Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1951-12-03
SCANDINAVIAN
AMERICANA
BY
sc A NDY 2
S c A N D Y

pretty soon be sure to bring along
lots of cigarettes and coffee as
gifts. And don't stuff your suit
cases over here. Over there you
might need the room for all that
nice Scandinavian crystalware.
Two hundred dollars worth are du-
ty free after 48 hours, and $500
worth after a month or two.
Such is the advice of Lenny An
derson, 80, rising young star of
the sports-writing profession in
the Pacific Northwest, who recent
ly returned from quickie-trip to
Scandinavia and Helsinki where he
officially, by invitation, sized up
arrangements for the 1852 Olym-
pic games.
Sports writer's are a species by
themselves. They have language
of their own, and a propaganda
minister (and we, tool could envy!
the rousing emotions they can ex-
cite in the sensation:thirsting null
titudes. With his verses and epis-
ties fairly splattered over many
a Seattle Times front and sport
page, Lenny is a featured special
list. If that's enough to make
something special out of a per-
son, we still like to call him that
for another reason. Aside from
not talking or acting like a sports
writer writes, Lenny is true
blue Scandinavian-Ame with
a knack for the homeland tongue,
which he understands. At least he
made Swedish sound pretty good
as he quipped something about the
weather and the rain, and what !
else is there to talk about here
ebouts?
Well, there's more to our story.
Lenny, as most readers call him by
now, dropped in for an interview
about his Scandinavian trip, which
was his first encounter with the
land of his forebears, Sweden. His
parents, Mr.. and Mrs. Emil An
derson, 1928 Dexter Ave, Seattle,
left Mother Svea' before and
around the First World War, and
Lenny was the first of the family
to "go back" His Swedish came
in mighty handy too as he met his
aunt and two cousins outside his
hotel in Stockholm, just as he
stepped out of bus. 1t wasn't one
of those explosive meetings, the
relatives waited until the sidewalk
was cleared of passengers, and
Lenny eyed them curiously, too.
Could it be? Maybe, in that fit
ting moment, chance balanced pre-
cariously on the scales of fate, for
the chance of recognition had to
sift through the hazy mists of
time and distance and memory un-
til countenances struck a respons-
i've note. And then of course Len
ny said, God dag, hur mar nip
and-halsningar fran far och
mor!-and everybody was dunk
hory. He didn't have time to see
his mothers birthplace in Dalar-
ma, or his fathers in northern
Sweden.
1t was a quick, but discerning
trip for a group of American
sportswriters, with Lenny the only
one from the N W., to see what
Helsinki and Oslo have up their
Olympic sleeves. Spending two
days in Helsinki, the Finnish cap
ital, Lenny found that the Firms
were more than hepped up about
their Big Summer. A people of
outstanding athletes, the Firms
thought, talked, drank, ate, slept
and dreamed Olympic games.
When the committee in charge ad-
yertised for translators to aid for
eign guests, the response was ov-
erwhelming: ten times the actual
numbers needed. And still these
applicants have to prepare them
selves for their tasks through !