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Some thoughts from our Lodge President, Aage A. Hansen:
Fort Lauderdale Lodge 3-475 has adopted a new format in 2005, with an emphasis on distribution of information about our heritage. This is one of our charters as a lodge. We have a comprehensive plan for our Centennial Celebration of Norway's peaceful separation from Sweden. With the new format, I hope we will generate a new curiosity about our lodge, and increase both our attendance and membership. We are going from being a dinner club to a Nordic information media source where the dinner is secondary to our function as a lodge, but hopefully, a wonderful addition to the socialization aspect.
We are truly spreading the word about Norway and Scandinavia, and this is good. I have faith that 2005 will be a good year. It may plow a path from which new ideas and plans may develop for the years to come. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we need people to help us complete our tasks. If you feel that you would like to help out, please call one of our Lodge Officers.
Fraternally, Aage A. Hansen
President, Fort Lauderdale Lodge #3-475
Telephone: (561) 251-7960
March 2005
September 2004
About our Lodge President:
Aage A. Hansen was born in Bergen, Norway, on July 16, 1938 and went through tough 5 years under Nazi occupied Norway. His father, Ansgar M. Hansen, was caught by the Gestapo in December, 1944, and was never the same after they let him go in January, 1945. He died from these scars on April 27, 1952. Aage was an only child, just 13 at that time, and started working to help out his mother, while still in school, he worked every weekend, every holiday and vacations. First by delivering telegrams for Nkr. 1.50 an hour, later as , as "messegutt" on SS Leda, "T�rfisken", Renav�r, Dock hand, Bergensmeieriet, Truck Driver, Taxi Driver, Private eye, warehouse assistant, fisherman... never a quiet moment, but still had time for the beach at Nord�svannet with his friends. In sports, as part of the Viking Handball Club, he was part of the "Champion Team" several times for Bergen and the surrounding areas. He came in #3 in a friendly 300m ice skating competition on 38.3, using skates that were tied to his boots with leather ropes. He won the Norwegian Championship in ballroom dancing in 1966 and the Bergen Championship in 1967 with his wonderful partner, Lillian.
Aage graduated from Bergen Tekiniske Fagskole as an electrician, and was well on his way , when he was interrupted by the military. As is obligatory in Norway, Aage has to serve in the armed forces,and after graduating from the Infantry Officer School, he served as an officer and infantry instructor. After two years, he got hired as a chief electrician, and made the sea his home for 18 months. He graduated from Bergens Tekniske Skole in 1967. He was among the founders of "Tekniker Kroa" a social club for the engineering students, and served as its chief executive officer from the start till 1966, and was the instrument to move Kroa to Fl�yen, which were visited by over 500 guests on Wednesday nights. At the same time, he made his livelihood as a Taxi Driver in Bergen, and worked every weekend, summer, Christmas, New Years, spring, Easter and every holiday in the book.
After graduation, he left Bergen in 1967. With a one way ticket in his pocket, he boarded Bergensfjord, and immigrated to America with a degree in Control Engineering. He was hired by IBM as a Jr. Engineer Scientist in 1968 and worked in the IBM R & D Laboratory, did some graduate work at UCLA. Aage sent in his first patent application December 26, 1972 and holds 13 inventions in computer chip integrated circuit design, four of these have been patented in the USA, Canada, Germany, France and Japan. Aage became a US citizen on April 27, 1982.
Aage has always believed in giving back to his community. He did this in his spare time, as a First Aid volunteer, after his degree as a Medical Emergency Technician, and he was also a certified First Aid Instructor, and a certified CPR Instructor. "I was lucky to be at the right place at the right time, and was able to save and revive three individuals suffering form heart attacks. One I lost, he was a good friend and a pastor, a decorated hero from W.W.II, and the one who got me interested in First aid in the first place. Why did I have to loose you?" After moving to Vermont in 1975, Aage passed the qualification of The National Ski Patrol, and served as such till he moved to Boca Raton, in 1984, where he is now retired.
Aage started his association with SofN as a member of Stavanger Lodge 411 in Brooklyn, NY in 1972, and became a member of Lauderdale Lodge in 2001, and became Vice President in 2002 and President in 2005.
Favorite Expression:
Your can always take a Norwegian out of Norway, but you can never take Norway out of a Norwegian.
Favorite Book:
Thoughts by Blaise Pascal
Favorite thing to do:
Turn off the microphone after I use it at Sons of Norway meetings. Well, second favorite then.
Favorite Sports:
Tennis and sitting on Boca Beach to watch the beautiful girls go by.
October 2002
1956
January 1968
May 1972
Piano Concerto
by Edvard Grieg
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