4 THE SCANDINAVIAN AMERICAI Backman Is How Scandinavian Practical Joker Spotlight on ls Called Publicity Wilard Importer, Plans Program Norwegian— Ivar ?aglund. they say, can seal. took it for a stroll through A‘Radio claim a unique distinction. He in downtown Seattle and let it shake supposed to be the Pacific North-j hands with Santa Claus in a de- Gus Backman, widely known in Americans west's greatest practical joker and partment store. When a railroad Scandinavian circles throughout expert. smartest publicity Nothing car broke down outside his restau- the Northwest, is now entering a By pleases him more than to surprise rant and barrels of sirup were new field of enterprise. Both Mr. A. BJERKESETH people. been surprising emptied on the street Haglund put formed He has and Mrs. Backman have The main building of them for some time now and has the Red Bear Importing Company. Leif Erikson Norway. Center is nearing is profited by it too. Renton, which is distributing Red Festival Soon completion, and should occupa- When people read that octopus- Bear, a Swedish-made polishing be ready for es have climbed a mountain or and cleaning powder, reputed to’ Although We probably yet will tion the middle of October.,. that seals have felled big trees be of outstanding quality. have many more warm and {z the stories get a special twist after The Renton firm has the sole pleasant Indian summer days it is learned that the beasts be- distribution in west- Convention Report right to eight ahead of us, there is no denying long to Haglund. Similar stories ern states. A sales campaign was The Supreme Lodge Sons of across that evening and early morning have been flashed news ser- recently inaugurated in the Bon Norway Convention held in vice from Seattle to Guam Seattle of hours have a certain chill in the wires Marche in with the aid Brooklyn, N. Y. last week of and Stockholm. When it comes (Stina) Andersson. A telling us that fall is just Mrs. Bruce air August seems to have occurred down to brass tacks. people also total of 2.000 packages of the around the weatherly corner. without any ”upheavals" to know that the wizard of Seattle powder was sold in three days. With the coming of fall most is the owner of the popular restau- will leave speak of. Most of the time Mr. and Mrs. Backman of our Scandinavian -socleties rant Acres of Clams and sponsor of next week for San Francisco, was taken up with considering will be back in full stride after the world’s greatest international where another sales drive will be matters concerning the Orders eating (see cut). the vacation. Soon we'll have clam contest initiated. 15 million dollar insurance busi- Cynical reporters still fall for him who shOWs many Iestlvities going full blast and Backman. ness. whereupon the main offi- like innocent country maidens for Scandinavian films throughout the one of the very first will be cers were reelected. One of the a Casanova. He is a God-send any Northwest and who had charge of the Leif Erikson-festival, Oct. 7 big questions before the conven- dull day. the Nordic Hour radio program. at Masonic Temple. The commit- now plans to start tion was the question of hiring Aquarium King discontinued. tee is busy arranging for a suit- another Scandinavian radio pro- manager. delegates Haglund is also dubbed as the able program. Already it is a The de- Aquarium king of the Northwest. gram this fall. It will be broad- cided in favor of a manager but His aquarium in Seattle looks as cast from a powerful Seattle sta- it will take another two years Haglund eats his clams tion. though it contains all sorts of ex—- before he'll take office. The otic fishes assembled from all on his boots and a big and walked question of a manager for Sons parts of the globe, but every single out of his restaurant with some of Norway dates back at least specimen comes from the North- pancakes, which he demonstrative- llr. Henry Leach 12—14 years and as far as I west area. Nevertheless. he has ly laid down on the mushy sirup. created an aura of glamor and ex- Cameras ticked as he sat there remember was initiated by our citement about them. with knife and fork in his hands. Gets Gold Medal departed brother Gjermunn Dahl Once a visitor in the aquarium Popular Television, Radio Artist of Seattle. He considered it. rapped glass a silver dollar on the Haglund is now well known sound business to have an ex- a The The gold medal of The Ameri- tank containing shark. through his appearances on tele- perienced and competent man in glass broke and the shark tumbled can-Scandinavian Foundation. giv- vision and radio. He has compos- charge of the S. of N_ insurance upon thé visitor. Haglund en “for service to America and down ed about 40 ballads and sings put up a. sign saying: man- Scandinavia.” has been awarded departement already then, and “This them frequently in both English eating escape by jointly to Mrs. Agnes Brown Leach finally the “power to be" has shark tried to and Chinnook, the hybrid language breaking glass." of and Dr. Henry Goddard Leach. see the Number of old Indians and traders in the come around to the hand- Visitors was doubled one Dr. and Mrs. Leach now in paying in N. W. and of course he has in- are writing on the wall. Norway on a tour of week. vented numerous folk tales of the Scandinavia. Most of our local delegates they were of the A few years ago Haglund ar- Northwest. and informed to the convention are back by ranged to have the prize-fighter honor on July 3. Dr. Leach's sev- Born at Alki Point. 1905, Hag- now. Ole Andreassen and Se. Tony Galento grapple with one of entieth birthday. by Otto Mohr, is son of his octopuses in the aquarium. lund the the late Johan Chancellor of the Univarsity of verin Andersen of Seattle arriv- Haglund. Stockholm, Galento. famed for wrestling with Ivar born in Oslo. ed back last Sunday. N. M. who arrived Port apes. took a drink. climbed into Sweden. at Dr. president emeritus of Nelsen is on his way in a brand Townsend in the 1870's. He was Leach. the tank. disappeared below the the Foundation. of which he was new car picked up in Detroit married to a woman of Norwegian surface and reappeared to exclaim president for thirty years. is wide- descmt in known that Prof. August Werner but Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Hang that the octopus got an unfair Seattle. ly authority Scan- known as an on will be the evening‘s speaker and will not be back for another 2 hold on therefore Ivar Haglund's aquarium has so him and that he dinavian culture and history, on also that weeks. Ole Andreassen has the should win. far attracted about 1,250,000 vis- which several books. the Norwegian Male he has written being Trials and Tribulations itors and his restaurant is very In 1945 he received an honorary Chorus. the Scandinavian Folk- distinction of one of the But Haglund has had trouble prosperous. Married in 1932, Hag- doctor's degree from the Univer- dancers and others are invited very few men who has been a origin with his aquarium business too. lund says his Scandinavian sity of Upsala. He is now gather- to participate in the program. “coast to coast delegate". In has been of _When launching his Seattle sea great value to him in ing first-hand impressions and ma- The program will start at 7:30 1936 he was a delegate from he know much about his relationships with people in Show didn't terial for a new book, “Sweden p. m. sharp. giving the public Brooklyn to Seattle and this fishes and put all kinds of speci- the Northwest. After 1920." ample time to finisn up the eve- year he reversed the—procedure. mens in the same tank with the Earlier winners of the Funda- ning with dance. result that big fishes ate the small- tion gold medal are Crown Prin- er ones and smaller ones tiny ones. cess Martha of Norway: J. Sigfrid 1% Norse Conn-alto Busy practically him So that left with- Edstrbm. president of the Sweden Norway Eva the Norwegian out any fish. But he started all Spokane Scandian Center Rumors Gustavson. America Foundation. and the late contralto sang "Amneris" over again. who in Captain William Hovgaard. his- Rumors about what to do the Toscanini‘NBC production When he started an aquarium in of Invents Type torian and naval architect. and about the building of the audi- "Aida" last year, is visiting Oslo Vancouver. B. C. there was trouble New one of the founders of The Ameri- torium in connection with tho after a very successful season at too. A professor reported that the can-Scandinavian Foundation. Norway Center is swirling all the Stockholm Opera. her water in English Bay had an ideal (if where Brake Pedal over town. people “Carmen" has been one of the temperature and salt percentage Some think highlights trip for raising different kinds of fish. that porhaps one will be just as Her scheduled to the United States early this year Haglund built his aquarium near An at-r-essory brake pedal which Well off (financially) without a Exports was cancelled because of too much the bay, and pumped water from “(NJ-"3 (llrn-clly onto the regular Horse auditorium, others are just as to do in Stockholm.