UCCA executive board holds year-end meeting (12/31/78)

UCCA executive board holds year-end meeting

NEW YORK, N.Y. (UCCA Special) - On Saturday, December 16, the UCCA Executive Board held its last meeting of this year with 29 members attending. The meeting was devoted to discussions of a series of current programs, activities of 1978 and projections for various programs in 1979.

In accordance with the decisions of the 12th UCCA Congress, the post of UCCA executive vice-president must be rotated annually among the vice-presidents. The post, held in 1978 by Ivan Oleksyn, supreme president of the Ukrainian Fraternal Association, was taken over by Msgr. Robert Moskal, supreme president of the "Providence" Association of Ukrainian Catholics. A change also was made in the post of vice-president from the central Ukrainian youth organizations, where Dr. Askold Lozynskyj succeeded Slava Rubel, who in turn became chairman of youth affairs on the UCCA executive board.

The meeting was conducted by Mr. Oleksyn, while Ignatius M. Billinsky, a UCCA secretary, took the minutes.

Mr. Oleksyn welcomed Ivan Bazarko, administrative director of the UCCA, upon his election as president of the World Congress of Free Ukrainians (WCFU) for the second part of the five-year term. In turn, Mr. Bazarko thanked the executive board for submitting his name for the WCFU post on behalf of the UCCA and promised full cooperation between the presidium of the WCFU and the UCCA.

Mr. Bazarko then reported on the Third WCFU Congress, including a brief financial statement about the congress and the Festival of Ukrainian Song at Carnegie Hall, the concert which brought a total of $20,026. The congressional banquet had a total of 1,228 persons in attendance, and 584 persons attended the luncheon. A detailed financial statement will be released later.

He also touched on the political significance of the WCFU Congress, citing a statement issued by the Soviet U.N. Mission in New York City, calling the WCFU a "gathering of traitors" of Ukraine. In Ukraine, the Communist press carried an abusive poem by Ukrainian poet Ivan Drach about the Third WCFU.

Mr. Drach was sent by the Soviet government to the United States at the time of the congress. It would appear that Communist chieftains in Moscow were convinced that the congress would not take place and that the KGB would take credit for breaking up this important gathering of Ukrainians in the free world, said Mr. Bazarko.

Eugene Ivashkiv reported on the all-Ukrainian manifestation, which was wholly successful despite the very cold weather and the fact that many delegates had already departed. Police incidents were protested to the city and police authorities, and they are presently under investigation.

George Nesterczuk, acting director of the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS) in Washington, reported on a series of meetings and conferences with representatives of various U.S. agencies and institutions interested in the problems of Ukrainians and the Ukrainian community in the United States. It was also decided to engage Alexander Harbuziuk from Chicago and Ihor Mirchuk from Philadelphia to the posts of director and deputy director of the bureau. Extensive talks with the two candidates had been held on previous occasions. Mr. Nesterczuk, who is preparing his Ph.D. degree, will remain as a member of the board and its advisor.

The UCCA executive board also accepted three new members into the UCCA which was approved at the National Council meeting, namely, the Ukrainian Catholic League, the Association of Ukrainians in America and DOBRUS.

Others who reported included Mrs. Rubel and Mr. Billinsky, dealing with various aspects of the Third WCFU Congress, namely: the participation of Ukrainian youth, the distribution of the memorandum on the decolonization of the USSR, which was signed by five world congresses of Ukrainians, Byelorussians, Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians, and the agreement to elect two WCFU presidents.

Ulana Diachuk, UCCA treasurer, reported on the general state of UCCA finances and outlined the budget for 1979, which was subsequently approved by the UCCA National Council. At the conclusion, Mr. Bazarko presented a nine-point plan of activities for 1979, which was also approved by the National Council, which met in the afternoon of the same day.

Prof. Lev E. Dobriansky, in his letter, commended the UCCA main office, especially Messrs. Iwan Wynnyk, Bazarko, Dr. Walter Dushnyck and Billinsky for their work in successfully organizing the Third WCFU Congress.

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