Inez & Julius Polin

Julius Bernhard Alexander Polin was born in 1869 in Grusino, Russia, where his father, Captain Carl Julius Polin, was stationed. He was orphaned at an early age but was given the opportunity to study. He became a student at the Swedish reallyceum in Helsinki and then studied law at the University of Helsinki. He undertook study trips to various countries in Europe and also to the US.

After his studies, he served for short periods at Ab Tornator, Kaukas, and Finska Ångfartygs Ab. In 1908, he was hired as an office manager at Kymmene Ab where he went on to serve in various roles for just over three decades. In 1908, he was hired as an office manager at Kymmene Ab where he went on to serve in various roles for just over three decades. He was finally appointed director, with his main area of responsibility being the company’s social and cultural activities. It was here that his keen interest in culture and social work came to be expressed in several different ways. During his tenure, the company had its own schools, as well as a sickness, burial, and pension fund for its employees. During his tenure, the company had its own schools, as well as a sickness, burial, and pension fund for its employees. including the delegation of the Åbo Akademi University Foundation. A memorial plaque mentions his characteristic “reverence for the memory of his ancestors, a strong sense of obligation to work for country and people, absolute justice, and a chivalry that is increasingly rare these days”. He became known for his phenomenal memory, evidenced by his ability to learn a raft of winged expressions by heart, for instance. It’s believed he knew more than 3,000 such expressions, which he was happy to recite in various contexts.

Julius Polin married Inez (née Blomberg, 1885-1966). Like her husband, she was a proponent of Finnish-Swedish culture and actively worked to further it in several different areas.

Julius Polin was a skilled entrepreneur who built up considerable wealth by way of stocks and real estate. Julius Polin was a skilled entrepreneur who built up considerable wealth by way of stocks and real estate. The majority of the assets were invested in a parent fund called the Inez och Julius Polins fond, which was managed by Samfundet Folkhälsan, with the task of distributing funding to three independent subsidiary funds. One of these subsidiary funds was the Julius Polins förfäders Minnesfond, managed by the Åbo Akademi University Foundation.

As early as 1930, Julius and Inez Polin drew up a deed of gift concerning the above-mentioned parent fund. In a letter to the delegation of the Åbo Akademi University Foundation in 1935, Julius Polin stated that a portion of the returns from this fund should go to the Julius Polins förfäders Minnesfond subsidiary fund. The latter fund was established in the memory of three of Julius Polin’s ancestors, all of whom were priests educated at the Royal Academy of Turku. According to the deed of gift, the annual return or a suitable portion thereof “should be used to support Swedish theology students in Finland”. The following year, in 1936, after consulting with Åbo Akademi University’s then rector, Otto Andersson, Julius Polin made an addition regarding the Julius Polins förfäders Minnesfond fund. The addition read as follows: “Only once the return from the said fund becomes available, and the theological faculty’s need for scholarship funding for Swedish theology students has been met by other means, is the faculty entitled to use the funds or part thereof for maintaining and developing the faculty’s activities.” This explicit purpose serves as a guiding principle for all of The Polin Institute’s activities.