Philadelphia's Ukrainian center burns its second mortgage (06/23/96)

Philadelphia's Ukrainian center burns its second mortgage

by Petrusia Sawchak

PHILADELPHIA - During the sixth annual banquet and second mortgage burning of the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center (UECC) in Philadelphia held on March 9, Dr. Julian Kulas was honored for his contributions to the Ukrainian American community. On view before the banquet was a commemorative art exhibit of the late Zenon L. Feszczak.

Borys Zacharczuk, president of the center, presented the Recognition Award to Dr. Kulas and congratulated him for his exceptional dedication to the Ukrainian community in Philadelphia. A congratulatory letter from the White House signed by President Bill Clinton was read.

Dr. Kulas, president of the 1st Security Federal Savings Bank in Chicago, literally saved a Ukrainian financial institution, the Ukrainian Savings and Loan Association in Philadelphia, from dissolution when it was in critical financial status. By his timely intervention, the bank was renamed the 1st Security Federal Savings Bank and was moved to a new location.

After accepting the award, Dr. Kulas, on behalf of the bank, presented Mr. Zacharczuk with a $5,000 check made out to the center and a $1,000 check for the UECC's new radio program.

In addition to being a bank president, Dr. Kulas is also an attorney in private practice and a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. He was the former president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, and chairman of the Helsinki Monitoring Committee of Chicago; in 1986 Dr. Kulas was appointed a public member of the U.S. delegation to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. He also represented Walter Polovchak in a five- year struggle to keep him in freedom.

The honoree's long list of achievements were lauded by the evening's co-hosts, Osip Roshka (editor of the Ukrainian newspaper America) and Petrusia Sawchak (UECC board member).

Mrs. Sawchak gave a short history of the UECC since its inception in 1980, explaining how the center has grown. Today it has become the community home to over 35 different organizations, an educational facility that teaches Ukrainian subject classes and heritage courses, a library, and a social services agency helping both senior citizens and new immigrants.

Besides a newsletter, the center has added a weekly radio program on WNWR New World Radio on 1540 AM on Saturday mornings at 9-10 a.m.

Present and past board members of UECC were acknowledged for their work. Those board members present joined Mr. Zacharczuk on stage for the burning of the second mortgage.

Mr. Zacharczuk was presented with an award from the board of directors for his dedication and sound fiscal planning in paying off the $500,000 debt. Also recognized was Dr. Alexander Chernyk, the UECC's first president. It was during his term that the first mortgage was paid, and the $1 million expansion and remodeling contract took place.

The banquet committee was chaired by Orysia Hewka, executive director, with the help of the Program Committee. The Rev. Dr. Iwan Bilanych delivered both the invocation and benediction.

A musical program featured violinists Solomia Ivachiv and Olena Klucherev; and pianist Chrystina Dorchuso who performed works by Paganini, Debussy and Liszt. The young performers are students from the Music Foundation in Ukraine sponsored by Maria Murony of Delaware.

Also making their debut in Philadelphia was the Les Kurbas Theatre of Lviv. Eight actors from the troupe recited and chanted excerpts from Taras Shevchenko's "Haidamaky"and "Neophytes" in an orginal avant-garde style. Members of the cast are Volodymyr Kuchynsky, Natalka Polovynka, Andriy Vodychev, Oleh Drach, Tetyana Kaspruk, Oksana Tsymbal, Yurko Mysak and Oleh Tsiona. The company is presently spending time in New York City at the Harriman Institute and Columbia University's Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies.

Before the banquet, the private art collection of the late Zenon L. Feszczak and his wife, Olena, on loan from The Ukrainian Museum in New York City, was on display. Many of the works featured were by Ukrainian and international artists, such as Alexander Archipenko, Oleksa Hryshchenko, (Alexis Gritchenko), Yuri Hura, Yulian Kolesar, Sophia Lada and Mareo Zubar. The late Mr. Feszczak's son, Zenon M. Feszczak, was curator of the exhibit.

The late Mr. Feszczak served as the design director and later director of the Philadelphia Civic Center Museum and the Port of History Museum in Philadelphia. He also served as board member and exhibit designer for The Ukrainian Museum in New York City. After spending a lifetime promoting Ukrainian art and culture around the world, he died in 1993.

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