1983: A LOOK BACK: Notables and achievers (12/25/83)

1983: A LOOK BACK

Notables and achievers

Ukrainians left their mark in a variety of fields during 1983. They made valuable contributions in such areas as politics, education, science medicine, military service, sports and music.

In politics, Stephen Terlecky, a member of the Conservative Party, won a seat in the British Parliament. On June 9, he became the first Ukrainian to win a seat in the House of Commons.

In Canada, Laurence Decore was elected mayor of Edmonton. A Ukrainian lawyer and businessman, he defeated incumbent Cec Purves by a landslide on October 17.

For Canadian senator and UNA Supreme Vice-President Paul Yuzyk, it was a year of milestones. In February he marked the 20th anniversary of his appointment to Canada's Senate; in June he celebrated his 70th birthday. A retired professor, he also marked the 50th anniversary of service in academics. The senator was also made a Knight of St. Gregory by Pope John Paul II, one of the highest honors that can be conferred on a layman by the pope.

In the academic world Prof. Frank Sysyn of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, was promoted from assistant to associate professor of history, clearing the way for him to succeed Prof. Omeljan Pritsak as the Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of History.

In the fields of science and medicine, a few Ukrainian Americans were honored for their breakthrough work.

Michael Onufryk, a retired Kodak engineer from Rochester, N.Y., invented a device that uses the image-shifting power of a glass prism to help people who have only peripheral vision. Onufryk, who is not a physician, tests people and submits the information to doctors, who then make final checks. His device is patented and although it is only an "engineering model," he hopes to make it available to eye clinics.

Dr. Andrew Lewicky, a Chicago ophthalmologist, developed a Chamber Maintainer System (CMS) and an accompanying surgical technique that makes cataract extractions and intraocular lens-insertion surgery safer and easier.

Eugene Jarosewich, chief chemist of the Department of Mineral Sciences at the Smithsonian Institute, had quite a distinctive honor bestowed upon him this year. He had a mineral named after him: jarosewichite, which is a basic manganese arsenate of the chlorophoenicite group, found in Franklin, N.J.

In the military Col. Nicholas Krawciw was nominated for promotion to the rank of brigadier general in the United States Army, becoming the highest-ranking Ukrainian American officer in the armed forces.

In sports, Dan Nahirny, a 16-year-old tennis star, captured first place in the U.S. Tennis Association 18th National Indoor Tournament, while Gerald Pylypchuk finished seventh in the men's archery world championships.

The biggest surprise came to Ukrainian audiences when they learned that Men without Hats, a rock group from Montreal, whose songs have recently soared to the top of the rock charts, are three-fourths Ukrainian. Three members of the four-man group are the Doroschuk brothers, Ivan, Stefan and Colin.

| Home Page |