Páll Gíslason (3 October 1924 – 1 January 2011) was an Icelandic medical practitioner in Reykjavik and a pioneer in

vascular surgery Vascular surgery is a surgical subspecialty in which diseases of the vascular system, or arteries, veins and lymphatic circulation, are managed by medical therapy, minimally-invasive catheter procedures and surgical reconstruction. The specialty ...

in Iceland. Outside of his medical career, he served as the

Chief Scout A Chief Scout is the principal or head scout for an organization such as the military, colonial administration or expedition or a talent scout in performing, entertainment or creative arts, particularly sport. In sport, a Chief Scout can be the prin ...

of the

Bandalag íslenskra skáta Bandalag íslenskra skáta (BIS, ''Icelandic Boy and Girl Scout Association'') is the national Scouting and Guiding organization of Iceland. Scouting was founded in Iceland in 1912 and was among the earlier members of the World Organization of th ...

, the Icelandic Scout association, from 1971 to 1981 and a city councilman in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

for 24 years.

Early life

Páll was born in Vífilsstaðir in Garðahreppur on 3 October 1924 but grew up in

Eskifjörður Eskifjörður (in original spelling; ), or Eskifjördur is a town and port in eastern Iceland with a large fishing industry. With a population of 1,043 it is one of the most populous towns in the municipality of Fjarðabyggð. History Eskifjörðu ...

Hafnarfjörður Hafnarfjörður (), officially Hafnarfjarðarkaupstaður (), is a port town and municipality in Iceland, located about south of Reykjavík. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas in the Capital Region, on the southwest coast of t ...

and

. His parents where Gísli Pálsson, a doctor, and Svana Jónsdóttir.

Icelandic Scout Association

Páll became a Scout at the age of 12 in 1936, and led his national association in the 1950s. He led Iceland's delegation of 23 young people to the

6th World Scout Jamboree The 6th World Scout Jamboree (french: Jamboree mondial de la paix) was held in 1947 and was hosted by France at Moisson. This was the first jamboree to have been held after Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Baden-Powell's death in 1941. ...

in 1947. The story is told that as he was looking for land in eastern Iceland to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Scouts of Iceland in 1962, he exclaimed that he did not know anyone on that side the island, "because farmers are never sick!", however when a farmer needed his care, he allowed Páll to use his land for the celebration. In 1981, Páll was awarded the 144th ''

Bronze Wolf The Bronze Wolf Award is bestowed by the World Scout Committee (WSC) to acknowledge "outstanding service by an individual to the World Scout Movement". It is the highest honor that can be given a volunteer Scout leader in the world and it is the ...

'', the only distinction of the

World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOS ...

, awarded by the World Scout Committee for exceptional services to world Scouting.

Political career

Páll served in the

Akranes Akranes () is a port town and municipality on the west coast of Iceland, around north of the capital Reykjavík. The area where Akranes is located was settled in the 9th century; however, it did not receive a municipal charter until 1942. His ...

city council from 1962 to 1970 and later in the

Reykjavík City Council The City Council is the governing body of the City of Reykjavík, composed of representatives elected by the inhabitants of the city. The council Municipality is responsible for enforcing the issues which that the State has delegated to local aut ...

from 1974 to 1998. He was the council president from end of December 1984 to middle of 1985.

Books

In 2010, Páll authored the book ''Læknir í blíðu og stríðu'' with Hávar Sigurjónsson which focused on his life and career.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gislason, Pall Recipients of the Bronze Wolf Award 1924 births Scouting and Guiding in Iceland 2011 deaths