Hans Skalagard (Hanus í Skálagarđi) was a cousin of my paternal grandmother. He was born and grew up on a small island in the Faroe Islands, then inhabited by 150 souls or so. My father grew up there as well, but only after Hans left.
He left to be a sailor. Sailors, especially those who sailed the high seas with merchant ships, were the equivalent to cowboys here. Songs were sung about them. The stuff of legends. About girls in Havana, gunfights in Brazil, drunken brawls in Newfoundland, icebergs, tropical storms and what not.
Of course, sailing wasn't as romantic as the songs made it seem
Ships were sunk from under him three times during WW2. Here it is told that on at least one occasion he was the sole survivor.
After becoming a U.S. citizen, he earned some fame as a painter. Supposedly some of his paintings can be found in the U.S. Congress.
Travelling home to see relatives in the 60's he was quite the attraction in white suit, fedora, calfskin gloves and pretty blonde under his arm. He'd made well of himself and befriended some of the Hollywood jetset.
Visiting a men's club in one of the bigger villages, guys asked him about his famous acquaintances. He named some, and the guys wanted to hear more about Marylin Monroe. "When you get her by yourself in the dark, she's no different than any other small town gal!"
Maybe he was bragging.
He and Clint Eastwood seem to have been good friends.
He left to be a sailor. Sailors, especially those who sailed the high seas with merchant ships, were the equivalent to cowboys here. Songs were sung about them. The stuff of legends. About girls in Havana, gunfights in Brazil, drunken brawls in Newfoundland, icebergs, tropical storms and what not.
Of course, sailing wasn't as romantic as the songs made it seem
Ships were sunk from under him three times during WW2. Here it is told that on at least one occasion he was the sole survivor.
After becoming a U.S. citizen, he earned some fame as a painter. Supposedly some of his paintings can be found in the U.S. Congress.
Travelling home to see relatives in the 60's he was quite the attraction in white suit, fedora, calfskin gloves and pretty blonde under his arm. He'd made well of himself and befriended some of the Hollywood jetset.
Visiting a men's club in one of the bigger villages, guys asked him about his famous acquaintances. He named some, and the guys wanted to hear more about Marylin Monroe. "When you get her by yourself in the dark, she's no different than any other small town gal!"
Maybe he was bragging.
He and Clint Eastwood seem to have been good friends.
Prolific Petaluma artist Hans Skalagard dies at 93
Hans Skalagard, a native of the Faroe Islands, received many awards for his work and in 2013 was inducted into California’s Scandinavian American Hall of Fame.
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