Poul Andersen
Encyclopedia
Poul Dalby Andersen was a printer who served in the Danish resistance movement
during World War II
and later published one of the remaining two Danish-language
newspapers in the United States
on the west coast of Denmark
. His grandfather was a co-founder of the town's daily newspaper. Andersen's father was a typesetter, and Andersen learned the printing trade in the newspaper's offices.
Andersen came to the United States
in 1949 and worked on an uncle's farm in Ohio. A friend encouraged him to move to Santa Monica, California
. In 1950 Andersen was hired by the Los Angeles Times
as a printer.
"My husband was a chatterbox, and he loved soccer, so he could bicycle down to a neighboring town to play soccer and the Germans would never think twice about it," Judy Andersen told the Los Angeles Times
. "He would ask the guards, 'What are they doing in the field there?' and learn that [the Germans] were building gun emplacements."
In 1975 Andersen bought Bien
, a San Francisco-based Danish-language newspaper. Andersen moved the newspaper to Burbank, California
, to allow him to work on the paper after completing his shift at the Times. Biens circulation reached a high of 5,300 during Andersen's tenure as publisher.
Andersen continued to use a Linotype machine
to set the type for each edition of Bien long after other newspapers had switched to computerized typesetting. In 1997 the California Newspaper Publishers Association said Bien was probably the last newspaper in California being printed with Linotype.
Andersen was knighted in 1982 by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
for his efforts in uniting the Danish American community. Andersen died in Los Angeles from complications of Alzheimer's disease
.
Danish resistance movement
The Danish resistance movement was an underground insurgency movement to resist the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Due to the unusually lenient terms given to Danish people by the Nazi occupation authority, the movement was slower to develop effective tactics on a wide scale...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and later published one of the remaining two Danish-language
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
newspapers in the United States
Background
Andersen was born in Ringk%C3%B8bing, a small town in Ringkøbing-Skjern municipalityRingkøbing-Skjern municipality
Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality is a municipality in Denmark. It was formed on January 1, 2007 as part of the 2007 administrative reform from the former municipalities of Egvad, Holmsland, Ringkøbing, Skjern, and Videbæk. The new municipality has an area of 1,485 km², the largest, area wise,...
on the west coast of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. His grandfather was a co-founder of the town's daily newspaper. Andersen's father was a typesetter, and Andersen learned the printing trade in the newspaper's offices.
Andersen came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1949 and worked on an uncle's farm in Ohio. A friend encouraged him to move to Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
. In 1950 Andersen was hired by the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
as a printer.
Career
Andersen was a conversationalist and a soccer fanatic, two traits that helped him as a member of the Danish resistance."My husband was a chatterbox, and he loved soccer, so he could bicycle down to a neighboring town to play soccer and the Germans would never think twice about it," Judy Andersen told the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. "He would ask the guards, 'What are they doing in the field there?' and learn that [the Germans] were building gun emplacements."
In 1975 Andersen bought Bien
Bien (newspaper)
Bien is the only weekly Danish-language newspaper published in the United States. Bien is one of two Danish-language newspapers published in the United States. The other is a biweekly, Den Danske Pioneer, a unit of Bertelsen Publishing Co., based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.Bien, which is Danish...
, a San Francisco-based Danish-language newspaper. Andersen moved the newspaper to Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, to allow him to work on the paper after completing his shift at the Times. Biens circulation reached a high of 5,300 during Andersen's tenure as publisher.
Andersen continued to use a Linotype machine
Linotype machine
The Linotype typesetting machine is a "line casting" machine used in printing. The name of the machine comes from the fact that it produces an entire line of metal type at once, hence a line-o'-type, a significant improvement over manual typesetting....
to set the type for each edition of Bien long after other newspapers had switched to computerized typesetting. In 1997 the California Newspaper Publishers Association said Bien was probably the last newspaper in California being printed with Linotype.
Andersen was knighted in 1982 by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
for his efforts in uniting the Danish American community. Andersen died in Los Angeles from complications of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
.