Kristján Theodore Árnason, better known in the West as Ted Arnason, grew up in New Iceland, in a home where his parents encouraged their children to succeed in life and supported them as best they could. Ted didn’t need much encouragement, he was an ambitious young man and wanted his countrymen to succeed as well wherever they lived in the West. A good summary of him can be found in VÍÆ V pg. 12-14. It says: “Kristján Theodore Árnason enjoyed regular schooling in the elementary school in the rural community and in Gimli. He spent 4 years studying electrical engineering and earned a master’s degree in that subject. When he was young, he worked, like his siblings, on his father’s large farm, which often had about 100 animals on feedlots, including about 50 milking cows. He and his brothers formed a company for fishing on Lake Winnipeg, processing fish and selling them to the United States. During the Second World War he spent 4 1/2 years in the Canadian Air Force. Together with his two brothers, he founded the electrical company Arnason Electric, which undertook the electrification of rural areas and towns in the province of Manitoba. He founded in 1963 the contracting company Arnason Construction Co., Ltd. together with his brothers. That company has taken on civil engineering, such as water distribution, sewerage, plumbing, road construction and buildings throughout Western Canada. He and his brothers own a store and shops in Gimli. He worked at Gimli airport for 10 years, including 5 years as head of the Electricity Department.”
Western Icelandic associations – relations with Iceland.
Marjorie, Ted’s wife, actively participated in her husband’s interests and worked with him in various associations. The aforementioned summary says about this: “The couple founded, together with Stefán and Olla Stefánsson, the travel agency Viking Travel, Ltd. in 1976, which in recent years has taken care of the trips of most Western Icelanders who have come to Iceland every year and also taken care of the group trips of those who have gone west from Iceland. Stefán and Olla have now stopped participating in the company and Mrs. Árnason is now its director. Kristján Theodore is the chairman of many associations, such as the Association for Helping the Mentally Retarded in Gimli, the Icelandic-Canadian Association in Winnipeg for a period, the Lögberg-Heimskringla Publishing Association for 6 years, the Anniversary Committee commemorating 100 years of settlement in New Iceland in 1975, but that committee was in charge of reception and accommodation for a group of around 1500 people from Iceland while the celebrations were going on in Gimli. Secretary of Gimlir’s Chamber of Commerce. On the board of the Icelandic National League. On the board of the Canada-Iceland Foundation. He has been either been chairman or active member of a number of cultural organizations, clubs, sports associations and fraternities, which are active in Gimli. He is now the mayor of Gimli and has been since he was first elected on October 26, 1977 with a two-thirds majority of votes…. Since their marriage in 1948, the couple lived in Gimli for 16 years but then moved their home to Winnipeg. In 1974 they built a new house in Gimli and have lived there ever since. Marjorie has been a great support to her husband in his various jobs. Among other things as mentioned before, she is the director of the Viking Travel travel agency and has organized and managed many group trips to Iceland for a long time. Their home has been open to all Icelanders from home, high and low, who have come to Manitoba and needed assistance. Their hospitality and assistance have been excellent, much to the surprise of the many Icelanders who have enjoyed it. It applies equally to the main representatives of the nation, as well as groups of artists from all art forms, relatives and many individuals. Mrs. Árnason was the fjallkona at Íslendingadagurinn in Gimli in 1981.”