Jakob Vaage (9 February 1905 – 29 January 1994) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

educator, author and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

. He served as secretary of the

Association for the Promotion of Skiing The Association for the Promotion of Skiing ( no, Foreningen til Ski-idrettens Fremme, or Skiforeningen) is a large association in Norway promoting Nordic skiing and other outdoor recreational activities. Skiforeningen was founded in 1883 and has ...

and

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

of the

Holmenkollen Ski Museum Holmenkollen Ski Museum ( no, Skimuseet i Holmenkollen) is located at the base of the Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo, Norway. The Ski Museum was founded in 1923 and is the world's oldest ski museum. The initiator of the museum was the architect ...

Biography

Vaage was born in

Aker, Norway Aker was a former independent municipality in Akershus, Norway, that constitutes the vast majority of the territory of the modern city of Oslo. The name originally belonged to a farm which was located near the current Old Aker Church. The church ...

. His parents were Jakob Vaage (1862–1953) and Mathilde Gundersen (1866–1953). He was raised in the Oslo neighborhood of

Lilleaker Lilleaker is a neighbourhood and industrial site in Ullern, Oslo, Norway. It is located east of the river Lysakerelva. The area is named after the Lilleaker farm. Lilleaker served by the Lilleaker station of the Oslo Tramway, the southern part b ...

. Vaage studied science at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top univers ...

, where he became

cand.real. Candidatus realium or candidata realium (abbreviated cand. real.) is a former academic degree used in Norway, and conferred in mathematics and natural sciences. It was abolished in 1985. There was originally no set duration for the completion of th ...

in 1931 with a botany major. His specialty was plants of the Arctics. He was employed as a high school teacher in

Ullern Ullern is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. History The borough has its name from an old farm, Norse ''Ullarin''. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the Norse god Ullr. The last element is ''vin'', meaning pasture or mead ...

from 1934 until he retired in 1972. During the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

, he was imprisoned along with hundred of other Norwegian school teachers. He was incarcerated in Bredtveit concentration camp from March 1942, then in

Grini concentration camp '', '' no, Grini fangeleir'', location= Bærum, Viken, Norway, location map=Viken#Norway, built by=Norway, original use=Constructed as a women's prison, operated by=Nazi Germany, notable inmates=List of Grini prisoners, liberated by=Harry Söderm ...

for some days. On 31 March he was moved to

Jørstadmoen Jørstadmoen is a village in Lillehammer Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the river Gudbrandsdalslågen, about to the northwest of the town of Lillehammer. The village has a population (2021) of 661 a ...

, later to

Kirkenes Kirkenes (; ; Skolt Sami: ''Ǩeârkknjargg;'' fi, Kirkkoniemi; ; russian: Киркенес) is a town in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, in the far northeastern part of Norway. The town lies on a peninsula along the Bøk ...

. He was released in November 1942. As a skier in

Ullern SK Ullern is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. History The borough has its name from an old farm, Norse ''Ullarin''. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the Norse god Ullr. The last element is ''vin'', meaning pasture or me ...

, he was also goalkeeper for the team that in 1937 played Norway's first handball match against

SK Arild Sportsklubben Arild was a multi-sports club in Oslo, Norway. It had sections for team handball, Nordic skiing, orienteering and track and field athletics including race walking. The club was founded on 22 March 1919 by boys who belonged to the St. ...

Akershus Fortress Akershus Fortress ( no, Akershus Festning, ) or Akershus Castle ( no, Akershus slott ) is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress ha ...

and afterwards founded the

Norwegian Handball Federation '' , abbrev= NHF , logo= , logosize= 250px , countryflag= Norway , iocnation= Kingdom of Norway (NOR) , url= www.Handball.no , sport= Handball , othersport1= Beach Handball , othersport2= Wheelchair Handball , historytitle=HISTORY , precedingorg ...

. He was admitted to the

SK Ull SK may refer to: Businesses and organizations * SK Foods, an American agribusiness company * SK Hand Tools, an American tool manufacturer * Sangguniang Kabataan, Philippines youth councils * SK Group, South Korean conglomerate * Scandinavian Airl ...

skiing club in 1947. He served as deputy chairman from 1970 to 1973 and chairman from 1973 to 1992. He served as secretary of the Norwegian-based

from 1945 to 1947, and

of the

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

from 1946 to 1984. He wrote many books about Norwegian

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ...

including ''Skikongen Lauritz Bergendahl'' (1975) and ''Den satt! og andre nye og gamle skihistorier'' (1983. with

Birger Ruud Birger Ruud (23 August 1911 – 13 June 1998) was a Norwegian ski jumper and alpine skier. Career Born in Kongsberg, Birger Ruud, with his brothers Sigmund and Asbjørn, dominated international jumping in the 1930s, winning three world cham ...

Personal life

He was married in 1938 to Berit Gerd Andersen (1918–1995). He received the

Medal of St. Hallvard The Medal of St. Hallvard ( no, St. Hallvardsmedaljen) is the highest award of the City of Oslo, Norway. It is awarded to people who have made a particularly noteworthy contribution to the City of Oslo. It is named after the city's patron, Saint ...

in 1976. For his historical works regarding Holmenkollen, Vaage earned the Holmenkollen medal (''Holmenkollmedaljen'') in 1984. Vaage died during 1994 and was buried at Ullern kirkegård in Oslo. A stone monument to Vaage at Lilleaker Station in Oslo was unveiled in 2000. It was designed by sculptor

Nils Aas Nils Sigurd Aas (21 April 1933 – 10 February 2004) was a Norwegian sculptor. He was one of the most prominent artists in modern Norwegian sculpture and is particularly well known for his statue of Haakon VII, located in the June Seventh Squar ...

(1933–2004). Memorial in Vaage's honor. November 10, 2000

References

External links

1905 births 1994 deaths University of Oslo alumni Norwegian curators 20th-century Norwegian historians Schoolteachers from Oslo SK Ull members Bredtveit concentration camp survivors Grini concentration camp survivors Holmenkollen medalists Sportspeople from Oslo {{Norway-wintersport-bio-stub