President’s Message Highlights Conference Call.........................3 Genealogy Corner ..................................... 4 Lodge News............................................... 6 Resolutions ..............................................13 Cooking Recipes.......................................14 WHAT’S INSIDE: CVII EST. 1906 La Palma, California December 2013 Number 4 www.orderofruneberg.org International Order of Runeberg Supreme Board God Jul Och Gott Nott År From the Supreme Board & Michigan Resident Agent Annabelle Kergan Past President Stewart Lyons President Nils Holm 1 st Vice President Lorene Mara 2 nd Vice President Janet Anderson Secretary Ed Brannfors Treasurer Gary Robinson Trustee Theresa Kokonen Michigan Resident Agent The IOR Board wishes our members in Canada, Finland, and USA a Merry C y C y C y C y Chr hr hr hr hrist ist ist ist istmas, mas, mas, mas, mas, and f and f and f and f and for 2014, 2014, 2014, 2014, 2014, a H a H a H a H a Hap ap ap ap appy N py N py N py N py New w w w w Year! ear! ear! ear! ear! Finland’s Independence Day: As I write this on December 5 th , it’s appropriate to mention Finland’s Independence Day, cel- ebrated on December 6 th . The President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, in a message to Finnish expatriate communities points out that Finland’s Independence Day is cel- ebrated in Finnish homes and com- munities around the world. It is fas- cinating to note that our organization’s namesake, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, is closely tied to the celebration’s candle lighting tradition. From Wikipedia: “It is traditional for many Finnish fami- lies to light two candles in each win- dow of their home in the evening. This custom dates to the 1920s, but even earlier, candles had been placed in windows on the birthday, February 5 th , of poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg as a silent protest against perceived Russian oppression. A popular legend has it that two candles were used as a sign to in- form young men on their way to Sweden and Germany to become jägers (Finnish: Jääkäriliike—vol- unteers trained as elite infantry to enable Finnish sovereignty) that the house was ready to offer shel- ter and keep them hidden from the Russians.” An innovative project: Through my son, Davin, I learned of a very interesting project / adventure. His good friend Jenny O’Connell is hiking across Finland (the long way) to retrace the steps of Petronella Van Der Moer, who, in 1949 hiked north from Helsinki. A book, an opera, and a musical have been written in Finnish about Petronella. Jenny’s goal is to create her own adventure and share what she found through writing. You may be most interested in Jenny’s project fundraising methodology— continued on page 2
CVII EST. 1906 La Palma, California December 2013 Number 4 www.orderofruneberg.org
International Order of Runeberg Supreme Board
God Jul Och Gott Nott ÅrFrom the Supreme Board & Michigan Resident AgentAnnabelle Kergan Past President
Stewart Lyons President
Nils Holm 1st Vice President
Lorene Mara 2nd Vice President
Janet AndersonSecretary
Ed BrannforsTreasurer
Gary RobinsonTrustee
Theresa KokonenMichiganResident Agent
The IOR Board wishes ourmembers in Canada, Finland,and USA a MMMMMeeeeerrrrr rrrrr y Cy Cy Cy Cy Chrhrhrhrhristististististmas,mas,mas,mas,mas, and f and f and f and f and fooooorrrrr2014,2014,2014,2014,2014, a H a H a H a H a Hapapapapappy Npy Npy Npy Npy Neeeee w w w w w YYYYYear!ear!ear!ear!ear!
Finland’s Independence Day: As I write this on December 5th,it’s appropriate to mentionFinland’s Independence Day, cel-ebrated on December 6th. ThePresident of Finland, Sauli Niinistö,in a message to Finnish expatriatecommunities points out thatFinland’s Independence Day is cel-ebrated in Finnish homes and com-munities around the world. It is fas-cinating to note that ourorganization’s namesake, JohanLudvig Runeberg, is closely tied tothe celebration’s candle lightingtradition. From Wikipedia: “It istraditional for many Finnish fami-lies to light two candles in each win-dow of their home in the evening.This custom dates to the 1920s, buteven earlier, candles had beenplaced in windows on the birthday,February 5th, of poet Johan LudvigRuneberg as a silent protest againstperceived Russian oppression. A
popular legend has it that twocandles were used as a sign to in-form young men on their way toSweden and Germany to becomejägers (Finnish: Jääkäriliike—vol-unteers trained as elite infantry toenable Finnish sovereignty) thatthe house was ready to offer shel-ter and keep them hidden from theRussians.”
An innovative project: Through my son, Davin, Ilearned of a very interesting project/ adventure. His good friend JennyO’Connell is hiking across Finland(the long way) to retrace the stepsof Petronella Van Der Moer, who,in 1949 hiked north from Helsinki.A book, an opera, and a musicalhave been written in Finnish aboutPetronella. Jenny’s goal is to createher own adventure and share whatshe found through writing. Youmay be most interested in Jenny’sproject fundraising methodology—
continued on page 2
2 December 2013
The Leading Star / LedstjärnanInt’l. President: Stewart Lyons
Editors: Dale and Mary Lou Hjort
Subscriptions payable in advanceOne Year, U.S. & Canada $15.00Overseas $20.00
Resolutions, single column, per inch, $5.00
Advertising rates available upon request.
Address all correspondence to:Postmaster: Send changes of address to:The Leading Star, Attn: Dale & Mary Lou Hjort
The LEADING STAR (ISSN No. 0744-7485) is published quarterly by the International Order of Runebergfor its members and others interested in the Order at 7682 Tracy Lane, La Palma, California 90623-1501.
Correspondents: Information received by the first Friday ofthe quarterly month or as noted will be included in thatquarter’s issue.To correct our listing of your address, fill in the requestedinformation in the form below and send your old mailing label to:
International Order of Runeberg Supreme BoardPresident’s Messagecontinued from page 1
–DH
she’s using “Kickstarter” (web-based way to fund creativeprojects). Amazingly, in the short18 days since the project’s posting,Jenny has raised $12,260! You maylearn more about Jenny and herproject by: (a) doing a web searchthat includes the words “FindingPetronella Kickstarter”, or (b) clickon the link provided at our IORwebsite, www.orderofruneberg.org
In need of our attention:In previous “President’s Mes-
sage” columns I’ve mentioned thatwe all need to address our declin-ing membership. The need is dem-onstrated again by the recent com-munications received from our SanFrancisco and Seattle Lodges in-forming us that they are disband-ing December 31. I believe:• Putting in a strong and con-certed effort to attract new mem-bers is required to increase lodges’membership.
• Methods proven to increasemembership include: (a) directcontact—calling people, (b) strongprograms that attract membership,(c) emphasis on programs to at-tract younger members, (d) focuson future activities, rather thanpast activities, (e) Finnish films, (e)dinners, (f) newsletters, and (g) anactive rolling calendar.• Utilizing your lodge’s web page(every lodge has a page) can be apowerful “tool” to enhance yourlodge’s visibility. Email or call mewith the information you’d likeposted (such as meetings schedule,meetings locations, special activi-ties, etc.). For members of Lodge#124 (Vancouver, BC) contact SheaTeixeira, who does an excellent jobof maintaining the Lodge #124 webpage. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Stew Lyons
2014 is ourConvention year
The International Convention iscoming up next year in Vancouver,B.C., Canada. This means severalthings. The lodges will need to se-lect delegates to the convention. Anexample of the delegate’s credentialform will be in the next two issuesof the Leading Star. Also, lodgesneed to write any resolutions to theConstitution and Bylaws. Thesemust be completed in time to besubmitted to the Leading Star forpublication in the March issue ofthe paper. For delegates from theU.S., a passport is now required fortravel to and from Canada.
Please note the 2014 scholarshipapplication on the back page andthe fact that the scholarships havebeen increased to $1,000.00. Theapplication is available online atwww.orderofruneberg.org. And re-member that the application mustbe received by April 30. Please al-low plenty of time for mailing.
Reports:Treasurer’s Report:US Bank $8,609.56UBS CD $60,142.45Money Mk. $4,207.97Total: $72,959.98
Scholarship Fund: $1,411.00. It wasvoted and approved that the scholarshipsto be given out in April of 2014 be in-creased to $1,000.00 per recipient.
Leading Star – Papers mailed = 212U.S., 43 Canada, 18 Finland, and 8 aree-mailed. The new format is working well. Website traffic is down 5.4%. 4,000visited site so far this year to October2013.
Convention news – A committee hasbeen formed and is in the process of plan-ning. All suggestions are welcome. Lodge#124 received seed money of $1,000 tohelp with Convention expenses. This wasacknowledged and gratefully received.
Constitution and Bylaws are now avail-able in Word format. All Resolutions mustbe published in the March and June is-sues (2014) of the Leading Star in orderto be presented at the Convention. A Con-stitution and Bylaws booklet will be de-cided upon after the 2014 Convention.
Discussion re: the change of namefrom Security Lodge member to possiblyAssociate member. Tabled.
The International Supreme Boardvoted to assist each of the 5 Lodges whowere having IRS issues. Each Lodge hav-ing difficulties would get a onetime as-sist with a $400.00 grant.
Sadly, the Board received notificationthat the Seattle and San Francisco Lodgeswill be disbanding at the end of 2013.
Stew Lyons gave notice that he wouldnot run for office for a second term asdid Janet Anderson. Stew is willing to keepthe website going as Web Master.
Meeting adjourned at 6:22 p.m. PDT
Submitted by Annabelle Kergan
Season’s greetingsand best wishes for theNew Year!
Alfred Nelson,Lodge #126,Coos Bay, Oregon
WWWWWe we we we we wish eish eish eish eish evvvvveeeeerrrrr yoyoyoyoyone a Mne a Mne a Mne a Mne a Meeeeerrrrrrrrrr yyyyyCCCCChrhrhrhrhristististististmas and a Hmas and a Hmas and a Hmas and a Hmas and a Hapapapapappy andpy andpy andpy andpy and
PPPPPrrrrrospospospospospeeeeerrrrrooooous Nus Nus Nus Nus Neeeeew w w w w YYYYYearearearearear
DDDDDalalalalale ane ane ane ane and Mard Mard Mard Mard Maryyyyy L L L L Lou Hou Hou Hou Hou Hjojojojojorrrrrttttt
Tacoma #106wishes everyone a very
Merry Christmasand a Happy New Year!
4 Decmber 2013
Genealogy Corner
June Pelo,A Dedicated Genealogist
The Christmas season inFinland begins on theSaturday before Advent,known as Little Christ-mas. This is the day
the Christmas lights are turned on.Offices hold parties and in thehomes families set up a little Christ-mas tree with little gifts for the chil-dren. Advent wreaths are hung onthe doors of apartments andhouses. These customs date fromthe end of the 19th century. In Swe-den the Advent tree has been usedsince the 1870s.
The Swedish-speaking popula-tion observes Lucia’s Day on De-cember 13. The public Lucia pro-cession has been held in Stockholmsince 1927, but did not come intocustom in some parts of Finlanduntil after World War II. Since 1950Finland’s largest Swedish-languagenewspaper has organized a publicvote and collection for a young girlto bear the name Lucia. The win-ner is carried in a procession at 6p.m. from Helsinki Cathedral toFinlandia Hall where she iscrowned. In family celebrations, adaughter appears dressed in whiteand wearing a crown of candles,serving coffee and pastries in themorning. In the countryside Christmaspreparations begin on December 9,Anna’s Day. During the MiddleAges the “Peace of Christmas” wasproclaimed on December 21; thecustom has now been changed toChristmas Eve. Christmastidelasted from Christmas Day to St.Knut’s Day. Presently, it ends withEpiphany on January 6, as in theSouth Scandinavian and Germantradition. The celebration of the
ChristmasTraditionsin Finlandbirth of Christ has replaced the pre-Christian festival of the return ofthe sun, the dead, and the end ofthe crop year.
Food was important in Christ-mas festivities in olden days.Christmas rice pudding andlutefish are still popular. The mostimportant element of the meal isthe eating of ham, which originatedin pagan times. Presently, turkeyhas become more common. Goingto church early on Christmas morn-ing is part of the Christmas tradi-tion in Finland and Sweden, but notin Denmark and Norway.
Some of the old Christmas or-naments used to decorate the homeare still used today, such as thecarved wooden Christmas crossand the Christmas mobile made ofstraw. Christmas straw used to bestrewn on the floor of the home, but
no longer. Straw was also spreadover the church floor in the 19th cen-tury, but the custom has ended.
Christmas customs changed a lotsince the latter half of the 19th cen-tury. The biggest changes areChristmas presents, trees, SantaClaus and his little helpers. Duringthe 18th century, presents were leftoutside the door or thrown insidethe houses in town. The customspread to the rural regions of west-ern Finland at the end of the 19th
century, but it didn’t reach Kareliauntil the 1920s and 1930s.
Wealthy people in town hadChristmas trees from the 1820s onand the rural parsonages of southand central Ostrobothnia had themfrom the 1850s. Most of the popu-lation adopted the Christmas treein the 1870s. During the 20th cen-tury, the tree became widely knowndue to Christmas festivities in theschools. There was a public outdoorChristmas tree in Tampere in 1894and in Åbo in 1900. Since the Sec-ond World War, the custom hasbeen adopted by most towns.
Christmas presents are broughtby Santa Claus. “Old Father Christ-mas” is the German figure of St.Nicholas, who didn’t becomewidely known until the beginningof the 20th century. He was alreadydistributing gifts among the towns-people in the first half of the 19th
century. His little helper originatedin the 1880s and was shown onChristmas cards sent out at thattime. During recent years, Santahas been assisted by one or morehelpers wearing long red caps.
continued on page 15
5 December 2013
ChristmasPast
My first Christmas, 1939, I was9 months old. My father and sisterMarita went to “Famos”, my fatherCarl’s family home, on ChristmasEve. I was running a high fever somy mother and I stayed home at“Havis.” She had one small candlelit on our tree, blankets covered ourwindows, a blackout; this wasduring the Winter War. Mammasang me a Christmas song,“Nutendas Tusen Jule Jus.” Thiswas repeated every Christmas.Usually, I was ill—earaches, fever,etc.—what was going around ... Ihad it. The Christmas I remembermost was in 1945. I was not sick, atleast not enough to stay home, butMamma still sang for me and Ijoined in. That Christmas mycousin Goran and I got toy saws,real wood saws, but toys. I sawedthe leg of my “Gutta Gub.” Mycousin was found under theChristmas table trying to saw offone of the legs. In “Oravais” mengo around and play Santa and hishelper. Presents are put in a sackout on the porch. They come in andplay the part—pass out the gifts.Their pay for this is usually a“Suppe” each, but by the time theygot to “Famos” they were “happy.”One leaned in his chair went overbackwards rolled into “Faston.”Farbro “Albert” helped them out.
When we got to America, wewere in New York during Christmasseason. I said to Mamma, “Americais a very rich country.”
She replied, “Why do you saythat?”
“Jull Guben is on every streetcorner and he gives everyonecandy.”
Roger GustafsonTacoma Lodge #106
We have had our first committee meeting in preparation for theupcoming convention. The hall has been booked and prelimi-nary plans are underway. Details are coming together in a com-
fortable fashion. Here are a few ways that you may personally beginyour preparations for the upcoming event.
All U.S. visitors will require a valid passport when enteringCanada. You do need time to allow for processing. Please check yourpaperwork and give yourself enough time to apply if you do not cur-rently hold a valid passport.
Resolutions that need to be presented at the Convention need tobe published in the 2014 March and June issues of the Leading Star.If your lodge has Resolutions to be presented, now is a good time tostart preparing them. This is also an excellent time to give consider-ation to whom your Lodge will send as a delegate to the Saturdaymeeting.
We will require several positions to be filled at the Supreme Boardlevel. At the moment, we will be looking to elect a new Presidentand a new Secretary. It is hoped that all Lodges will consider puttingforward names for the two current positions that will be vacant. TheSupreme Board requires your input and your leadership.
The Convention will begin with Registration on Friday afternoonand early evening of August 15. This will take place at the Scandina-vian Community Centre. Registration will also be a time to connectwith others who are arriving on Friday. At that time you will be ableto pick up your Convention package. Lodge #124 members will bethere to greet you, to assist with questions, and to help you withanything that you may require. We want your visit to be a pleasantone. Saturday attendees will be hosted with lunch, mid-day snacks, and,of course, the evening banquet. As we approach the date, we will beasking you to let us know if you have specific food allergies or spe-cial dietary needs.
The registration fee will help to cover expenses. It is tentativethat the cost for registration will be $60.00. If an adjustment isneeded, we will give adequate notice of any changes required. Sun-day has not been booked at the Centre, but we are looking into a no-host breakfast at a local venue.
Information regarding accommodations will be forthcoming inthe March issue of the Leading Star. We have 5 or 6 available placesin Burnaby and are working to see if a package can be arranged withany of the local hotels for group bookings. The closest hotel to theCentre is the Delta Villa Inn. It is located next to a casino so forthose so inclined it might be a diversion of sorts. For those travel-ling without vehicle transportation, we are hoping to provide trans-portation to and from the venue if you book into a Burnaby hotel ormotel.
In January we will be asking all lodges to do an informal surveyof members who will or are tentatively planning to come to theConvention. A member of the committee will be contacting eachlodge to get a head-count so that we will be best prepared to serveyou. This number will give us a more realistic number in order forplanning purposes. We are looking forward to your visit. Fraternally, Annabelle Kergan
International Convention News August 15 and 16, 2014
6 December 2013
LODGE NEWS
Here are some pictures fromthe recent Halloween Party heldat Lodge #8 in Dollar Bay forconsideration for an upcomingLeading Star. This has been anannual tradition for many years.
Lodge #8 Dollar Bay, MichiganWe had a good turnout of mem-bers that dressed for the occasionand thought it might be of inter-est to the other Lodges. We allvote for our favorite costume orgroup theme and give a gift cer-tificate from a local restaurant to
the winner. We also have amember who likes to carvepumpkins, which he donatesand we auction off as a smallfundraiser ($28) for our Lodge.
Submitted by Jay RinglerTreasurer, IOR Lodge #8
Members of Lodge #8 - Note pumpkins in the back.The carver is Bob Ziemnick in black cap holdingthe pumpkin with a face.
Goldie Locks and the 3 Bears -Stephanie LeClaire (guest),
Steve LeClaire, Cheryl LeClaire,and Bill Endress
7 December 2013
LODGE NEWSLodge #8 Dollar Bay, Michigan
Hot Dog - Joanne Greub Vampires - Dennis and BevSchmitz (contest winners!!)
Rooster Cogburn and Eula - JayRingler and Peggy Busser
The Skipper and Gilligan -Charlie and Kristen Kariainen
Viking and Vampiress -Tom and Renee Ozanich
Duck Dynasty -Brad and Jill Banfield
8 December 2013
LODGE NEWS
New Haven Lodge #205 en-joyed our annual “Fall Hike &Potluck Dinner” on Saturday,September 28. As shown in theaccompanying pictures, wehiked the Branford TrolleyTrail—A spectacular walk thatincluded salt marshes, ThimbleIslands views, trolley bridge,bird watching (i.e., many egrets),and Branford Harbor’s manyquaint scenes. Decades ago, atrolley regularly traveled alongthis route. You may view thisarticle’s pictures in color at theLodge #205 web pages on theIOR website: http://www.orderofruneberg.org/lodges/l205newhavenct.html
Additional lodge membersand family joined us for the sec-ond portion of the event, thePotluck Dinner, wonderfullyhosted by Klas & Dottie Bjork.These additional members andfamily included Doug Davies,Liisa Lindholm, Roy Kosonen,Donna & Tim Connell, Ken &Christine Bjork.
My apologies for not takingpictures during the Potluck Din-ner. I must have been side-tracked by all the delicious mainand side dishes, salads and des-serts provided by our hosts andall our member attendees. Submitted by Stew Lyons
Lodge #205 New Haven, Connecticut
Fall Hike & Potluck Dinner
Estuary tidal area looking out toward Long Island Sound(beautiful picture taken by Lodge #205 youth memberAaron Garnett)
View from hiking trail of estuary,harbor & Thimble Islands
Lodge #205 hikers on the Branford Trolley Trail bridge
9 December 2013
LODGE NEWSLodge #205 New Haven, Connecticut
Fall Hike & Potluck DinnerThe Branford Trolley Trail brought us toBranford Harbor, overlooking the ThimbleIslands.From L to R: Aaron, Noora & Jamie Garnett,Dottie Bjork, Kirsti Langbein, Robert Berke,Klas Bjork, Christian Bjork, Jason Garnett,Stew & Kaarina Lyons, Tuula Berke,Inke Sunila
The elegant Great Egret is a dazzling sight.These are large birds with impressive wingspans.They hunt in classic heron fashion, standingimmobile or wading through estuaries to capturefish with a deadly jab of their yellow bill.
View fromBranford Harbor dock:Thimble Islands & beyond to Long Island Sound
On the Branford Trolley Trail, hiking across alarge estuary.On left, front to back:Jason Garnett, Inke Sunila, Noora Garnett,Dottie Bjork, Kirsti Langbein, Klas BjorkOn right, front to back: Christian Bjork,Aaron & Jamie Garnett, a nice hiker thatjoined our hike, Robert Berke, Kaarina Lyons
10 December 2013
LODGE NEWS
The month of October hasflown by—and it seems that turn-ing our clocks back has short-ened the daylight hours. It’s beenrainy and dark in the morningand by 4 in the afternoon it wasgetting dark. Oh, well! By March9 we go back on “Spring For-ward” unless my 2014 calendaris off.
Our October meeting was wellattended. There were 33 mem-bers present and the tables werecolorful with all types of decora-tions.
Birthday people present werethe following:
Oct. 5 Shirleyanne
Sargent
Oct. 6 Ray Thompson
Oct. 7 Eileen Scott
Oct. 21 Marie Cain
Oct. 29 Erica Sargent
October anniversaries:
Oct. 15 Roy & Martha
Cederberg
Oct. 30 Jim & Marita
Agnew
Lodge #106 Tacoma, WashingtonMonth of November is here,
and those having birthdays are:Nov. 14 Eeva Kaija LaLone
Nov. 16 Laura Jensen
Nov. 21 John LaLone
And our next meeting of thisyear will be Dec. 7, a Saturday.The hours will be from 10:00a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Birthdays in December are thefollowing people:
Dec. 5 Diana Nelson
Dec. 14 Larry Sandell
Dec. 31 Carina Mohammadi
Unbelievable how fast thisyear has gone by!!
Keep in mind to pay your duesin December, please, and hope-fully will have a good turnout,also.
I’m sure Elsie got some specialideas for each table and perhapswill have some singers to enter-tain us also. See you then.
Marita Agnew, President of Tacoma Lodge #106
“Småkusiner” Monica, Marita,and Jim—Marita’s Jim! Enjoy-ing the lunch and the beautifulflowers also—and lots of laugh-ter. July 17, 2013
At the Agnews’ on July 17, 2013,Jim and Monica, and Marita’sJim enjoying lunch and a goodvisit.
This is “the Cap-tain of the Ship”Jim Ramsey whowas missing fromthe picture in theSeptember issuearticle about theTacoma lodgepicnic at ClearLake.
11December 2013
Lodge #106 Tacoma, Washington
LODGE NEWS
“Early morning” brunch get-together at the Agnews’. Lots of laughtertogether with our friend Brian Magnusson. It was fun to hear abouthis busy schedule here in the U.S.A., and also we enjoyed seeingpictures from his daughter’s wedding in Sweden and much more.
Well, it’s getting a little late for this happy gang here at the Agnews’.My Jim is making some cute remark as I back up a little farther. Okay,folks, we best hurry on over to the Runeberg meeting before the food isgone. Brian is joining us and we look forward to next year. Keep intouch! Hello to the family in Sweden.
October 30, 2013, Jim and MaritaAgnew celebrate their 59th wed-ding anniversary. Many remem-bered us with phone calls, cards,and our dear neighbor and familycame over with 9 roses and tookthis picture plus other photo-graphs of us.
Visit ourwebsite:
www.orderofruneberg.org
December 201312
Lodge #106 Tacoma, Washington
LODGE NEWS
This little Halloween Couple have been around quite afew years—greeting all the special sweet and cute littlechildren in our special neighborhood when they came
“Trick-or-treating.” It’s so special to hear them say,“Thank you,” and some even say, “Have a Happy Hal-loween,” and it’s so cute when they even tell about who
helped them make their costumes.
All lined up here for a quickpicture one morning. My sister-in-law Inez Morach from Oak Har-bor, Washington, is on her way toEugene, Oregon, to see her littlegrandsons. Then it’s me, Marita,Tacoma O.R. President Lodge#106, and my loving daughterKarlyn Andreassen, a member ofTacoma Lodge #106, who came byto see her aunt Inez and also pickup an old Oravais folkdräkt thathad belonged to Marita’s auntswhen they were young—some-thing we treasure very much.
“Happy Halloween” October 31, 2013.Baby Mason is wide awake now. DaddyJason has made all the costumes andthings for them all with the help of Rachel(Mom). We just love this nice and lovingfamily who checks on us quite often.
13 December 2013
Lodge #126Coos Bay, Oregon
It is with deepest sorrow that we report the loss ofour lodge sister
Geraldine Elizabeth Dowerwho passed away on June 21, 2013, at the age of 92. Acelebration of life will be held at a later date.
Geri was born in Portland on November 11, 1920,to Chester and Florence (Hanson) Moffitt. Geri grewup in North Bend and graduated from North Bend HighSchool in 1938. In 1939 she married her high schoolsweetheart, Clarence Downer. They were married 73½years.
She was a member of the First United MethodistChurch since she was 8 years old. She played the pi-ano for the church choir. Her love of music and familywas shared with all those she came in contact with.
Geri was a member of the Order of Runeberg tillher death. She and Clarence came to all our activities,picnics, parties, and dances. When asked to play thepiano for lodge meeting, she was always willing.
Just recently, Geri and Clarence moved to Corvallis,Oregon, to be near family.
She is survived by her husband Clarence; two sons,Jerol (Shirley) of Des Moines, Washington, and Ken(Susan) of Corvallis, Oregon; and three grandchildren,Debbie (Bob Mitzel), Karen Downer, and BrianDowner; six great-grandchildren; and three great-greatgrandchildren.
The members of Lodge #126 extend their deepestsympathy to her family. Geri will be greatly missed.
It is with deepest sadness that we report the loss ofour lodge brother
Henry Ericksonwho passed away at the age of 93, on June 27, 2013.No service was held for Henry.
Henry was born on October 27, 1919, in Marshfield,Oregon, to Pete and Tekla Erickson. His father was amachinist and his mother was a homemaker.
Henry graduated from Marshfield Senior HighSchool. He became a machinist and worked until hisretirement.
He married Audrey and they had one daughter,Linda. Henry played the accordion and Audrey playedthe piano. Henry joined the Runeberg Lodge in 1970.He was very active playing his accordion for our dancesand meetings and in the parades the lodge participatedin. He did many projects working with wood. He wasactive in the community and played for the senior citi-zens dances. Later, he moved to a retirement homewhere he played in their jug band till he became ill.
Henry is survived by his wife Audrey and his daugh-ter Linda.
The members of Lodge #126 extend their deepestsympathy to his family. Henry will be greatly missed.
Lodge # 124 Vancouver, B.C.It is with sadness we report the loss of
Karl John Kecklundwho passed away November 21, 2013, after a briefillness.
Karl was born February 19, 1927, in Finland andcame to Canada in 1951. He married Elsa and theyhad 3 daughters.
He worked for the City of Vancouver and be-longed to the Order of Runeberg Bowling Leaguefor many years. He was a lodge member for 42years.
Karl is survived by daughters, Karla, Karen, andKarel; 6 grandchildren; and 2 great-grandsons; alsohis longtime companion, Ragni Sundvick.
A celebration of Karl’s life was held at the Chapelof Forest Lawn Funeral Home in Burnaby, B.C.,on November 29, 2013. Resolution Committee
14 December 2013
Leading Star People RecordsJudi Miller, member and generous volunteer of Swedish Finn His-
torical Society (SFHS), has completed scanning the obituary records from5,839 Leading Star copies dated from years 1913 to 2006. This requiredsearching each publication issue and scanning the information into acomputer data file. The Leading Star copies were on file in the SFHSarchives. This was a very time consuming task. Thank you, Judi!
The next step is to build the scanned records into a database that willbe available on the SFHS website.
Submitted by Lee ThompsonLodge #106, Tacoma, WASFHS member and volunteer,
Judi Miller
Cooking ConversionsFor us who are using both our old Scandina-vian cookbooks and measurements, here is agood suggestion from Tacoma #106 memberMartha Cederberg: Oven Temperatures:American – Scandinavian 225° F 110°C 250° F 120°C 275° F 130°C 300° F 150°C 325° F 160°C 350° F 180°C 375° F 190°C 400° F 200°C 425° F 220°C 450° F 230°C 500° F 260°CAmerican Scandinavian1 pound = 16 ounces = 454 grams1 ounce = 28.35 grams1 quart = 2 pints = 9.5 deciliter1 pint = 2 cups = 4.75 deciliter1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 2.4 deciliterRye Bread / Swedish Limpa1 liter buttermilk = about 2 pints800 grams rye flour = 3.86 cups rye flour800 grams all-purpose flour = 3.86 cups
all-purpose flour1 tsp. salt3 tsp. yeast = 3 grams yeast2 deciliter Waconia Sorghum syrupAdd: Anis & Fennel for flavourDissolve the yeast in lukewarm water andadd a little of Farin sugar.Bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees.This recipe was given to me from AnnaSundsten-Sjöberg in Cravais, Finland, andgiven to Tacoma #106 Order of Runebergmember Martha Cederberg.
Ingredients 5 cups tart apples, cored, peeled, finely chopped 1 cup sugar 1 cup dark plump raisins ¼ cup vegetable oil 2 tsp. vanilla 1 egg, beaten 2½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted 1½ tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk togetherflour, salt, cardamom, sugar, milk, ¼ cupwater, and the eggs in a large bowl. Letstand, covered, for 20 minutes.2. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet in ovenfor 10 minutes. Melt butter in skillet. Pourin batter, bake until puffed, about 25minutes.Cut into wedges, serve with jams.
Suggested by Tacoma Order of Runeberg member, Martha Cederberg
Directions:Preheat oven to 350°Lightly oil 13-by-2-inch pan. In a largemixing bowl, combine apples with sugar,raisins, mix well. Let stand 20 minutes. Stirin oil, vanilla, and egg. Sift together flour,soda, and cinnamon. Stir into apple mix-ture about one-third at a time. Pour mix-ture into pan. Bake 35–40 minutes. Coolcake slightly before serving. Enjoy!Top with Cool Whip or ice Cream.
Apple Coffee CakeMakes 6 servings or more
Sent in by Marita Agnew, President of the Tacoma Lodge #106
1¼ cups all-purpose flour¼ tsp. salt2 Tbs. cardamom¼ cup sugar2 cups milk2 large eggs3 Tbs. unsalted butterlingonberry jam, for serving
Fluffy Pancakes from Finland
15December 2013
ny time you go to the movies, turn on theCD player, or watch TV you will likely comeinto contact with the life’s work of Ray
Dolby. You may have seen the words Dolby Soundso many times you don’t even notice it. But did you know Ray Dolby, who died earlythis year at age 80, was a Swedish Finn with rootsin Terjärv and Kaustby? From 1949–1952 Ray Dolby was employed bythe Ampex Corporation. During 1952–1957 hewas engaged in the development of the videotapetechnology. In his spare time he studied atStanford University. He moved to CambridgeUniversity, where he got his doctorate in phys-ics. In 1963 Dolby accepted a UN commission toIndia. He returned to London in 1965 where hefounded Dolby Laboratories, and in 1974 the com-pany headquarters moved to San Francisco. Dolby, an entrepreneur and inventor, revolu-tionized music and movie sound technology. Inexcess of 850 million Dolby licensed productshave been sold all over the world. More than29,000 movie theaters employ the Dolby DigitalSurround Sound system. Dolby has about 50 patents and thousands oftrade names assigned to his name. Lots of honors have been bestowed on Dolby.He received Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy awards.In 1997 President Bill Clinton awarded him theNational Medal of Technology. Dolby received anhonorary doctorate from Cambridge Universityand the University of New York. Ray Dolby was born in Portland, Oregon, onJanuary 18, 1933. From The Finnish American Reporter —November 2013
Dolby Surround Soundhad Finnish roots Corner
Many Christmas entertainments were concen-trated in the older tradition on St. Stephen’s Day.He was the patron saint of horses, so it was an oldtradition to put some money in the church dona-tion box in Central Ostrobothnia in 1680 and themen could hold a party and drink a St. Stephen’stoast in the stables and go for St. Stephen’s Dayhorse rides. In the towns ‘star boys’ (stjärngossar– Swe. – tiernapojat – Fin.) went from house tohouse carrying a star and singing. In the rural ar-eas during the 19th century, Christmas games wereheld. This involved people dressed as masked ani-mals such as a cuckoo, wolf, cow, sheep, etc. Inwestern Finland there were processions of maskedfigures on St. Stephen’s Day (Dec. 26) and St. Knut’sDay (Jan. 13). The participants were usually youngand they sang in return for beer or coffee. The onlyChristmas play is “The Star Boys” which was origi-nally performed by teenagers. This tradition, whichcame from Sweden at the end of the 18th century, isstill alive.
Today the main features of Christmas are theChristmas meal on Christmas Eve which is a fam-ily affair, the Christmas tree, gifts, the Christmassauna, cards and decorations, and Santa Claus ifthere are children. Christmas is also publicly cel-ebrated by attending church and placing candleson graves.
New Year celebrations are now part of a generaltradition. There are celebrations with music,speeches, and toasts. Families still cast molten tinin a pail of water in order to obtain informationabout the future. This is a custom known by thegentry since the beginning of the 18th century andalso observed at All Saints Day and on ChristmasEve.
Excerpts from “Finnish Folk Culture” by IlmarTalve Translated by June Pelo
continued from page 4
Please submit allnews, resolutions, and articles by
Fubruary 28 for publication in the March
Leading Star
A
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The International Order of Runeberg (lOR) has three (3)scholarships, each in the amount of $1,000.00, availableannually to ALL members of lOR pursuing education at aninstitution of higher learning or a vocational school or forfurther studies towards an advanced degree.
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