For Love and Heritage

Through the Guðný T. Cronshaw Icelandic Collection at UND, alumna Francine Cronshaw is honoring her mother’s lifelong dedication to preserving Icelandic culture and history.

The photograph Francine Cronshaw shared isn’t of herself.

Instead, it’s a picture of her mother, Guðný “Gwen” Cronshaw, dressed for an Icelandic celebration that connected generations of family, culture and community. For Francine, ’71, it represents a life devoted to preserving Icelandic heritage and sharing it with others.

When Gwen died unexpectedly in 2008, Francine began searching for a meaningful way to honor her.

“Losing my mother was a big deal for me,” she said. “I wanted something that would be in her memory.”

A UND graduate who studied history and sociology, Francine found the perfect partner in her alma mater. Through gifts to the Chester Fritz Library, she established the Guðný T. Cronshaw Icelandic Collection, a growing resource dedicated to Icelandic language, culture, history and genealogy.

The collection reflects a passion shared by both mother and daughter. Francine has long viewed North Dakota as part of a broader Icelandic cultural corridor stretching from Gimli, Manitoba, into communities such as Mountain and Pembina, where generations have maintained ties to their Icelandic roots. She envisioned a collection that would help students, researchers and community members explore the language, literature, history and traditions that connect those communities across borders and generations.

The collection bears Gwen’s name for good reason.

Raised in Manitoba’s close-knit Icelandic community, Gwen spoke Icelandic before she learned English in school. Throughout her life, she championed efforts to preserve Icelandic culture in North America.

She served in leadership roles with the Icelandic National League, helped coordinate the English translation and publication of Framfari, the first newspaper published in New Iceland, and contributed significantly to the landmark “Gimli Saga” community history. Her dedication earned her an honorary life membership in the Icelandic National League and recognition as Fjallkona, or presiding matron, of the 1992 Íslendingadagurinn festival.

“My mother was very much involved in all that kind of stuff,” Francine said, recalling her mother’s commitment to historical and cultural preservation. 
Those values left a lasting impression on Francine, whose own appreciation for history deepened during her years at UND.

“UND was very important to me,” she said. 

Francine and her husband, Russell, have established a charitable gift annuity that will ultimately provide additional support for the endowment funding the collection. 
The arrangement provides them with fixed income payments while creating a future gift to UND, allowing them to support Icelandic heritage at the University in a meaningful way.

Recent additions have expanded the collection’s emphasis on Icelandic language and culture, and Francine continues to work with library staff to identify materials that will serve researchers and members of the broader community. She hopes others with Icelandic materials or an interest in preserving Icelandic heritage will become involved in the collection’s future.

For Francine, every new resource added to the Guðný T. Cronshaw Icelandic Collection extends the work her mother cared about so deeply.
What began as a daughter’s tribute has become a lasting home for stories, traditions and connections that might otherwise be lost, ensuring that Gwen’s lifelong commitment to preserving Icelandic heritage will continue to inspire future generations at UND. 

Give to the Collection

• If you are interested in supporting the collection: Material donations can be directed to Laura Egan at the Chester Fritz Library.
• Financial contributions can be made at pd.UNDalumni.org/give-cronshaw.