Educator, editor.
Born at Husavik on 8 January 1902, eldest child of Jakob Jonsson Vopnfjord and Dagbjort Eliasdottir Kjaernested, he was educated at the Jon Bjarnason Academy, United College, Winnipeg Normal School, and the University of Manitoba.
In 1924, he began a lifelong career in teaching, serving as Principal of Dominion City School (1925-1927), Sanford School (1930-1931), Manson School (1931-1934), Belmont School (1934-1937), and Pilot Mound School (1937-1942). Following his move to Winnipeg in 1942, he taught at Isaac Brock School (1945-1949) and helped to establish the Technical Vocational High School (1951-1961), serving as its Night School Principal (1956-1961). He became an instructor at the Manitoba Teachers’ College in 1961, transferring to the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba four years, retiring in 1968 with the rank of Assistant Professor.
He served as President of the Western Manitoba Teachers’ Association (1941) and President of the Winnipeg Teachers’ Association (1954). Active in the Icelandic community, he was Editor-in-Chief of The Icelandic Canadian literary magazine (1978-1989) and President of the Icelandic Canadian Club (1944-1946).
He died on 13 May 1993 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery.
Birth registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 17 May 1993, page 25.
“Axel Vopnfjord: A tribute” by Stefan M. Jonasson.
We thank Stefan Jonasson for providing information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 20 March 2016
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