Olav Skard

Olav Matiasson Skard (27 October 1881 – 15 May 1965) was a Norwegian horticulturalist.

Personal life

He was born in Østre Gausdal as a son of educators Matias Skard (1846–1927) and his first wife Marie Bø (1849–1883). He was a nephew of Johannes Skar and Per Bø and a half-brother of Torfinn, Bjarne, Eiliv and Sigmund Skard. When Sigmund Skard married Åse Gruda Skard, Åsa became Olav's sister-in-law, and he was also an uncle of Halvdan Skard, Målfrid Grude Flekkøy and Torild Skard.

In February 1908 he married Wally Bjerregaard (1879–1966).

Career

He grew up in Gausdal and Levanger, and attended gardening school in Hylla, before enrolling at the Norwegian College of Agriculture, where he graduated in gardening in 1904. He was a teacher at various gardening schools from 1904 to 1918, and from 1919 to 1934 he was a secretary in Selskapet Havedyrkningens Venner (SVH) and editor of their magazine Norsk Hagetidend. From 1921 he was also a board member of SVH, and he later became an honorary member. He was appointed as a professor at the Norwegian College of Agriculture in 1934, and remained there until 1956 (he officially retired in 1951). In 1948 he was appointed a Knight First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. He died in May 1965 in Oslo.