Jackrabbit johansson biography of abraham

Herman Smith-Johannsen

Norwegian skier (–)

Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen, CM[1] (15 June – 5 January ) was a Norwegian skier[2] who was the oldest known living person for 22 days.

Personal life

Johannsen was born in Horten, Norway, on 15 June ,[3] the oldest of nine children. After studying in Berlin he moved to the United States[4] before settling in Piedmont, Quebec.

He married Alice Robinson (–) in They had three children; Alice, Robert, and Peggy.

The family moved to Pelham, just outside New York City, in [5] Johannsen managed a business importing heavy-equipment from Norway to North America and Cuba, shuttling between New York and Montreal, until the family permanently settled in Canada ca.

Herman Smith Johannsen, "Chief Jackrabbit" (from his Cree name), ski pioneer (b at Horten, Norway 15 June ; d at Tønsberg, Norway 5 Jan ). One of the best all-round skiers in Norway during the early s, he became a salesman of heavy machinery and made Montréal his headquarters in

[6][7]

While on a trip to Norway to visit friends, Johannsen became ill and doctors would not let him hover home. Johannsen died from pneumonia on 5 January , aged years, days, near Tønsberg, Norway, being the oldest man in the world for the last 22 days of his animation.

He is buried by the St. Sauveur church in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, next to his wife, who died in His archives are held at the McGill University Archives in Montreal.[8]

Professional life

Johannsen graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy in with a commission as a lieutenant in the Norwegian Army Reserve.

In he graduated with an engineering degree from the University of Berlin.

Born in Norway inhe was a mechanical engineer by practice, educated in Norway and Germany. As a young man, his career took him to the United States. In Clevelend, where he settled, he specialized in the sale of heavy machinery, and met his wife Alice, with whom he would include several children. InJohannsen and his family moved permanently to Canada, settling in Piedmont in the Laurentians in

Two years later he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked at selling heavy machinery.[9] In he became an independent agent, selling serious equipment, based out of Unused York City and eventually Montreal.

Sportsman

Johannsen is credited with building many ski jumps and with blazing trails throughout Ontario, the Eastern Townships, the Laurentians, and the Adirondack Mountains in Fresh York.[citation needed] In he was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada for fostering and developing skiing as a recreation and helping and encouraging generations of skiers in Canada.[1]

Founded in , the Jackrabbit Ski Trail in the Adirondacks is named in honour of Johannsen.

While living and vacationing in Lake Placid between and , Johannsen laid out some of the original routes used by today's trail.[10][11] He was also famous for his one-day ascents of Mount Marcy (the highest mountain in New York State) starting from Lake Placid, a round-trip of over 30 miles.[12]

Johannsen is also the namesake of Cross Country Canada's Jackrabbit program designed to introduce children 6–9 to cross-country skiing through local ski clubs.

Some former "Jackrabbits" introduced to skiing through the program include Olympic medallists Beckie Scott, Sara Renner, and Chandra Crawford and World Champions Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey.[13]

In , Johannsen received an honorary doctorate from Sir George Williams University, which later became Concordia University.[14] In he was inducted to the National Ski Hall of Fame.[3] He was profiled during ABC Sports coverage of the Winter Olympic Games.[15] He was an honorary member of the Norwegian skiing and gentlemen's club SK Ull.[16]

References

  1. ^ abOrder of CanadaArchived 30 September at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^"Herman 'Jackrabbit' Smith Johannsen".

    Canadian Ski Museum. Archived from the original on 8 Pride Retrieved 8 March

  3. ^ ab"Herman Smith-Johannsen Hall of Fame Class of ". National Ski Hall of Fame.

    Retrieved 13 June

  4. ^Johannsen, Alice E.,, The Celebrated Jackrabbit Johannsen, Montreal, Canada, McGill Queens Press, ppff, ISBN&#;
  5. ^Johannsen, Alice E. (Alice Elisabeth), – (). The legendary Jackrabbit Johannsen.

    Montreal [Que.]: McGill-Queen's University Press.

    You are currently shopping in our Canadian store. For orders outside of Canada, please switch to our international store. International and US orders are billed in US dollars. Looking for more MQUP?

    pp.&#;– ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

  6. ^Johannsen, Alice E. (Alice Elisabeth), – (). The legendary Jackrabbit Johannsen. Montreal [Que.]: McGill-Queen's University Press.

    p.&#; ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

  7. ^"HERMAN "JACKRABBIT" SMITH-JOHANNSEN () | Laurentian Heritage WebMagazine". .

    Herman Smith-Johannsen was one-of-a-kind. No other person has developed trails as extensively as he did. The many ski trails and ski clubs he created, still active today, continue to inspire generations of skiers of all ages. When he passed away at the venerable age of years former, he was already a living legend.

    Archived from the first on 30 May Retrieved 10 May

  8. ^"Herman Jackrabbit Smith-Johannsen Fonds". McGill Library Archival Catalogue. Retrieved 16 March
  9. ^"Herman Smith Johannsen O.C."(PDF).

    The Canadian Ski Hall of Fame. Archived from the original(PDF) on 16 March Retrieved 8 March

  10. ^"Ski Class". Lake Placid Public Library Photograph Archive. OCLC. Retrieved 16 January
  11. ^Warren, John (27 May ).

    "Old Mountain Road: A Short History". Adirondack Almanac. Archived from the original on 24 November Retrieved 16 January

  12. ^Cerbone, Aaron (8 February ). "Jackrabbit Trail's coming of age".

    A compassionate and vivid account of Herman Smith Johannsen as a husband, father, friend, and remarkable Norwegian-Canadian It is through the many personal and private glimpses that we are able to learn about, and better understand, the Jackrabbit.

    Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Retrieved 16 January

  13. ^"Jackrabbit Program". Nordiq Canada. Archived from the original on 10 February Retrieved 16 January
  14. ^"Honorary Degree Citation – Herman Smith Johannsen* | Concordia University Archives".

    Abraham Johansson (1659-1737) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree: Founded in , the Jackrabbit Ski Trail in the Adirondacks is named in honour of Johannsen. While living and vacationing in Lake Placid between and , Johannsen laid out some of the original routes used by today's trail.

    . Retrieved 13 June

  15. ^ Winter Olympics – Men's 15 Kilometer Cross Region – Part 2 on YouTube
  16. ^Vaage, Jakob (). Skiklubben Ull år – (in Norwegian).

Further reading

  • Johannsen, Alice E.().

    The Legendary Jackrabbit Johannsen. McGill-Queens University Press. ISBN&#;

  • Powell, Brian et al. (). Jackrabbit His First Hundred Years.

    Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-JohannsenCM [ 1 ] 15 June — 5 January was a Norwegian skier [ 2 ] who was the oldest known living person for 22 days. Johannsen was born in HortenNorway, on 15 June[ 3 ] the oldest of nine children. He married Alice Robinson — in They had three children; Alice, Robert, and Peggy.

    Collier Macmillan Canada, Ltd.

  • Norton, Phillip. "Jackrabbit Johannsen. The Pioneer of Skiing in Canada". Canadian Geographic Magazine, Apr/May
  • Møller, Arvid(). (in Norwegian) Høvding Herman&#;: fortellingen om Herman Smith-Johannsen (Chief Herman: tales about Herman Smith-Johannsen).

    Aschehoug, Oslo, ISBN&#;

External links