1976 - The Year That Was At A Glance (12/26/76)

1976 - The Year That Was At A Glance

"The old year is dead, let it die."

Perhaps this old adage may contain some wisdom, but for Ukrainians the world over, 1976 must and will remain an unforgettable year. It was a time of joyous celebrations, heartening achievements and wide publicity for myriad events in the Ukrainian community. But the year brought with it ever disheartening reports from behind the Iron Curtain and the loss of several renowned Ukrainians. Here are some of the more memorable events as they were reported in The Ukrainian Weekly in the course of 1976.

In early January, the news of Leonid Pliushch's release broke in the international press, as Ukrainians in the free world awaited anxiously the arrival of the dissident mathematician, incarcerated for three years in a Soviet psychiatric hospital for his beliefs. Pliushch came to the U.S. on March 21st for a tour of North American continent. Accompanied by his wife Tatiana and his two sons, the Ukrainian dissident appeared before the United States Congress to testify on the treatment of political prisoners in the Soviet Union, returning later to Paris where he has taken up residence.
January 6th saw the creation of a new post in the executive staff of the President of the United States. For the first time in American history, the position of Special Assistant to the President for Ethnic Affairs was established, with the first appointment going to Dr. Myron B. Kuropas. Ukrainians in the U.S. finally had someone in the White House to represent their and other ethnic groups' interests.
An increasing number of Ukrainian establishments closed their doors on January 22nd to celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day. As in the past, city, state, and federal officials passed special resolutions and issued proclamations in officials ceremonies recalling the significance of this historic date.
For Ukrainians in the U.S., 1976 was not only the Bicentennial year but also the 100th anniversary of Ukrainian settlement in this country. February 21-22 brought the first major double anniversary fete: the UNA festival in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of Soyuz in 1894 and the cradle of Ukrainian life in America.
February also saw the establishment of the Roman W. Smook Foundation in Chicago. The first institution of its kind in the United States, the foundation will support Ukrainian cultural and scholarly endeavors with assets well into the hundreds of thousands.
The Chicago branch of the Ukrainian Catholic University took advantage of a sizable grant from the federal, government to present a scholarly look at Ukrainians in the U.S. through the American Issues Forum, running throughout the spring.
Through the efforts of Reps. Edward Koch and Millicent Fenwick, the Congress was the scene of a concentrated effort to institute a commission to monitor the Helsinki Accords in March of this year, with Ukrainians and other captive nations groups pressing for the institution of such a body. The commission, of course, was barred by the Kremlin from entering the Soviet Union or any of its satellites.
The Sonnefeldt doctrine appeared on the political scene early in April and elicited an angry response from the Ukrainian and other communities which demanded an immediate refutation by the President of the theory which accepted Soviet domination of Eastern Europe. Mr. Ford did so without delay. But all his assurances were forgotten when the President's blunder on the topic in one of the presidential debates later in the year stirred new indignation among Ukrainians and other groups of East European heritage.
Celebrations of the Bi-Cen anniversaries in Ukrainian communities throughout the country were difficult to follow in the press, for the events kept coming faster than one could keep track of them. Mid-May brought the first Ukrainian Street Fair to New York, but not only the cities of greater concentration of Ukrainian were to be the sites for festivals. Headlines of immensely popular Ukrainian events in such cities as Miami, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and Woonsocket, R.I., brought much publicity not only to the history of Ukrainian settlement in the U.S.A., but also to the plight of a captive land.
Over all the festivities of the Bi-Cen year, however, there loomed the grief over the suffering of Ukrainian political prisoners in the USSR. On May 18th, news reached the west that Valentyn Moroz had been transferred to the Serbsky Institute in Moscow. Vehement protests from the free world saved Moroz from committal to a Soviet "psykhushka", but the thought that the dissident historian was sent back to Mordovia was of no comfort.
Bishop Basil H. Losten was named Apostolic Administrator of the Philadelphia Archeparchy for Ukrainian Catholics. Auxiliary to Metropolitan Ambrose Senyshyn since 1971, Bishop Losten received interim jurisdiction over the Archeparchy on June 8th due to the severe illness of the Metropolitan.
On June 18th the Board of Governors of the University of Alberta approved the establishment of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies the first institution of its kind outside of the Soviet Union. With a minimal annual budget of $350,000 coming out of public funds, the CIUS is to serve the academic needs of Ukrainians throughout Canada.
Washington, D.C., was the site of the second major Bicentennial event for Ukrainians in June. The Ukrainian Week there included a scholarly conference, visits to the White House, Ukrainian Youth Day, and a rally and parade, attended by high government officials.
Ukrainians were everywhere on July Fourth and made their presence known. Many local newspapers carried photographs of children and adults in national garb for their town's Independence Day celebrations.
July was also the month of the Olympics and Ukrainians vied for a place in the news. They earned recognition from the international press through the ingenious work of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee and the many young people gathered in Montreal for the Olympics. Over 150 athletes from Ukraine competed in the Games. Some of the Ukrainians defected; many won medals. Demonstrations, rallies, and imaginative actions by Ukrainians youths caught the world's attention, and held it throughout the course of the Olympiad.
The third big Ukrainian Bi-Cen fete took place at "Verkhovyna" in Glen Spey, N.Y. The three-day event at the end of July included exhibits, shows, competitions, and generally festive atmosphere.
Ukrainians in the free world marked two doleful anniversaries in 1976: the 100th anniversary of the Ems Ukase, by which the tsar had prohibited the use of the Ukrainian language, and half a century since the death of Ukrainian Statesman Symon Petliura, who was assassinated by a Russian agent in Paris. Both were marked by symposia, concerts and special convocations.
Philadelphia, the Bicentennial City, was the site of the International Eucharistic Congress. Ukrainians were highly in evidence at this gathering in early August, both taking part in the ceremonies and protesting the involuntary absence of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj barred from attending by the Vatican.
The Fourth World Congress of Ukrainian Students convened in Philadelphia on the 12th of August. Some 200 delegates from the various student federations that make up CeSUS, the world Conference of Ukrainian Students, attended the four-day congress. This was a year of reactivization of two dormant member-organizations of CeSUS. The Federation of Ukrainian Student Societies in Europe, (SUSTE) held its extraordinary convention at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Rome in April. Buenos Aires was the site of the congress of the Union of Argentinian Ukrainian Students (SAUS) in July.
August was really the month for visiting the city of Brotherly Love, because after the Eucharistic Congress and CeSUS, there was still a Ukrainian Week in Philadelphia, marked by assorted exhibits throughout the city and the great "Echoes of Ukraine" Festival in Robin Hood Dell. All of these events were listed in the city's official calendar of Bicentennial activities.
September brought the sad news of the death of Metropolitan Ambrose Senyshyn, since 1961 the ordinary of the Philadelphia Archeparchy. Among Ukrainian community leaders who also passed away this year were: writer Mykola Ponedilok (Jan. 25), Hetmanivna Elizabeth Skoropadska (Feb. 16), poet Roman Kupchinsky (June 10), Priashiv's Bishop Basil Hopko (July 23), and scholar Dr. Alexander Granovsky (Nov. 4).
The funeral of Metropolitan Ambrose brought many of our bishops to Philadelphia among them Patriarch Josyf, who extended his stay in North America to include visits of major centers of Ukrainian settlement in the United States and Canada. Ukrainians everywhere greeted the Patriarch enthusiastically, as did the highest officials of both countries. His Beatitude had historic meetings with President Ford and Premier Trudeau.
Sculptor Mykailo Czaeshniowsky's bust of Lesia Ukrainka was unveiled at Soyuzivka by the poetess's sister, Prof. Isydora Kosach-Borysova. Crowds thronged to the UNA Estate for the unveiling on September 19th.
A successful lobbying campaign led to the passage of a Senate Resolution 67, which "requests the President to express the concern of the United States Government for the safety and freedom of Valentyn Moroz, historian, writer and spokesman for the cultural integrity of the Ukrainian people." Sponsored by Sen. Robat Taft (R-Ohio), the resolution was passed by a voice vote on August 25th.
1976 was designated by the Presidium of the World Congress of Free Ukrainians as the "Year for the Defense of Faith and Church in Ukraine." In addition to numerous special activities throughout the year, the week of September 26 - October 3 was proclaimed as a week of prayer for the Ukrainian Church and people. Special efforts were made in behalf of Rev. Vasyl Romaniuk and other persecuted Ukrainian clergyman, in the form of Bible drives, petition campaigns and appeals to such bodies as the World Council of Churches.
New York's first Ukrainian museum was opened October 3rd, by the Ukrainian National Women's League of America in their new building right in the heart of the city's Ukrainian community. The Museum is on official tourist lists and has received significant publicity.
The Twelfth UCCA Congress was held in New York, Oct. 8-10. Dr. Lev E. Dobriansky retained his position as the body's President. Receiving wide attention in political circles, the congress was visited by such notables as Vice-President Nelson Rockefeller, and Sen. James Buckley. President Ford, Jimmy Carter sent their greeting by telegrams.
November saw the unveiling of the Taras Shevchenko monument in Paraguay. The ceremony capped a week-long program in the country's capital, Encarnacion, proclaimed by the government as "Ukrainian Week." Gen. Alfredo Stroessner, president of Paraguay, unveiled the full-figure statue of the Ukrainian poet on November 19th.
The Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute sponsored a four-day symposium on Ukrainians in America, entitled "The Ukrainian Experience in the United States," in early December. More than a dozen scholars, both Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian took an introspective look at the Ukrainian settlement in this country.
After an extensive sojourn through North America and Europe, Patriarch Josyf returned to Rome to prepare for the 60th anniversary of his ordination to priesthood. Ukrainian bishops joined cardinals and diplomats from various countries in honoring His Beatitude on this jubilee in early December. During a subsequent meeting with the Ukrainian hierarchy, Pope Paul VI said again that he cannot recognize the Ukrainian Patriarchate "at the present time".
Ukrainians throughout the free world prepared to greet a fruitful New Year in December, but never forgetting that the future of their countryman in Ukraine cannot be bright unless the Ukrainian community works untiringly in behalf of the Ukrainian people in their homeland.

| Home Page |