Sweden Day and a voice from the past
So many of our readers that are not fluent in Swedish were wondering about the card image we ran in our latest issue. It’s repeated here and was included in a letter to us with a congratulatory note from a subscriber.
The card was part of a stack of letters that had belonged to our subscriber’s grandmother, who emigrated from Sweden in May 1892. Like so many other young Swedish girls she found work as housekeeper and ended up in the Bronx A couple of years later she met her husband. Soon after the marriage in early September 1894, she started a subscription to the Swedish newspaper and received the card and receipt in the mail from the then publisher.
To me it felt unreal.
I had at the time just finished a brief history of Nordstjernan for Sweden Day on June 16 where Nordstjernan and its heritage is celebrated (you find the story on page 5 in this issue as well).
Every time I do, I end up spending hours going through the old archives, disappearing into the people, stories and world events covered by us through the years.
It is really all about the people. They say that the history of Sweden is the history of its Kings. It is equally true to state that the history of the Swedish press in the United States is the history of its publishers and editors and I would like to add an even more important ingredient—its readers.
As you will find in the brief history, the publisher in 1894 was Håkan Johansen, a watchmaker originally from Kalmar, Sweden. The Johansen family had secured sole ownership in 1879 after a few tumultous years after the start in 1872. The newspaper was to remain under Johansen reign for three generations.
Håkan Johansen kept up his job as a watchmaker but must have spent some time at Nordstjernan as well because it’s his signature on the card above.
This is what he looked like, Håkan Johansen, in a photo from a commemorative issue as Nordstjernan turned 50 in 1922:
We cannot offer a photo of Emma Mogren and it is really too seldom we have an opportunity to meet with our readers.
One opportunity soon is Sweden Day, in June. If you come—we are not the hosts for the event but please seek us out—consider yourselves guests of honor, each and every one of you!
Sweden Day has been celebrated every year since 194. It is a day to celebrate Sweden, being Swedish and the traditions and heritage we all share. Sweden Day’s first Master of Ceremonies in 1941 was Gerry Rooth, sports writer, editor and later publisher of Nordstjernan—he was connected to the newspaper one way or another for almost half of our 140 years.
Sweden Day is celebrated at Manhem Club in the Bronx, just off I295 - easy if you have a car but public transportation is a bit limited, you have to catch the Throggs Neck Express bus. See http://www.swedenday.com for directions.
Welcome to your and our celebration on June 16!
Håkan Johansen, watchmaker originally from Kalmar and publisher of Nordstjernan during the early years. First of three generations Johansens to run the paper.
|
The Editor & Publisher
Inte som andra bloggar.... this entry will be sometimes in Swedish, sometimes 'på svenska' - Just så händelsrikt är livet som utgivare av Amerikas äldsta och numera enda Svenska tidskrift.
Här ovan poserar jag “on location” kl 6 på morgonen i Minneapolis St. Paul för två år sedan. Henrik Olund tog bilden som förberedelse för en porträttbild av Vice President Walter Mondale. (Det var en bra intervju med en bra person) Jag skriver sällan med byline i Nordstjernan men jag är alltid ansvarig för innehållet, även om jag inte alltid håller med om allt.
(PS. Intervjun med Mondale hittar ni på nordicreach.com DS.) |