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Presentation Type: Travelogue/Life Long Learning.
On this third trip to Germany we spent little
over a month with
1/2 in Baden-Württemberg for the
genealogy research and 1/2 in North
Rhine-Westphalia living on a farm with a
German family to help a member improve her
English skills. The 2 parts were far
more connected than we had planned as we also
follow the history of the Roman Empire
invading Germania and the ultimate defeat and
annihilation an entire Roman army (composed of
the 17th, 18th and 19th legions, plus three
cavalry detachments and six cohorts of
auxiliaries), totaling about 20,000 men.
We ended our journey at the site of the
battle, Kalkriese hill.
Originally a "Life Long Learning"
presentation focusing on the history of this
part of Germany as well as travel aspects,
this can be done as a travel presentation;
although there is almost "too much"
content. For travel presentations, a
better choice may be either half of this
journey, choosing either "Germany -
Walking through Gengenbach, wandering along
the Black Forest", or "Germany - "North
Rhine Westphalia & Lower Saxony" (or
both as a two part series).
Weeks 1-2
Not far from Strasbourg, France, Gengenbach, Germany in Baden-Württemberg was our home base for the entire time. Each day we would travel into the Germany countryside along and in the Black Forest, by train and auto searching for connections to my wife's German heritage. Good fortune found helpful relatives, the house where her great grandfather was born and the church where he was baptized. One relative took time away from his job to accompany us on several days, including a personal tour of Baden Baden. A personal driving trip through the Black Forest with another relative was also a highlight.
Weeks 3-4
Sometimes traveling 300KMH (180MPH) and taking three different trains with limited time to connect, we arrive in Hüllhorst in North Rhine-Westphalia. Our host family meets us at a nearby station and takes us to their home. While we were unsure how we would actually help with our English language task, the process was quite simple. Each day we journeyed into the German countryside experiencing everyday life (museums, garden centers, used car dealerships, grocery stores, shopping malls, cemeteries, the local city hall, visiting friends of our host family - the list goes on). At each event we discussed how we would describe or talk about where we were using American English. As our time progressed, our host's English improved as did our German - we benefited as well.
The connections between the two parts of the trip continue where we have lunch with a man who we met on the first part of our trip in Baden-Württemberg who takes us to a tobacco museum which displayed early American cigar store indians, american cigarettes, and pipe stone pipes from Pipestone, Minnesota.
Presentation Type: Travelogue.
This presentation is essentially the first half of my "Germany - Gengenbach to Kalkriese" presentation allowing us to have greater time to focus on the 13th century walled village of Gengenbach and multiple day trips over a two week period in and around the Black Forest.
Genealogy
The foundation of this trip was genealogy, traveling to Baden-Württemberg in seach of ancestors, family history, and living relatives.. Gengenbach, Germany, was our home base for the entire time. Even staying the same guest hotel for two weeks, I felt I didn't have enough time to explore every corner of Gengenbach and would love to return for further exploration. Each day we would travel into the Germany countryside along and in the Black Forest, by train and auto searching for connections to my wife's German heritage. Good fortune found helpful relatives, the house where her great grandfather was born and the church where he was baptized. One relative took time away from his job to accompany us on several days, including a personal tour of Baden Baden. A personal driving trip through the Black Forest with another relative was also a highlight.
Being a tourist
This was more than a trip visiting court houses and dusty old archives. We were able to have greater appreciation of where we were as relatives spent many days with us, in some cases acting as our personal local tourist guides. One relative, a teacher and amateur historian gaves us greater insight into the history of the area, from Roman times, mulltiple rulers, battles and key historical events. One highlight was a visit to the Schwarzwalder Freilichtermuseum (Black Forest Open-Air Museum), a collection of old farmhouses from different locations in the Black Forest. The most typical homes were Black Forest Eindachof (one-roof farm buildings) dating back to the 1600's.
Presentation Type: Travelogue/Life Long Learning.
GET IN THE MOOD: As people take their seats they are welcomed by a 20 minute lead in slideshow of the presenter’s flower photographs from around the island. Music of local Hawaiian musicians plays in the background (OPTIONAL).
GREATER DEPTH:
The presenter was a "snowbird" visiting the
island of Maui 15 times, a "snowbird" for 13
(11 of them consecutive, in the same condo)
the presenter brings a new experience even to
those who have visited the island before.
15 times
experiencing the island - 15 consecutive
winters.
A "normal" travel presentation often simply recounts the traveler's sequential experience as their journey progressed. This presentation is an amalgam of 15 different extended stays on Maui and by its nature focuses more on varied experiences of the island, each in greater detail. With many visits to the island including 11 consecutive winters, the presenter provides unique insight into the island helping you experience more than just being a tourist.
It includes parts of the island the "resort focused" or shorter term visitor would often miss. Windsurfing at Ho’okipa, lunch at the Maui Culinary Academy or on a blanket next to the monkey pod tree by the Historic Ka’ahumanu Church, the tsunami zone, malasadas (love the chocolate filled ones), a multi-cultural society, the best burger on the island, less well known places to whale watch or have a great meal, the crazy “cave lady”, you don’t have to pay almost $8 for a box of cereal, “Maui Cruisers”, Chinese New Year, morning sounds that welcome you to the start of your day, and more.
While this is a travelogue, the presenter also touches on geography, geology, history and culture. We learn about the mismatch between incomes and the cost of living on the island, the history of sugar on the island and the people who came to work on the sugar plantations, and additional “non-touristy” aspects of the island. I have even presented to groups on the island <Click/Tap for a larger image>.
Presentation at the Story of Hawaii Museum
I can match a
presentation to your time frame
EACH OF MY PRESENTATIONS CAN BE MODIFIED TO MATCH YOUR AUDIENCE: For this presentation, some groups wanted, and I have included much more geography, geology, culture, and history of Maui as part of their presentation.
Presentation Type: Travelogue.
Of 100% Norwegian heritage, the presenter has
travelled to Norway multiple times to
experience this beautiful country.
This journey is sailing on the Hurtigruten
ship Nord Norge northbound from Bergen
to Kirkenes near the Russian border stopping
in 33 ports day and night with sidetrips into
the Norwegian mountains and fjords for a
greater "Norwegian experience". We cross the
arctic circle and experience the "midnight
sun" at its peak. Includes pictures
taken at midnight with no flash.
365 days each year, 24 hours each day 13
Hurtigruten ships sail the coast of Norway
resupplying the country, providing local
travel to the Norwegians, and a unique travel
experience for those lucky enough to journey
here. What started in the 1800s as ships
carrying freight, later allowing a few
passengers to travel and later increasing
passenger traffic, has transitioned from
freighters carrying passengers to more like
modern cruise ships carrying freight.s
What
Bergen to Kirkenes
near the Russian border
Presentation Type: Life Long Learning.
With over
15,000 miles of coastline, 50,000 islands, unmapped &
uncharted waters, and few lighthouses; no
private companies would take on the
treacherous task of sailing these dangerous
waters. And yet there were no
railroads, few roads and a country that
needed to supply its population The earliest
steamships starting in 1838 would only sail
in summer and then only in the summer
from Trondheim to Tromsø along part of the
uncharted coast.
Those interested primarily in sea travel
along Norway's coast might enjoy Sailing
along Norway's coast (above).
Fleet of ships sails
365 days a year
Today, a fleet of ships constantly re-supplies the country of Norway sailing up and down the coast, day and night, 365 days each year stopping in 33 ports. In earlier times that wasn’t possible. From the earliest steamships in 1838 sailing only in the summer from Trondheim to Tromsø, to the hopes in 1857 that private companies would take over this function, no one wanted to sail in winter.hat changed in 1892 when Captain Richard With offered to take on the task although many thought he was crazy.
This presentation follows the progression from the early steamers and Captain Richard With, to today's modern fleet of ships and includes changes in technology, the impact of WWI and WWII and the experience of traveling on a northbound journey along the coast of Norway on one of today's ships, the Nord Norge.
It was 1962 before the last of the steamships were taken out of service and 1983 before the Norwegians trusted air service enough to stop transporting mail by ship. The ships continue to be referred to as the “mail boat” or “coastal steamers” even though those functions ended decades ago. We also tie the past to today, and we sail on Hurtigruten® for one week during the “midnight sun” northbound from Bergen to Kirkenes just a few miles from the Russian border leaving the ship to explore. Side excursions take us to into beautiful fjords, the cathedral in Trondheim, and the heights of surrounding mountains still covered in snow in June.
The presenter is of 100% Norwegian heritage, speaks some conversational Norwegian, and has taken multiple trips to Norway including on Hurtigruten.
Presentation Type: Travelogue
Status: Partially completed.entation Type: Travelogue.
We took many side trips into the European countryside with visits to various cities and villages - The Netherlands, making chocolate in Belgium, visiting WWI battlefields, the Cologne Cathedral, Heidelberg . . . . .the list goes on. We visit a German family for coffee and stop in Nuremberg to enter the Palace of Justine where the military tribunals were held in 1945-46 after WWII. From a modern perspective we meet American soldiers who had been stationed in Germany and stayed on after they married German women.
And yes, CASTLES
EVERYWHERE along the Rhine!
And yet one of the most fantastic
experiences was simply being on this ship
and gently moving through the European
country side. And we are not just
floating down a river to a final
destination. As we sail, we rise
upwards through a series of locks higher
and higher until we cross the continental
divide of Europe. We took many side trips
into the European countryside with visits
to different cities
and villiages.
Presentation Type: Travelogue
Status: Partially completed.entation Type: Travelogue.
Keeping the sea out - new and old: We visit the Delta Works (one of the seven wonders of the modern world) where the islands are connected and protected by a series of dams, dikes, and bridge and a massive pumping facility and Kinderdijk where windmills from the 1700s are still actively used. Our journey takes us through Nijmegen, The Netherlands oldest city.
In Germany we tour Bonn, Cologne (the cathedral walking distance from where the ship is moored), Baden-Baden, Trier, and more with visits to Castles and beer gardens. We leave the ship to travel by motorcoach for a day trip to Luxemberg.
The time in France includes Strasbourg, traveling along the Route de Vin, the Alsatian Wine Road, and a trip to Hunawihr and a stork sanctuary.
This journey
included several days in Lucerne,
Switzerland with local journeys
by water and rail. A lake cruise on Lake
Lucerne was a highlight. We travelled by
rail through Swiss mountain valleys to a
mountain summit looking out on the
Jungfrau, one of the main summits in the
Bernese alps.
Presentation Type: Travelogue.
Partially completed.
As usual, I have a large number of
photographs from this area of Norway (which
includes 100% of my Norwegian heritage).
Concentrates on the North and South Trøndelag
counties ("fylker").
This was a great trip with lots of great
photographs, and yet I haven't gotten around
to creating a presentation. With interest by
your organization, I would consider fleshing
this out and moving forward with the project.What
AREAS OF FOCUS
TARGETED: Røros, Selbu, Frøsta,
Sverresborg open air folk museum (one of
the largest in Norway), Ringve music
museum, Nazi prison, visit to a folk high
school (folkehøgskole) where students
are free to choose any area of
study for one year, Trondheim, the
river Nid, Austrått fort where the triple
gun turret assembly taken from the German
battleship Gneisenau was actually
installed IN THE MOUNTAIN with a
commanding view and control of Trondheim
fjord (range 40,000 meters).
The presenter is of 100% Norwegian
heritage, speaks some conversational
Norwegian, and has taken multiple trips to
Norway including on Hurtigruten.
A new presentation planned for Spring 2027
Presentation Type: History. Duration: 50minutes
(Optional 30 minutes). Target
availability - SPRING 2027
THE
PRESENTATION: Two
topics, each connected to the other. We
follow King Olaf 2 with his bringing
Christianity to Norway, his death at
the Battle of Stiklestad, being
canonized and the importance of
the cathedral as a significant
destination of Christian pilgrimage for
the faithful in Europe..
CONNECTIONS: As with many of my presentations I have a connection to the content, even if only slightly. For this talk, I have been to the battlefield in Norway where King Olaf was slain, A cousin has full access to the castle ruin where Olaf's body laid before being moved to the location where Nidaros Cathedral was constructed over his body. In 2014 I created a donation fund to help pay for the restoration of the cathedral's Steinmeyer organ and traveled to Trondheim to present the funds.
THE PRESENTER: Of 100% Norwegian heritage, I travel to Norway spending time with family and friends while gathering content for many of my stories that focus on Norwegian history and culture.
A new presentation planned for Fall 2027
Presentation Type: History. Duration: 50 minutes
(Optional 30 minutes). Target availability -
FALL 2027
THE PRESENTATION: We follow the area that became Norway and its transition across time. Controlled by Viking kings, owned by Denmark, given to Sweden, gaining a constitution in 1814 and finally its independence in 1905.
NOTES: .
THE PRESENTER: Of 100%
Norwegian heritage, I travel to Norway
spending time with family and friends while
gathering content for many of my stories
that focus on Norwegian history and culture.
Presentation Type: History -WWII. Duration: minutes
(Optional 20 minutes).
THE
PRESENTATION: We
discuss the volunteers from Norway, the
military and support staff in the
Shetland Islands, preparation for the
missions and some of the missions
themselves. Those on the boats were
mostly Norwegian fisherman who had the
ability to sail in the worst weather, at
the worst time of year (winter), in the
dark, to avoid being spotted by the
German defenses. The missions were
mainly to supply the Norwegian
resistance movement and rescue those who
needed to escape from the
Nazis. These were difficult,
dangerous times and of the brave
Norwegian volunteers sailing the ships
of “The Shetland Bus”, not all returned
from their missions.
NOTES:
In the fall of 2013 I sailed from Ålesund,
Norway, to Lerwick, Shetland Islands, on one
of the “routes” of the “Shetland Bus” and
visited some of the locations associated
with it. I have a personal connection
to part of this story as one of the missions
of "The Shetland Bus" was to destroy the
battleship Tirpitz, the sister ship
of the Bismarck. The Tirpitz
was moored and camouflaged about 2KM
from the island of one part of my
family. Anti-aircraft guns were
mounted on this island and when I went to
this island you could still find the
mounting brackets for German signalling
mirrors.
Some of this information is available on one
my older family history pages at http://satrum.net/family_history/saltoy.html
Presentation Type: History -WWII. Duration:30 minutes
Optional 20 minutes).
THE PRESENTER: I have been to the Shetland Island base location and to the Tirpitz's location. I also viewed the attack area from my Norwegian family's nearby farms and from the island once owned by my family. That island was used by the Allied bombers as a bombing run aiming point.
THE PRESENTATION:
The Bismarck and Tirpitz were the two
largest battleships built by Nazi
Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War
II, both of the Bismarck class. With the
Bismarck sunk, Hitler tried to protect
the Tirpitz by hiding it in Fættenfjord
(3/4 of my Norwegian family lived on the
nearby shores). RAF heavy bombers from
Scotland failed in their attempts to
sink the Tirpitz. The presentation
includes a video interview with an
allied bomber pilots describing flying
over the island as their attack
continued. <Click/Tap
on image for a larger view of Tirpitz
in
Fættenfjord >
MINI SUBMARINES:
With bombing
unsuccessful the attack plan switched to
using "chariot" 2 man submarines
(basically torpedoes with seats attached)
and was code named "Operation Title". This
presentation focuses on that mission. <Click/Tap
on image for a larger view of Chariot
with explosive charge removed from the
front>
Presentation Type: Historical
Figures, men, women and their achievements.
Duration: 60 minutes.
First person to: 1. reach the South Pole, 2. traverse the Northwest Passage, 3. traverse the Northeast passage, 4. fly across the Arctic Ocean, and 5. first (VERIFIED) along with Umberto Nobile, to reach the North Pole. 2011 was the 100th anniversary of Amundsen reaching the South Pole in December of 1911. This presentation discusses the journey of Amundsen's life and his polar explorations. Amundsen was successful while Scott died on his return journey from the South Pole. We discuss the differences in their two approaches to reach the South Pole and return. While this presentation can be shortened, I am considering the possibility of creating a "Amundsen and Scott - Race to the The End" presentation to focus only on the South Pole expeditions of the two men.
Part one: Polar
Exploration, Polar Explorers, Roald
Amundsen
The first part of the presentation covers polar exploration, major polar explorers and Roald Amundsen's life leading up to his South Pole Expedition. When you study the various explorers you find the many of them were interconnected. They shared techniques, equipment, and in some cases individuals who had been on other explorations.
Part two: Amundsen & Scott race to the South Pole
The second part of the presentation follows the journeys of Norwegian, Roald Amundsen, and British explorer Robert Falcon Scott as each takes a different tactic to be the first team (and country) to reach the South Pole
NOTE: This presentation is designed for an approximate 60+ minute timeframe!
Those needing a noticeably shorter presentation might consider my "mini talk" on Amundsen (see below). The "mini talks" are designed to last the 2o+ minutes many organizations need as part of a larger meeting or program.
Presentation Type: Historical
Figures, men, women and their achievements.
Duration:
60 minutes.
Under
construction - target - Summer 2015
(waiting on completion of Otto Sverdrup
"mini talk").
This presentation combines the three
Norwegian Polar Explorer "mini talks" into
a single 60 minute presentation".
Norwegian polar explorers Otto Sverdrup,
Fridjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen are all
connected. Not only with each other but with
other polar explorers of the era.
Part one: Otto
Sverdrup
Not well known outside of Norway, Sverdrup was one of Norway's foremost explorers and many believe that in regard to polar exploration, he was of equal status to Fridtjov Nansen. Nansens ship Fram is part of Sverdrup's story. He became the Captain of the Fram on Nansen's attempt to reach the North Pole. Sverdrup helped design and rig the Fram.
Part two: Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Nansen stands out not just for his expeditions but for the breadth of his accomplishments. Nansen was not just an explorer. He was a scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate for his work on behalf of the displaced people of WWI. In his youth a champion skier and ice skater.
Part three: Roald Amundsen
Best remembered for being the first to reach the South Pole, Amundsen achieved a great number of "firsts". Four of the major polar explorations of the 1900s were done by him.
Presentation Type: Historical
Figures, men, women and their achievements.
Duration:
20-30 minutes.
Under
construction - Partially
completed.
The three Norwegian Polar Explorer "mini talks" are
designed to be approximately 20 minutes
long so all three can be combined into a
single one hour presentations "Norwegian
Polar Explorers".
Norwegian polar explorers Otto Sverdrup,
Fridjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen are all
connected. Not well known outside of Norway,
Sverdrup was one of Norway's foremost
explorers and many believe of equal status to
Nansen.
Nansen's ship "Fram" used by Amundsen on his
south pole expedition, was used on Nansen's
first polar exploration in 1892 with Sverdrup
as the first skipper. Sverdrup was an
inspector as "Fram" was built.
Part one:
Exploration with others
Part two: Ellesmere Island
Among Sverdrup's significant achievements was a four year expedition that accomplished the first exploration and mapping of the south and west coasts of Ellesmere Island, and the discovery and naming of Axel Heiberg Island, the Ringnes Islands, the Sverdrup Isalnds and many other locations. A total of 260,000 square kilometers was charted - more than any other polar exploration. Many of Sverdrup's maps were used until the 1950s.
Presentation Type: Historical
Figures, men, women and their achievements.
Duration:
20-30 minutes.
The three Norwegian Polar
Explorer "mini talks"
are designed to be approximately 20
minutes long so all three can be combined
into a single one hour presentations
"Norwegian Polar Explorers".
Norwegian polar explorers Otto Sverdrup,
Fridjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen are all
connected. Fridtjof Nansen stands out not just
for his expeditions, but for the breadth of
his accomplishments. Nansen was not just an
explorer, he was a scientist, diplomat,
humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
for his work on behalf of the displaced people
of WWI. In his youth a champion skier and ice
skater, Nansen held the 1 mile skating world
record.
Part one: Polar
exploration & innovations
His techniques of polar travel and his innovations in equipment and clothing influenced a generation of subsequent Arctic and Antarctic expeditions. Nansen rejected the complex organization and heavy manpower of previous Arctic expeditions and instead favored a small party using equipment designed from scratch to control weight and size. After a 5 month research journey while studying zoology at the Royal Frederick University Nansen developed the idea that the Greenland icecap might be explored, or even crossed. Nansen crossed Greenland in 1888. From 1893-1896 Nansen's North Pole expedition left him stranded as his ship drifted away from him and he set out as part of a two man team to ski to the pole pulling their supplies behind them. Trapped on the ice for over a year, Nansen survived.
Part two: His Final Decades
Nansen's journeys were not just exploration but scientific as well. He spends 20 years focusing on science and writing about his explorations and scientific studies. Some of his discoveries are still used today. Nansen worked for Norway's independence and influenced the selection of the new King. Some Norwegians wanted Nansen to become Prime Minister. During this period he becomes known around the world for his humanitarian efforts which helped millions. He helped to establish the principle of international responsibility for refugees receiving honors from many countries including the Nobel Peace Prize. Nansen is regarded as both a true humanitarian and a hero.
Presentation Type: Historical
Figures, men, women and their achievements.
Duration:
20-30 minutes.
The three Norwegian Polar
Explorer "mini talks"
are designed to be approximately 20
minutes long so all three can be combined
into a single one hour presentations
"Norwegian Polar Explorers".
Norwegian polar explorers Otto Sverdrup,
Fridjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen are all
connected. Amundsen benefitted from the
prior work and innovation of the other two.
Part one: Amundsen -
the person
"If only you knew how splendid it is up there, that's where I want to die."
"The last of the Vikings" was the description given by some for Roald Amundsen and it was reported the Amundsen liked that description of him. Born to a family of ship builders and Captains. Even in his youth he prepared for a life at sea . . . and for polar explorations.If only you knew how splendid it is up there, that's where I want to die." "The last of the Vikings" was the description given by some for Roald Amundsen and it was reported the Amundsen liked that description of him. Born to a family of ship builders and Captains. Even in his youth he prepared for a life at sea . . . and for polar explorations.
Part two: His expeditions
Ship Belgica(1897-1899): Amundsen was a member of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition (1897–99) as first mate. The Belgica, frozen in the ice, this expedition was the first expedition to winter in Antarctica. Ship Gjøa(1903-1906): Amundsen successfully sails Canada's Northwest Passage. Ship Fram (Nansen's ship) (1910-1912): Amundsen becomes the first to reach the South Pole. Ship Maud (1918-1920): Amundsen sails the Northeast Passage. The airship Norge (1925): Amundsen and the crew become the first VERIFIED crew to reach the North Pole.
Presentation Type: Historical Figures, men, women and their achievements - video. Duration: 30 minutes.
From
a Norwegian immigrant struggling to get by,
Thea Foss goes on to found Foss Maritime
the largest tugboat company in the western
United States. In researching Thea Foss, I
even found a reference which contended that
Thea was not actually used as the basis for
the "Tugboat Annie" character. Even, if
true, it would not diminish Thea's life and
accomplishments.
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH.
This presentation may be a good fit as one of your programs for Women's History Month. One woman, an idea (or happenstance that becomes an idea), perseverance, and vision that ultimately becomes one of the larger maritime companies in the world.
(2018) A COMPLETE
CHANGE TO MY STRATEGY FOR THIS
PRESENTATION!!! I spent a fair
amount of time learning about Thea Foss
to be able to create a presentation
about her. While researching I
discovered that two women in Washington
state had created a wonderful video
about Thea's life. Their creation was
more complete than anything I could have
done.
The logical thing to do was to stop working on my project and incorporate their video into my presentation. I gained their permission to use the video in presentations to Sons of Norway groups. For "Women's history month" a I have created a "lead in" about the role of women in Norwegian-American organizations and those who have done significant things related to Norwegian culture and history.
A PRESENTATION FOR
YOUR GROUP: For groups other than Sons
of Norway, since I do not charge
any presentation fees for this
particular presentation, I believe I
should be able to get permission to
include the video i in a presentation to
your group.
People living in the Pacific Northwest, and especially Tacoma, know the name "Thea Foss". Most associate the name with physical things (Thea Foss Waterway, Thea's Landing apartments, The "Thea Foss" - a WWII patrol vessel, or the "Thea Foss" - a luxury motor yacht); but not with the actual woman for whom all these things are named.
Presentation Type: Historical
Figures, men, women and their achievements.
Duration:
60 minutes (Optional 20 minutes, 30
minutes). THIS
PRESENTATION IS BEING REPLACED WITH
"NIDAROS CATHEDRAL AND SAINT OLAF" -
TARGET - FALL 2027
Above text credit: Wikipedia
The man, the king,
the warrier, the saint.
Sagas are part of Scandinavian history and they recorded what had been passed along orally before. Much of what we learn of Olaf comes from these sagas and many of them were written 100-200 years after an event had occurred. His journey takes him from being "Olaf the fat", to "Olav den hellige" (Olaf the holy). He is praised for his battles and his miracles. Olaf Haraldsson along with Olaf Tryggvasson who founded Trondheim and the first Christian church in Norway, are often viewed as having led Norway's conversion to Christianity.
I have a personal connection to many of the presentations I give, and this is true to some degree for this one.
For this particular presentation, I have been to the battlefield of Sticklestad where Olaf was slain and to other locations associated with him.
Not far from the battlefield, lying in a fjord, is Steinvikholmen (castle fortress of the last Catholic Archbishop in Norway) where St. Olaf's body lay until being moved to Nidarosdomen (Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim). One cousin lives on the shore about 600 yards away and another with access to Steinvikholmen's keys has taken me to most parts of the castle. Steinvikholmen looks out onto the island of my mother's family back to the 1600's. I have also been to Nidarosdomen (Nidaros Cathedral) where St. Olav's body rests today, on more than one occasion.
I return to Norway in 2014 to revisit some of these same areas and to attend a special service at Nidarosdomen to which the Royal Family has been invited.
Presentation Type: Historical Events. Duration: 30-50 minutes.
Approximately 200 hours was spent in
research, creation of a paper on this topic,
and presentation of that paper. The
original presentation of "1881- Norwegians in
Hawaii - Conflict in Plantation Society" was
at an international conference with a theme of
the immigrant's multicultural experience in
their new land.
Part one: The need
for labor, recruiting workers and their
journey to Hawaii .
Conditions in Hawaii - Conditions in Norway: The population of native Hawaiians reduced by western diseases and the expansion of sugar plantation created an increasing need for labor. In the 1880's, Hawaiian King David Kalākaua approved recruiting of European plantation workers, commissioning a Norwegian sea Captain to bring back 400 Scandinavians. We focus on their journey.
Part two: Arriving on Maui, the experience was not what they expected.
Conflict: The contracts written in Norwegian did not match the contracts written in English. We learn about their working conditions and how the strong willed, independent Norwegians would not accept the treatment previous workers had not fought against. One set of descriptions used by the locals to describe the Norwegians gives you a sense of how they were viewed by the local population: “Lacked the ability to submit with passive obedience”, “Would not put up with conditions of which they disapproved”, and “Too individualistic”. Public sentiment about the condition of the Norwegians grew more negative in Norway and the United States with Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway finally sending an investigator to Hawai’i.
Presentation on Maui
While I have presented this topic to various groups, one of my earliest presentations was to the Story of Hawai’i Museum on the island of Maui. <Click/Tap for a larger image>.
"1881-
Norwegians in Hawaii - Conflict in Plantation
Society"- a paper for the Norwegian-American
Historical Association in Norway (NAHA -
Norway) Norwegian-American Seminar XI
presented June 14-17, 2011, Decorah, Iowa.
This was presented to NAHA-Norge as they held their
first annual conference outside the country of
Norway in 19 years and as part of Luther College's
150 year anniversary.Associated
2 page overview of "1881 - Norwegians in Hawaii"
Presentation Type: Historical Events. Duration: 30 minutes.
The Norway Building" is a stave kirke (stave church replica). A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building. The name "stave" derives from the building's construction.
Part one: Its
creation and bringing it to America.
Columbian Exposition: Its time there.
Other locations: Different owners, different locations.
Part two: Project Heimatt and the journey "home" to Orkanger, Norway.
Approval, funding and research: Approval and funding and determining how to safely return the building.
Disassembly, shipping, reassembly in Norway: Craftsman and volunteers prepare and ship the building. A dedication ceremony was held in Orkanger, Norway at the completion.
Memorial to the original location:
A group of Norwegians from Orkdal returned to the original Columbian Exposition location in Chicago for the unveiling of a State of Illinois historical marker. I spoke at the ceremony bringing greetings from the Norwegian Consul General and other Norwegian-American organizations (photo-left). At the ceremony I received one of 50 exclusive commemorative booklets (21/50). In 2019 at the building in Orkanger, Norway, I was recognized for my efforts by Project Heimatt, with the award of a share certificate (405/1,000) in the building (photo-right).
Presentation Type: Historical Events. Duration: 45 minutes.
10,000 years ago various tribal groups
migrated from what today is Norway, Sweden,
Finland and Russia's Ural mountain region to a
region today referred to as the SÁPMI.
Originally following reindeer herds as hunters
they changed across time to be come reindeer
herders.O
Those areas became nations and
pushed the Sami further north colonizing those
areas and forcibly trying to change the Sámi
by taking away their religion, their language
and their culture. Modern Sámi are resisting
and working to regain their heritage.
Part one: Migration
and establishing original territories.
Part two: Family life, how they live today, struggling to regain their herigate and hopes for the future.
A blend of information and videos with Sami people telling their story.
Examples of gakti (traditional Sami clothing).
On the left I'm standing next to a Sámi man and his reindeer. This was basically a "staged" photo where any visitor could get their picture taken with him. On the right is another type of gakti. The gakti are so unique that they can actually identify a specific family.
“Simon's
Cat" is a British animated web series released
in 2008 by writer and creator Simon Tofield,
who then expanded Simon's Cat into a book
series. The films and books feature a hungry,
white cat who uses creative schemes and
tactics on his owner attempting to get
food. Presentation Type: Lighthearted -
Videos. Duration: 30-45
minutes.
THE
PRESENTATION: An
introduction to the animated videos
by Simon Tofield.
You don't have to be
a cat lover to enjoy Tofiel's humor
based on his life with his cats but
those who have cats might see the
antics of their own.
The Cat: A hungry,
white cat, the main character and
the star of the show. His antics
include his quest for food. His
signature gesture is to point at his
mouth or bowl and meow when hungry,
and other ways of vexing his
"owner", Simon. Besides eating, he
also enjoys chasing birds, mice, and
catching fish out of Simon's pond.
His efforts in these endeavors
create a significant amount of the
humour in the book. He has not been
officially named, although writer
Simon says that he is based on his
own cat, Hugh.
NOTES: All of the Simon's Cat videos used in the presentation are freely available on YouTube.com where you may wish to become subscribers to Tofield's YouTube channel and also visit his website to learn more.
There
are positive, uplifting stories that change
how we feel about the world around us. Presentation Type: Lighthearted -
Videos. Duration: 30-45
minutes.
THE PRESENTATIONS:
Each presentation is different. I
create a selected set of videos that
you believe fit well with your
audience.
THE
STORYTELLERS: Each with
their own focus, their own format,
their own insight into the human
experience.
MINE -
Sometimes it is just me in an informal
setting describing an event. These are
not formal presentations and often
quite short.
AND OTHERS: I also select videos from other storytellers when they fit what I am creating for out.
"People of the
SÁPMI". "Simon's Cat".The
StorytellersThe
Storytellers
"Amundsen & Scott -
Race to the South Pole".
A
STORYTELLER (Some
have described me as one). I suppose any
of us who describe culture, history,
people, or events are all storytellers,
at least in some modest sense.
I use visual enhanced by audio to tell
most of my stories. Some are simply me
talking to you - some scripted, some
impromptu.
CONNECTION TO THE
STORIES: I have a personal
connection to many of my stories. If I
talk about Nidaros Cathedral and St.
Olaf, I have been to the battlefield in
Norway where King Olaf died, to the
castle ruins where his body laid, to his
final resting place said to be under
Nidaros. In 2014 I created a
donation fund to help restore the
Steinmeyer organ in the cathedral. In
"The Shetland Bus" or "Operation Title"
I describe Allied bombers flying past
the homes of my grandparents and using
an island once owned by my family as an
aiming point trying to destroy the
battleship Tirpitz Hitler hid near my
relatives. As a many times visitor to
Hawaii and being a "snowbird" on Maui
for many years, one of my talks was at
the "Story of Hawaii Museum"
<click
for an image>.
JON SATRUM - PROFILE
PROFESSIONAL:
Business professional retired from a
Fortune 1000 information technology company,
holding a wide variety of technical and
management positions including in the
corporation's U.S. education group.
Technical and technical management spanned
system support, project management
multi-industry private and a wide range of
various public sectors.
Managed a corporate curriculum development and
course delivery operation. This group was
responsible for curriculum development of
courses offered to that corporation's U.S.
customers. Also responsible for
curriculum development and course delivery for
1,100 technical individuals in the U.S.
Some of my group's materials were also used
outside the U.S. primarily in Europe and
Japan.
Not just my staff. I personally taught classes
and gave presentations to small and medium
sized groups in various parts of the U.S. in
venues as small as a meeting room and as large
as an auditorium.
Able to speak on a wide range of topics, the
majority of the presentations, articles, and
speeches given over the last 25 years
have been focused on International and North
American travel and all things
Norwegian. Focus areas include the country of
Norway, Norwegian heritage, and Norwegian
culture; Hawaii, specifically the island
of Maui, as well as talks on Historical
Figures. Having traveled to the Hawaiian
islands over a 30 year period with 15
consecutive years in the same condo as a
"Snowbird" avoiding Midwest winters.
EDUCATION: Minnesota
State University - Mankato, Minnesota, BA -
Business Administration/Economics, 1966
MEMBERSHIPS:
Member of multiple historical society,
genealogy, and Norwegian heritage
organizations in the U.S. and Norway
including:
• Norwegian National League
• Norwegians Worldwide (The Norse Federation) - (Norway)
• Skatval Historielag (Norway)• Sons of Norway
• Trønderlag of America
• Vesterheim, Norwegian-American
Museum
• Many State, County, and Local
historical associations
• Member of multiple Friends of the
Library organizations
* "Life Membership" in the Maui Friends of the
Library
LANGUAGES:
A native English speaker, I speak some
conversational Norwegian and know some basic
German; acquiring each language after the age
of 60. Of 100%
Norwegian Heritage, I am recording my father
and mother's family histories from immigration
journeys from sailing ships in the 1800's
to establishing their lives in
America. I have traveled to Norway on
multiple occasions as part of this process.
PUBLISHED ARTICLES:
Since 2000, I have published dozens of short
articles for a variety of organizations
focused on Norwegian culture, history,
genealogy and immigration. My 2009
article “Å vokse opp som Norsk in Amerika”
(Growing up Norwegian in America), written in
Norwegian, was published in Norway in Årbok
Nr. XIX of Skatval Historielag.
VIDEO PRODUCTIONS: My
"video productions", although some being
hundreds of hours in creation, are amateur
travelogues. Examples include:
"Austria - 3 weeks of independent travel"
"Hurtigruten" - Norwegian Coastal Voyages"
"Cruising the rivers of Europe"
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