 2018 Annual General Meeting and spoke eloquently to the Society about its long history, commending us on its ongoing vitality and successes. Coming from such a distinguished member with such long experience in the Society, this was greatly appreciated by the current Council and those in attendance.
Among his many distinctions, Dr. Ed Napke is the only President of the Canadian Nordic Society to have been born in Lebanon. Dr. Napke was born in 1923 and came to Canada with his parents at the age of six months. They were en route to California where his father had a partnership in a tailoring company, but the American quota system based on country of origin prevented the family from entering the USA and so the family ended up settling in Canada. Dr. Napke went to high school in Newcastle, New Brunswick and then the to University of New Brunswick where he earned his Bachelor of Science. He was awarded a fellowship to take his Masters and Ph.D. at the University of Toronto before studying medicine there and becoming an M.D. He also obtained a diploma in public health.
Dr. Napke first started his medical career as a replacement for other doctors when they were away. From the beginning, he frequently reduced the drug load on his patients as he believed the potential for adverse reactions of the drugs that were being prescribed was not sufficiently known.
In 1961 Dr. Napke was conducting research at Karolinska Institute in Uppsala, Sweden. (His daughter Maria tells me that she always jokes that it was actually the Swedish girls Dr. Napke was researching!) It was in Stockholm that Dr. Napke met Gunvor Svanlund, who was to become his wife. Their daughter Maria was born in Sweden before the family emigrated to Canada. Gunvor had been working for a large shipping company which provided them with their passage to Canada including all their belongings. The family lived in Toronto for a short time before moving to Ottawa.
In 1963 Dr. Napke took on the job of the post-marketing surveillance of thalidomide, a drug that was given to some pregnant women to prevent nausea. It had severely affects on their infants including stunting the growth of their limbs. The thalidomide tragedy dispelled the then-current belief that drugs could not pass through the placenta to affect foetuses.
In 1965 Dr. Napke charted new scientific territory by creating Canada’s first adverse drug reaction reporting system. He also created the National Poison Control Program and other adverse reaction reporting programs. His reporting system ensured that not only physicians, but also nurses, pathologists, and the patients themselves were consulted with regard to adverse reactions. This practice of consulting patients was later adopted by other countries and the World Health Organization. His approach focussed on the reaction of the patients to the entire product, including inactive ingredients, which was another of his innovations.
Dr. Napke was involved in creating the 1976 “Non- Smoking in Public Places By-laws” in Ottawa, as well as other legislation on environmental issues. As a member of several committees for the Canadian Standards Association he was also deeply involved in bringing out the first Child Resistant Packaging Standard.
In 1990 he became a volunteer consultant to the Uppsala Monitoring Centre, an independent, not-for-profit centre for international scientific research, dedicated to helping achieve the safer use of medicines for patients everywhere. Dr. Napke is respected internationally as a true pioneer in
pharmacovigilance and for his significant contributions to that field.
Dr. Napke believes strongly in being active in one’s community. Both he and Gunvor were very active in the Canadian Nordic Society from its early years. In recognition of his work in promoting academic co-operation between Canadian and Swedish universities, the CNS presented him with its Certificate of Excellence. The Society owes a great deal to the sustained involvement of committed members like Dr. Napke and his late wife Gunvor Svanlund.
1986-1987
Peter Williams
Peter John Williams was born and raised in Croydon, England. He was educated at Whitgift School, Croydon and then at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, where he earned his B.A. in Natural Sciences and Geography in 1954, and his M.A. in 1958.
It was while at Cambridge University that he met the Norwegian woman who was to become his wife, Kari Fuglesang. He subsequently attended the University of Oslo’s Geographical Institute where he led research expeditions to the mountains of Norway with Kari and other students of geography. He obtained his doctorate degrees (Fil. lic., Fil. Dr.) from the University of Stockholm in 1969.
Following their marriage in 1957, Peter and Kari moved to Ottawa, Canada and started a family. Peter worked for the National Research Council Canada in its Division of Building Research from 1957 to 1969 before becoming a full Professor of Geography at Carleton University, Ottawa in 1971, and its Director of Geotechnical Science Labs in 1978.
A specialist in the physics and mechanics of freezing soils, he was an expert witness for the Berger Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry and advisor to agencies on geotechnical problems of Northern oil and gas megaprojects. He established the International Contaminants in Freezing Ground conference series in 1997.
Following his retirement as Professor at Carleton in 1993, he travelled extensively with Kari, typically combining pleasure with work, and continued his research with colleagues in Canada, Norway, France, Russia and the U.K. He held the positions of Emeritus Associate of the Scott Polar Institute, Cambridge, and Distinguished Research Professor at Carleton; and was honoured with The Roger J. E. Brown Memorial Award from the Canadian Geotechnical Society (2002) for Outstanding Contributions to Permafrost Science and Engineering.
An energetic family man of many talents, he could speak Norwegian, French and Russian. When not busy with his research, he built the family cottage, enjoyed woodworking, gardening, international culture, fine food, and traveling with family. Kari taught Norwegian classes at Carleton University and elsewhere. Both Peter and Kari were keen cross-country skiers and very active members of the Canadian Nordic Society for many years.
In later years, Peter struggled with a long illness, but was lovingly cared for by Kari until her death in 2016. He died in London, Ontario on January 14, 2019 at age 86.
Peter John Williams was born and raised in Croydon, England. He was educated at Whitgift School, Croydon and then at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, where he earned his B.A. in Natural Sciences and Geography in 1954, and his M.A. in 1958.
It was while at Cambridge University that he met the Norwegian woman who was to become his wife, Kari Fuglesang. He subsequently attended the University of Oslo’s Geographical Institute where he led research expeditions to the mountains of Norway with Kari and other students of geography. He obtained his doctorate degrees (Fil. lic., Fil. Dr.) from the University of Stockholm in 1969.
Following their marriage in 1957, Peter and Kari moved to Ottawa, Canada and started a family. Peter worked for the National Research Council Canada in its Division of Building Research from 1957 to 1969 before becoming a full Professor of Geography at Carleton University, Ottawa in 1971, and its Director of Geotechnical Science Labs in 1978.
A specialist in the physics and mechanics of freezing soils, he was an expert witness for the Berger Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry and advisor to agencies on geotechnical problems of Northern oil and gas megaprojects. He established the International Contaminants in Freezing Ground conference series in 1997.
Following his retirement as Professor at Carleton in 1993, he travelled extensively with Kari, typically combining pleasure with work, and continued his research with colleagues in Canada, Norway, France, Russia and the U.K. He held the positions of Emeritus Associate of the Scott Polar Institute, Cambridge, and Distinguished Research Professor at Carleton; and was honoured with The Roger J. E. Brown Memorial Award from the Canadian Geotechnical Society (2002) for Outstanding Contributions to Permafrost Science and Engineering.
An energetic family man of many talents, he could speak Norwegian, French and Russian. When not busy with his research, he built the family cottage, enjoyed woodworking, gardening, international culture, fine food, and traveling with family. Kari taught Norwegian classes at Carleton University and elsewhere. Both Peter and Kari were keen cross-country skiers and very active members of the Canadian Nordic Society for many years.
In later years, Peter struggled with a long illness, but was lovingly cared for by Kari until her death in 2016. He died in London, Ontario on January 14, 2019 at age 86.
1987-1989
Y. A. George Hynnä
I had the pleasure of sitting down for an interview with Past President George Hynnä in mid-June. Of course I have chatted with George often at various CNS events, but I was soon to discover how little I actually knew about him. George has always struck me as a rather low-key, unassuming gentleman but I soon realized that his manner betrays hidden depths.
George, he told me, is the English form of the Finnish name “Yrjö.” (I took a few stabs at pronouncing it but I don’t think I was able to roll the “r” well enough.) George used to torment his new high school teachers at the beginning of each year by giving Yrjö as his name. That high school was Port Arthur Collegiate in what is now Thunder Bay.
George was born in Lappe, Ontario, a small settlement about 13 km northwest of what was once Port Arthur. Lappe was an all-Finnish community. His parents had immigrated to Canada separately from the same area in Finland, his father in 1925 after completing his obligatory military service and his mother in 1927. They married in 1930 and raised their family of six children (of which George was the fifth) by farming and working in the lumber industry.
George received his eight years of primary education in a one-room school house and, like his classmates, that is where he first learned English. The pupils chatted in Finnish among themselves outside of the classroom but spoke English in class. George’s primary school education must have been perfectly adequate because he apparently had no difficulty with his secondary education at Port Arthur Collegiate. In his senior years there, he branched into language studies, learning Latin, French, and German. Grade thirteen students all wrote a final exam at that time and George earned the highest mark in Northern Ontario. This meant that he was able to enter the University of Toronto on an entrance scholarship and an I.O.D.E. scholarship. He spent four years studying Modern Languages and Literatures (English, French and German), as well as some Near Eastern Literature, at University College, going back home in the summers to earn money driving heavy machinery and working as a labourer.
After graduation, he was named an Exchange Fellow by University College, which allowed him to go to Germany for a year of post-graduate studies. He first attended university in the famous old university town of Freiburg but after visiting West Berlin, decided to transfer to the Free University of Berlin. As it turned out, he was to become a witness to one of the key events in its history, the construction of the Berlin Wall and its attendant impact on the city’s citizens. To read about his experiences during this tumultuous time, you may visit these blogs on the subject:
https://gdrobjectified.wordpress.com/2016/08/13/at-the-berlin-wall-may-27-1962/
https://gdrobjectified.wordpress.com/2017/01/16/divided-berlin-in-1962/#more-4742
Following his stint in Germany, George commenced studies in Toronto at Osgoode Hall Law School, graduating with his LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) after three years. He articled with a small firm in Ottawa, returned to Toronto to take his Bar Admission Course, and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1967. It was in the Bar Admission Course that George met his wife Martha and they were called to the Bar at the same time. The couple had fallen in love with Ottawa and decided to settle here. Martha went on to have a very successful and varied career as an executive in the Federal Government.
After his call to the Bar, George sat down one Tuesday morning for a 45-minute interview with the prestigious Gowlings law firm. He started his 41-year career with them the following Monday. For the first ten years, he worked closely with senior partner Gordon F. Henderson (President of the Canadian Bar Association, 1979–1980; Chancellor of the University of Ottawa, 1991-1993), going to Court, seeing clients, and writing briefs. In 1977 he began to specialize. While focusing his practice in administrative law, the branch of law affecting individuals dealing with the state, he also dealt with immigration cases, not-for-profit corporations and charitable corporations.
In 1977, another of Henderson’s juniors was acting for one of the Canadian musical works performing rights societies and when he left, George took over his files and, as he puts it, became an instant copyright lawyer. For 35 years he specialized in public performance rights. He eventually represented the two societies that merged in 1989 to become SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada), which administers in Canada the performing rights in the musical works of the world’s songwriters, composers and music publishers. George was the lead counsel on some landmark cases regarding composers’ rights to tariff income from private tv and radio broadcasters, the internet, and re-transmissions from American to Canadian broadcasters, successfully representing their case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. For the first hearings before the Copyright Board on the performance of music on the internet, George arranged for an M.I.T. professor to appear and explain how it worked! I understood how much SOCAN valued George’s conduct of their legal affairs when he showed me the beautiful wooden box containing a pair of professional conductor batons that SOCAN presented to him on his retirement.
Beginning in the 1980’s and particularly in the 1990’s, George was also a member of the Joint Copyright Committee of the Canadian Bar Association and the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, reviewing copyright legislation and making representations for amendments to the government and the House of Commons Committees. The amendments created new rights and clarified existing ones, leading to judicial cases to interpret and apply them.
George was a member of the Canadian Nordic Society Council for a few years before being elected President from 1987 to 1989. He was elected for an additional term in 2013. Part way through that term he underwent heart surgery and Bruce Miller took over as acting President.
George recalls that they had some excellent speakers during his tenure, and is particularly grateful to the Nordic ambassadors for their participation. The Symposium at Carleton University under the direction of Past President Gurli Woods stands out in his mind as an exceptional achievement for the Society. George took pains to recommend increasing the number of women on Council. In 2015 the Society awarded him the Canadian Nordic Society Certificate of Excellence in recognition of Distinguished Leadership in Promoting Knowledge of Scandinavian National Cultures. In presenting the plaque at the CNS annual general meeting, Councillor Lennard Sillanpää pointed to George’s long and exemplary service to the Society and notably his exceptional contribution in drafting the CNS by-laws, which each succeeding Council relies on and appreciates
I had the pleasure of sitting down for an interview with Past President George Hynnä in mid-June. Of course I have chatted with George often at various CNS events, but I was soon to discover how little I actually knew about him. George has always struck me as a rather low-key, unassuming gentleman but I soon realized that his manner betrays hidden depths.
George, he told me, is the English form of the Finnish name “Yrjö.” (I took a few stabs at pronouncing it but I don’t think I was able to roll the “r” well enough.) George used to torment his new high school teachers at the beginning of each year by giving Yrjö as his name. That high school was Port Arthur Collegiate in what is now Thunder Bay.
George was born in Lappe, Ontario, a small settlement about 13 km northwest of what was once Port Arthur. Lappe was an all-Finnish community. His parents had immigrated to Canada separately from the same area in Finland, his father in 1925 after completing his obligatory military service and his mother in 1927. They married in 1930 and raised their family of six children (of which George was the fifth) by farming and working in the lumber industry.
George received his eight years of primary education in a one-room school house and, like his classmates, that is where he first learned English. The pupils chatted in Finnish among themselves outside of the classroom but spoke English in class. George’s primary school education must have been perfectly adequate because he apparently had no difficulty with his secondary education at Port Arthur Collegiate. In his senior years there, he branched into language studies, learning Latin, French, and German. Grade thirteen students all wrote a final exam at that time and George earned the highest mark in Northern Ontario. This meant that he was able to enter the University of Toronto on an entrance scholarship and an I.O.D.E. scholarship. He spent four years studying Modern Languages and Literatures (English, French and German), as well as some Near Eastern Literature, at University College, going back home in the summers to earn money driving heavy machinery and working as a labourer.
After graduation, he was named an Exchange Fellow by University College, which allowed him to go to Germany for a year of post-graduate studies. He first attended university in the famous old university town of Freiburg but after visiting West Berlin, decided to transfer to the Free University of Berlin. As it turned out, he was to become a witness to one of the key events in its history, the construction of the Berlin Wall and its attendant impact on the city’s citizens. To read about his experiences during this tumultuous time, you may visit these blogs on the subject:
https://gdrobjectified.wordpress.com/2016/08/13/at-the-berlin-wall-may-27-1962/
https://gdrobjectified.wordpress.com/2017/01/16/divided-berlin-in-1962/#more-4742
Following his stint in Germany, George commenced studies in Toronto at Osgoode Hall Law School, graduating with his LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) after three years. He articled with a small firm in Ottawa, returned to Toronto to take his Bar Admission Course, and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1967. It was in the Bar Admission Course that George met his wife Martha and they were called to the Bar at the same time. The couple had fallen in love with Ottawa and decided to settle here. Martha went on to have a very successful and varied career as an executive in the Federal Government.
After his call to the Bar, George sat down one Tuesday morning for a 45-minute interview with the prestigious Gowlings law firm. He started his 41-year career with them the following Monday. For the first ten years, he worked closely with senior partner Gordon F. Henderson (President of the Canadian Bar Association, 1979–1980; Chancellor of the University of Ottawa, 1991-1993), going to Court, seeing clients, and writing briefs. In 1977 he began to specialize. While focusing his practice in administrative law, the branch of law affecting individuals dealing with the state, he also dealt with immigration cases, not-for-profit corporations and charitable corporations.
In 1977, another of Henderson’s juniors was acting for one of the Canadian musical works performing rights societies and when he left, George took over his files and, as he puts it, became an instant copyright lawyer. For 35 years he specialized in public performance rights. He eventually represented the two societies that merged in 1989 to become SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada), which administers in Canada the performing rights in the musical works of the world’s songwriters, composers and music publishers. George was the lead counsel on some landmark cases regarding composers’ rights to tariff income from private tv and radio broadcasters, the internet, and re-transmissions from American to Canadian broadcasters, successfully representing their case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. For the first hearings before the Copyright Board on the performance of music on the internet, George arranged for an M.I.T. professor to appear and explain how it worked! I understood how much SOCAN valued George’s conduct of their legal affairs when he showed me the beautiful wooden box containing a pair of professional conductor batons that SOCAN presented to him on his retirement.
Beginning in the 1980’s and particularly in the 1990’s, George was also a member of the Joint Copyright Committee of the Canadian Bar Association and the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, reviewing copyright legislation and making representations for amendments to the government and the House of Commons Committees. The amendments created new rights and clarified existing ones, leading to judicial cases to interpret and apply them.
George was a member of the Canadian Nordic Society Council for a few years before being elected President from 1987 to 1989. He was elected for an additional term in 2013. Part way through that term he underwent heart surgery and Bruce Miller took over as acting President.
George recalls that they had some excellent speakers during his tenure, and is particularly grateful to the Nordic ambassadors for their participation. The Symposium at Carleton University under the direction of Past President Gurli Woods stands out in his mind as an exceptional achievement for the Society. George took pains to recommend increasing the number of women on Council. In 2015 the Society awarded him the Canadian Nordic Society Certificate of Excellence in recognition of Distinguished Leadership in Promoting Knowledge of Scandinavian National Cultures. In presenting the plaque at the CNS annual general meeting, Councillor Lennard Sillanpää pointed to George’s long and exemplary service to the Society and notably his exceptional contribution in drafting the CNS by-laws, which each succeeding Council relies on and appreciates
1989-1992
Gösta Edvardsson
Gösta Edvardsson was born in Hällefors, Sweden (about midway east to west between Stockholm and Oslo) on September 1, 1923. He left Sweden with his wife Ellen (Björken) to work in Ecuador as secretary treasurer on a banana, cacao, and coffee plantation. From there they moved to Montreal where their first child, son Stephan, was born. Their daughter Pia was born in Vancouver, where they lived from 1963 to 1966. They moved back to Montreal where Gösta was the Swedish Attaché at the 1976 Olympics and the family played host to the Swedish Olympic Committee. He served as Swedish Attaché once again for the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid.
Gösta and Ellen were very active cross-country skiers for most of their lives. Gösta competed in the sport, participating in many Gatineau Loppets. The Gatineau Loppet was originally 55-km long and was called the “Keskinada Loppet.” The Ottawa Citizen of January 12, 1981 reported on another cross-country ski race, the 30 km Tay Valley Loppet, and noted that “Gosta Edvardsson of Nepean, a 58-year old skier, placed near the leaders with a time of 1:59.20.” Gösta was also active in orienteering.
For most of his career in Canada, he worked for Flakt Canada Ltd., a Swedish company which produced pulp- and paper-making machinery. The family moved to Ottawa in 1978 and Gösta and Ellen joined the Canadian Nordic Society. Gösta served as president from 1989 to 1992. Ellen passed away in 2013. Gösta remained physically active into his old age, cross-country skiing and going for long daily walks. He died on March 4, 2017.
Gösta Edvardsson was born in Hällefors, Sweden (about midway east to west between Stockholm and Oslo) on September 1, 1923. He left Sweden with his wife Ellen (Björken) to work in Ecuador as secretary treasurer on a banana, cacao, and coffee plantation. From there they moved to Montreal where their first child, son Stephan, was born. Their daughter Pia was born in Vancouver, where they lived from 1963 to 1966. They moved back to Montreal where Gösta was the Swedish Attaché at the 1976 Olympics and the family played host to the Swedish Olympic Committee. He served as Swedish Attaché once again for the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid.
Gösta and Ellen were very active cross-country skiers for most of their lives. Gösta competed in the sport, participating in many Gatineau Loppets. The Gatineau Loppet was originally 55-km long and was called the “Keskinada Loppet.” The Ottawa Citizen of January 12, 1981 reported on another cross-country ski race, the 30 km Tay Valley Loppet, and noted that “Gosta Edvardsson of Nepean, a 58-year old skier, placed near the leaders with a time of 1:59.20.” Gösta was also active in orienteering.
For most of his career in Canada, he worked for Flakt Canada Ltd., a Swedish company which produced pulp- and paper-making machinery. The family moved to Ottawa in 1978 and Gösta and Ellen joined the Canadian Nordic Society. Gösta served as president from 1989 to 1992. Ellen passed away in 2013. Gösta remained physically active into his old age, cross-country skiing and going for long daily walks. He died on March 4, 2017.
1992-1994
Dr. Karin Bjåmer Birnbaum
Karin Bjåmer Birnbaum was born and raised in Norway, where she mostly lived in a suburb of Oslo called Bærum. She attended high school at Eidsvold Landsgymnas, which is located next to the small town where the Norwegian Constitution was written and signed in 1814. She then went on to study at the University of Oslo and graduated with a Cand. mag. degree in Science and a Master's Degree in Physical Chemistry. Her next stop was New York City where she lived at the International House of New York, a centre for international graduate students, research scholars, trainees and interns located in Manhattan. She conducted research at the Medical Centre at Columbia University for a couple of years before returning to Europe and earning her Ph.D. in
X-ray Crystallography from Glasgow University. (X-ray crystallography is the experimental science that determines the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal and is an area of study that has been fundamental in the development of many scientific fields. It has revealed the structure and function of many biological molecules, including vitamins, drugs, proteins and nucleic acids such as DNA.)
After earning her Ph.D., she emigrated to Ottawa, where she worked in research on crystal structures at the National Research Council until her first child was born. She stayed home for several years raising her two children, and then returned to university to get a Master’s of Science in Systems Science from the University of Ottawa. The rest of her career was spent at the National Research Council, from which she retired in 2011 as Head, Information Architecture and Data Administration.
Karin has served as President of the Canadian Nordic Society over two separate time periods. The first was from 1992 to 1994. Under her leadership, the Canadian Nordic Society arranged its first live concert which was given on March 4, 1993 by pianist Derek Yaple-Schobert, who performed works by Carl Nielsen, Niels Gade and Edvard Grieg. The concert was so well received that a second concert was given on September 17, 1993 in honour of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edvard Grieg. In addition to Derek Yaple-Schobert, it featured soprano Jennifer Rasor, cellist Jan Järvlepp (see article above), violist Wendy Desserud, and pianist Sonia Descatore. Both of these successful concerts were sponsored by the Norwegian Embassy. These concerts set a precedent for the Canadian Nordic Society and a number of successful concerts have followed over the years, often arranged in co-operation with a Nordic embassy.
On October 28, 1993, the CNS hosted a major event, the “Preview of the Olympic Games.” This was an initiative of Vice-President Dr. Charles Nobbe in honour of the upcoming Lillehammer Winter Olympics of February, 1994. Dressed in her national costume, Karin joined Olympic medallist Sue Holloway (the first Canadian to participate in both the Winter and Summer Olympics, for cross-country skiing and canoeing respectively) as they processed in to the tune of the Holmenkollen March. CNS member Ingrid Thompson then gave an overview presentation on Norway, and Sue Holloway spoke about the various Olympic sites. The executive vice-president of the Canadian Olympic Association, Mike Chambers, gave a presentation on preparing for the Olympics, and was followed by the directors of the Canadian Amateur Speed Skating Association, Biathlon Canada, and the Canadian Amateur Figure Skating Association, who each spoke about their respective sports. John Shannon and Rod Black of CTV, the Canadian network that covered the Olympic events that year, were also present. This was a very impressive and well-attended event that made the most of the opportunity to celebrate Canadian and Nordic participation in the Olympics.
Karin was later contacted by journalist Gail Cook of the Ottawa Sun and asked if she would make a Norwegian dinner for a feature article about Norwegian cuisine in connection with the Olympics. Karin agreed and invited members Inger Marie and Olav Løken, and Hjørdis and Thorstein Weibust to this special dinner. Wearing her national costume, Karin served shrimp in aspic and venison roast with rørt tyttebaer (stirred lingonberries.) For dessert, her delicious waleskringle was served with coffee by the fireside, where a pair of cross-country skis had been placed for a decorative Olympic-themed touch. These were pictured in the article in the Ottawa Sun by Gail Cook that followed.
The annual Santa Lucia celebration was still held by the Canadian Nordic Society at that time and was a major event requiring a great deal of preparation including rehearsals for the children who participated. The December 11, 1993 Lucia celebration had a record attendance of 215. That year, Karin initiated workshops in making traditional Nordic Christmas decorations following the rehearsals. These workshops became an annual tradition that lasted for many years.
To finish off the 1993-94 year, an elegant dinner dance with a live band was held in May at the National Press Club with 94 people attending.
In 2017, Karin once again took on the role of President of the Canadian Nordic Society following Tim Mark. Tim had initiated preparations for a Viking Gala and Karin and her Council took over this project, which was such a success that it was repeated in 2018 and 2019. The Gala was held at Les Jardins de la Cité college and the meals were prepared by the culinary students under the supervision of their chef. Councillor Hanne Sjøborg took the lead in co-ordinating the meal, working with the head chef to select the menus each year, managing the invitations, attendance, and seating arrangements, and overseeing all the associated details. Vice-president Trygve Ringereide acted as MC. A professionally trained singer, he performed for the guests in his beautiful tenor voice, accompanied by Cecilia Ignatieff on the piano, in 2017 and 2018.
The CNS annual Christmas lunch tradition became increasingly well attended under the previous President Tim Mark and Karin’s tenures, and this was certainly due at least in part to Trygve Ringereide’s organizing and leading Nordic Christmas sing-alongs, creating a very festive and fun event. The impromptu Nordic choir that formed to lead the singing grew larger and more enthusiastic each year.
Midsummer celebrations had been held in the past and were revived with great success under Karin’s presidency when Hanne Sjøberg and Henry Storgaard offered their lovely property by the Gatineau River in Cantley as a venue. This turned out to be ideal for the celebration, which was enhanced by musical entertainment organized by Trygve Ringereide, including Anna Dalvi on the accordion in 2019.
Karin has a great interest in Nordic and Scandinavian culture and sports and is an accomplished cross-country and downhill skier as well as ballroom dancer. In March 1990 she hosted a reception in her home for the Norwegian women’s ice hockey team who were participating in the Women’s World Ice Hockey championships held in Ottawa that year. She competed annually in the 55 or 50 km Gatineau Loppet, the “greatest international cross-country ski event in Canada.” In 2018 she came in 2nd in her age category in the 27 km. course. Karin also enjoys tennis, hiking, music, and swimming.
When the coronavirus pandemic struck in early 2020, Karin, with excellent help from Astrid Ahlgren and her team, ensured that the CNS continued to operate as normally as possible under the circumstances, successfully organizing the annual general meeting and election of Council electronically.
Karin Bjåmer Birnbaum was born and raised in Norway, where she mostly lived in a suburb of Oslo called Bærum. She attended high school at Eidsvold Landsgymnas, which is located next to the small town where the Norwegian Constitution was written and signed in 1814. She then went on to study at the University of Oslo and graduated with a Cand. mag. degree in Science and a Master's Degree in Physical Chemistry. Her next stop was New York City where she lived at the International House of New York, a centre for international graduate students, research scholars, trainees and interns located in Manhattan. She conducted research at the Medical Centre at Columbia University for a couple of years before returning to Europe and earning her Ph.D. in
X-ray Crystallography from Glasgow University. (X-ray crystallography is the experimental science that determines the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal and is an area of study that has been fundamental in the development of many scientific fields. It has revealed the structure and function of many biological molecules, including vitamins, drugs, proteins and nucleic acids such as DNA.)
After earning her Ph.D., she emigrated to Ottawa, where she worked in research on crystal structures at the National Research Council until her first child was born. She stayed home for several years raising her two children, and then returned to university to get a Master’s of Science in Systems Science from the University of Ottawa. The rest of her career was spent at the National Research Council, from which she retired in 2011 as Head, Information Architecture and Data Administration.
Karin has served as President of the Canadian Nordic Society over two separate time periods. The first was from 1992 to 1994. Under her leadership, the Canadian Nordic Society arranged its first live concert which was given on March 4, 1993 by pianist Derek Yaple-Schobert, who performed works by Carl Nielsen, Niels Gade and Edvard Grieg. The concert was so well received that a second concert was given on September 17, 1993 in honour of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edvard Grieg. In addition to Derek Yaple-Schobert, it featured soprano Jennifer Rasor, cellist Jan Järvlepp (see article above), violist Wendy Desserud, and pianist Sonia Descatore. Both of these successful concerts were sponsored by the Norwegian Embassy. These concerts set a precedent for the Canadian Nordic Society and a number of successful concerts have followed over the years, often arranged in co-operation with a Nordic embassy.
On October 28, 1993, the CNS hosted a major event, the “Preview of the Olympic Games.” This was an initiative of Vice-President Dr. Charles Nobbe in honour of the upcoming Lillehammer Winter Olympics of February, 1994. Dressed in her national costume, Karin joined Olympic medallist Sue Holloway (the first Canadian to participate in both the Winter and Summer Olympics, for cross-country skiing and canoeing respectively) as they processed in to the tune of the Holmenkollen March. CNS member Ingrid Thompson then gave an overview presentation on Norway, and Sue Holloway spoke about the various Olympic sites. The executive vice-president of the Canadian Olympic Association, Mike Chambers, gave a presentation on preparing for the Olympics, and was followed by the directors of the Canadian Amateur Speed Skating Association, Biathlon Canada, and the Canadian Amateur Figure Skating Association, who each spoke about their respective sports. John Shannon and Rod Black of CTV, the Canadian network that covered the Olympic events that year, were also present. This was a very impressive and well-attended event that made the most of the opportunity to celebrate Canadian and Nordic participation in the Olympics.
Karin was later contacted by journalist Gail Cook of the Ottawa Sun and asked if she would make a Norwegian dinner for a feature article about Norwegian cuisine in connection with the Olympics. Karin agreed and invited members Inger Marie and Olav Løken, and Hjørdis and Thorstein Weibust to this special dinner. Wearing her national costume, Karin served shrimp in aspic and venison roast with rørt tyttebaer (stirred lingonberries.) For dessert, her delicious waleskringle was served with coffee by the fireside, where a pair of cross-country skis had been placed for a decorative Olympic-themed touch. These were pictured in the article in the Ottawa Sun by Gail Cook that followed.
The annual Santa Lucia celebration was still held by the Canadian Nordic Society at that time and was a major event requiring a great deal of preparation including rehearsals for the children who participated. The December 11, 1993 Lucia celebration had a record attendance of 215. That year, Karin initiated workshops in making traditional Nordic Christmas decorations following the rehearsals. These workshops became an annual tradition that lasted for many years.
To finish off the 1993-94 year, an elegant dinner dance with a live band was held in May at the National Press Club with 94 people attending.
In 2017, Karin once again took on the role of President of the Canadian Nordic Society following Tim Mark. Tim had initiated preparations for a Viking Gala and Karin and her Council took over this project, which was such a success that it was repeated in 2018 and 2019. The Gala was held at Les Jardins de la Cité college and the meals were prepared by the culinary students under the supervision of their chef. Councillor Hanne Sjøborg took the lead in co-ordinating the meal, working with the head chef to select the menus each year, managing the invitations, attendance, and seating arrangements, and overseeing all the associated details. Vice-president Trygve Ringereide acted as MC. A professionally trained singer, he performed for the guests in his beautiful tenor voice, accompanied by Cecilia Ignatieff on the piano, in 2017 and 2018.
The CNS annual Christmas lunch tradition became increasingly well attended under the previous President Tim Mark and Karin’s tenures, and this was certainly due at least in part to Trygve Ringereide’s organizing and leading Nordic Christmas sing-alongs, creating a very festive and fun event. The impromptu Nordic choir that formed to lead the singing grew larger and more enthusiastic each year.
Midsummer celebrations had been held in the past and were revived with great success under Karin’s presidency when Hanne Sjøberg and Henry Storgaard offered their lovely property by the Gatineau River in Cantley as a venue. This turned out to be ideal for the celebration, which was enhanced by musical entertainment organized by Trygve Ringereide, including Anna Dalvi on the accordion in 2019.
Karin has a great interest in Nordic and Scandinavian culture and sports and is an accomplished cross-country and downhill skier as well as ballroom dancer. In March 1990 she hosted a reception in her home for the Norwegian women’s ice hockey team who were participating in the Women’s World Ice Hockey championships held in Ottawa that year. She competed annually in the 55 or 50 km Gatineau Loppet, the “greatest international cross-country ski event in Canada.” In 2018 she came in 2nd in her age category in the 27 km. course. Karin also enjoys tennis, hiking, music, and swimming.
When the coronavirus pandemic struck in early 2020, Karin, with excellent help from Astrid Ahlgren and her team, ensured that the CNS continued to operate as normally as possible under the circumstances, successfully organizing the annual general meeting and election of Council electronically.
1994-95
Doreen Riedel
1995-96
Lennard Sillanpää
1996
Gerry Kenney
1996-2000
Leena Sillanpää
2000-2002
Jesslyn Mullaney
2002-2004
Adam Napke
2004-2007
Per Talgøy
2007-2008
Leo Zrudlo
2008-2013
Lennard Sillanpää
2013-15
Y. A. George Hynnä
part of 2014-2015
Bruce Miller
2015-2017
Tim Mark
2017-present
Dr. Karin Bjåmer Birnbaum
Karin Bjåmer Birnbaum was born and raised in Norway, where she mostly lived in a suburb of Oslo called Bærum. She attended high school at Eidsvold Landsgymnas, which is located next to the small town where the Norwegian Constitution was written and signed in 1814. She then went on to study at the University of Oslo and graduated with a Cand. mag. degree in Science and a Master's Degree in Physical Chemistry. Her next stop was New York City where she lived at the International House of New York, a centre for international graduate students, research scholars, trainees and interns located in Manhattan. She conducted research at the Medical Centre at Columbia University for a couple of years before returning to Europe and earning her Ph.D. in
X-ray Crystallography from Glasgow University. (X-ray crystallography is the experimental science that determines the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal and is an area of study that has been fundamental in the development of many scientific fields. It has revealed the structure and function of many biological molecules, including vitamins, drugs, proteins and nucleic acids such as DNA.)
After earning her Ph.D., she emigrated to Ottawa, where she worked in research on crystal structures at the National Research Council until her first child was born. She stayed home for several years raising her two children, and then returned to university to get a Master’s of Science in Systems Science from the University of Ottawa. The rest of her career was spent at the National Research Council, from which she retired in 2011 as Head, Information Architecture and Data Administration.
Karin has served as President of the Canadian Nordic Society over two separate time periods. The first was from 1992 to 1994. Under her leadership, the Canadian Nordic Society arranged its first live concert which was given on March 4, 1993 by pianist Derek Yaple-Schobert, who performed works by Carl Nielsen, Niels Gade and Edvard Grieg. The concert was so well received that a second concert was given on September 17, 1993 in honour of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edvard Grieg. In addition to Derek Yaple-Schobert, it featured soprano Jennifer Rasor, cellist Jan Järvlepp (see article above), violist Wendy Desserud, and pianist Sonia Descatore. Both of these successful concerts were sponsored by the Norwegian Embassy. These concerts set a precedent for the Canadian Nordic Society and a number of successful concerts have followed over the years, often arranged in co-operation with a Nordic embassy.
On October 28, 1993, the CNS hosted a major event, the “Preview of the Olympic Games.” This was an initiative of Vice-President Dr. Charles Nobbe in honour of the upcoming Lillehammer Winter Olympics of February, 1994. Dressed in her national costume, Karin joined Olympic medallist Sue Holloway (the first Canadian to participate in both the Winter and Summer Olympics, for cross-country skiing and canoeing respectively) as they processed in to the tune of the Holmenkollen March. CNS member Ingrid Thompson then gave an overview presentation on Norway, and Sue Holloway spoke about the various Olympic sites. The executive vice-president of the Canadian Olympic Association, Mike Chambers, gave a presentation on preparing for the Olympics, and was followed by the directors of the Canadian Amateur Speed Skating Association, Biathlon Canada, and the Canadian Amateur Figure Skating Association, who each spoke about their respective sports. John Shannon and Rod Black of CTV, the Canadian network that covered the Olympic events that year, were also present. This was a very impressive and well-attended event that made the most of the opportunity to celebrate Canadian and Nordic participation in the Olympics.
Karin was later contacted by journalist Gail Cook of the Ottawa Sun and asked if she would make a Norwegian dinner for a feature article about Norwegian cuisine in connection with the Olympics. Karin agreed and invited members Inger Marie and Olav Løken, and Hjørdis and Thorstein Weibust to this special dinner. Wearing her national costume, Karin served shrimp in aspic and venison roast with rørt tyttebaer (stirred lingonberries.) For dessert, her delicious waleskringle was served with coffee by the fireside, where a pair of cross-country skis had been placed for a decorative Olympic-themed touch. These were pictured in the article in the Ottawa Sun by Gail Cook that followed.
The annual Santa Lucia celebration was still held by the Canadian Nordic Society at that time and was a major event requiring a great deal of preparation including rehearsals for the children who participated. The December 11, 1993 Lucia celebration had a record attendance of 215. That year, Karin initiated workshops in making traditional Nordic Christmas decorations following the rehearsals. These workshops became an annual tradition that lasted for many years.
To finish off the 1993-94 year, an elegant dinner dance with a live band was held in May at the National Press Club with 94 people attending.
In 2017, Karin once again took on the role of President of the Canadian Nordic Society following Tim Mark. Tim had initiated preparations for a Viking Gala and Karin and her Council took over this project, which was such a success that it was repeated in 2018 and 2019. The Gala was held at Les Jardins de la Cité college and the meals were prepared by the culinary students under the supervision of their chef. Councillor Hanne Sjøborg took the lead in co-ordinating the meal, working with the head chef to select the menus each year, managing the invitations, attendance, and seating arrangements, and overseeing all the associated details. Vice-president Trygve Ringereide acted as MC. A professionally trained singer, he performed for the guests in his beautiful tenor voice, accompanied by Cecilia Ignatieff on the piano, in 2017 and 2018.
The CNS annual Christmas lunch tradition became increasingly well attended under the previous President Tim Mark and Karin’s tenures, and this was certainly due at least in part to Trygve Ringereide’s organizing and leading Nordic Christmas sing-alongs, creating a very festive and fun event. The impromptu Nordic choir that formed to lead the singing grew larger and more enthusiastic each year.
Midsummer celebrations had been held in the past and were revived with great success under Karin’s presidency when Hanne Sjøberg and Henry Storgaard offered their lovely property by the Gatineau River in Cantley as a venue. This turned out to be ideal for the celebration, which was enhanced by musical entertainment organized by Trygve Ringereide, including Anna Dalvi on the accordion in 2019.
Karin has a great interest in Nordic and Scandinavian culture and sports and is an accomplished cross-country and downhill skier as well as ballroom dancer. In March 1990 she hosted a reception in her home for the Norwegian women’s ice hockey team who were participating in the Women’s World Ice Hockey championships held in Ottawa that year. She competed annually in the 55 or 50 km Gatineau Loppet, the “greatest international cross-country ski event in Canada.” In 2018 she came in 2nd in her age category in the 27 km. course. Karin also enjoys tennis, hiking, music, and swimming.
When the coronavirus pandemic struck in early 2020, Karin, with excellent help from Astrid Ahlgren and her team, ensured that the CNS continued to operate as normally as possible under the circumstances, successfully organizing the annual general meeting and election of Council electronically.
Karin Bjåmer Birnbaum was born and raised in Norway, where she mostly lived in a suburb of Oslo called Bærum. She attended high school at Eidsvold Landsgymnas, which is located next to the small town where the Norwegian Constitution was written and signed in 1814. She then went on to study at the University of Oslo and graduated with a Cand. mag. degree in Science and a Master's Degree in Physical Chemistry. Her next stop was New York City where she lived at the International House of New York, a centre for international graduate students, research scholars, trainees and interns located in Manhattan. She conducted research at the Medical Centre at Columbia University for a couple of years before returning to Europe and earning her Ph.D. in
X-ray Crystallography from Glasgow University. (X-ray crystallography is the experimental science that determines the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal and is an area of study that has been fundamental in the development of many scientific fields. It has revealed the structure and function of many biological molecules, including vitamins, drugs, proteins and nucleic acids such as DNA.)
After earning her Ph.D., she emigrated to Ottawa, where she worked in research on crystal structures at the National Research Council until her first child was born. She stayed home for several years raising her two children, and then returned to university to get a Master’s of Science in Systems Science from the University of Ottawa. The rest of her career was spent at the National Research Council, from which she retired in 2011 as Head, Information Architecture and Data Administration.
Karin has served as President of the Canadian Nordic Society over two separate time periods. The first was from 1992 to 1994. Under her leadership, the Canadian Nordic Society arranged its first live concert which was given on March 4, 1993 by pianist Derek Yaple-Schobert, who performed works by Carl Nielsen, Niels Gade and Edvard Grieg. The concert was so well received that a second concert was given on September 17, 1993 in honour of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edvard Grieg. In addition to Derek Yaple-Schobert, it featured soprano Jennifer Rasor, cellist Jan Järvlepp (see article above), violist Wendy Desserud, and pianist Sonia Descatore. Both of these successful concerts were sponsored by the Norwegian Embassy. These concerts set a precedent for the Canadian Nordic Society and a number of successful concerts have followed over the years, often arranged in co-operation with a Nordic embassy.
On October 28, 1993, the CNS hosted a major event, the “Preview of the Olympic Games.” This was an initiative of Vice-President Dr. Charles Nobbe in honour of the upcoming Lillehammer Winter Olympics of February, 1994. Dressed in her national costume, Karin joined Olympic medallist Sue Holloway (the first Canadian to participate in both the Winter and Summer Olympics, for cross-country skiing and canoeing respectively) as they processed in to the tune of the Holmenkollen March. CNS member Ingrid Thompson then gave an overview presentation on Norway, and Sue Holloway spoke about the various Olympic sites. The executive vice-president of the Canadian Olympic Association, Mike Chambers, gave a presentation on preparing for the Olympics, and was followed by the directors of the Canadian Amateur Speed Skating Association, Biathlon Canada, and the Canadian Amateur Figure Skating Association, who each spoke about their respective sports. John Shannon and Rod Black of CTV, the Canadian network that covered the Olympic events that year, were also present. This was a very impressive and well-attended event that made the most of the opportunity to celebrate Canadian and Nordic participation in the Olympics.
Karin was later contacted by journalist Gail Cook of the Ottawa Sun and asked if she would make a Norwegian dinner for a feature article about Norwegian cuisine in connection with the Olympics. Karin agreed and invited members Inger Marie and Olav Løken, and Hjørdis and Thorstein Weibust to this special dinner. Wearing her national costume, Karin served shrimp in aspic and venison roast with rørt tyttebaer (stirred lingonberries.) For dessert, her delicious waleskringle was served with coffee by the fireside, where a pair of cross-country skis had been placed for a decorative Olympic-themed touch. These were pictured in the article in the Ottawa Sun by Gail Cook that followed.
The annual Santa Lucia celebration was still held by the Canadian Nordic Society at that time and was a major event requiring a great deal of preparation including rehearsals for the children who participated. The December 11, 1993 Lucia celebration had a record attendance of 215. That year, Karin initiated workshops in making traditional Nordic Christmas decorations following the rehearsals. These workshops became an annual tradition that lasted for many years.
To finish off the 1993-94 year, an elegant dinner dance with a live band was held in May at the National Press Club with 94 people attending.
In 2017, Karin once again took on the role of President of the Canadian Nordic Society following Tim Mark. Tim had initiated preparations for a Viking Gala and Karin and her Council took over this project, which was such a success that it was repeated in 2018 and 2019. The Gala was held at Les Jardins de la Cité college and the meals were prepared by the culinary students under the supervision of their chef. Councillor Hanne Sjøborg took the lead in co-ordinating the meal, working with the head chef to select the menus each year, managing the invitations, attendance, and seating arrangements, and overseeing all the associated details. Vice-president Trygve Ringereide acted as MC. A professionally trained singer, he performed for the guests in his beautiful tenor voice, accompanied by Cecilia Ignatieff on the piano, in 2017 and 2018.
The CNS annual Christmas lunch tradition became increasingly well attended under the previous President Tim Mark and Karin’s tenures, and this was certainly due at least in part to Trygve Ringereide’s organizing and leading Nordic Christmas sing-alongs, creating a very festive and fun event. The impromptu Nordic choir that formed to lead the singing grew larger and more enthusiastic each year.
Midsummer celebrations had been held in the past and were revived with great success under Karin’s presidency when Hanne Sjøberg and Henry Storgaard offered their lovely property by the Gatineau River in Cantley as a venue. This turned out to be ideal for the celebration, which was enhanced by musical entertainment organized by Trygve Ringereide, including Anna Dalvi on the accordion in 2019.
Karin has a great interest in Nordic and Scandinavian culture and sports and is an accomplished cross-country and downhill skier as well as ballroom dancer. In March 1990 she hosted a reception in her home for the Norwegian women’s ice hockey team who were participating in the Women’s World Ice Hockey championships held in Ottawa that year. She competed annually in the 55 or 50 km Gatineau Loppet, the “greatest international cross-country ski event in Canada.” In 2018 she came in 2nd in her age category in the 27 km. course. Karin also enjoys tennis, hiking, music, and swimming.
When the coronavirus pandemic struck in early 2020, Karin, with excellent help from Astrid Ahlgren and her team, ensured that the CNS continued to operate as normally as possible under the circumstances, successfully organizing the annual general meeting and election of Council electronically.