BOOK NOTES (06/29/97)

BOOK NOTES

The story of a legendary mayor

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Diane King Stuemer's "Hawrelak: The Story" chronicles the life and career of one of the more colorful figures in Albertan and Canadian politics. Bill (Wasyl) Hawrelak, the well-known and controversial former mayor of Edmonton, is portrayed as a somewhat naive land-developer-turned-politician, whose ups and downs while in and out of office reflected traditional municipal politics with its patronage, corruption and familial closeness.

The story begins with the arrival at the turn of the century of the future mayor's father in Canada from Ukraine, and notes the family's struggles "to tame a tiny corner of Alberta wilderness and overcome the suspicion and doubt aimed at the Ukrainians of western Canada."

Ms. Stuemer, who explains that she is a granddaugther of the famous city official, had access to numerous personal documents, business-related material, official publications, as well as numerous interviews with all manner of Mr. Hawrelak's associates and adversaries. The book is a quick read even for those poorly acquainted with Canadian or Edmonton politics.

In her 246-page book illustrated with many black and white photos, the author presents both sides of Mr. Hawrelak's political career for the reader's judgment, and manages to wrap everything into the larger blanket that was the rise, fall and return of one of Canada's better-known municipal leaders.

Mayor Hawrelak died in 1975 at the pinnacle of his career in municipal politics. Mr. Stuemer notes that he is remembered as "an important builder of Edmonton" and that "his electoral trimphs and skill as a businessman and politician were legendary."

"Hawrelak: The Story," published in 1992, is available from Script: The Writers' Group, Inc., Suite 200, 839 Fifth Ave. S.W., Calgary, Alberta T2P 3C8. Price: $19.95 (Canadian), includes handling, postage and tax.

Albertans and the war effort

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - "For King and Country," edited by Ken Tingley, a book on Alberta's involvement in World War II, reveals the province's proximity to the theater of war. A collection of 28 essays on various facets of life in Alberta during the war and the contributions of its sons and daughters to the war effort, the book includes a contribution by Peter Melnycky titled "Tears in the Garden: Alberta's Ukrainians During the Second World War."

Mr. Melnycky notes that Ukrainians, one of the country's largest ethno-cultural groups, "figured prominently in mobilization for the war effort."

He writes: "The 1941 Census recorded 305,929 Ukrainians in Canada, and during the course of the war their loyalty was subjected to the same sort of scrutiny that had been directed towards them during the Great War of 1914-1918. In spite of this, Ukrainian Canadians, both individually and as a community, were to make a significant contribution to the war effort."

The author emphasizes that the war effort was supported by most political factions within the community. As evidence of that fact, he cites the major Ukrainian periodical published in Alberta, Edmonton's Ukrainian Catholic newspaper Ukrainski Visit (Ukrainian News), which wrote in 1941: "We, Canadian Ukrainians, as loyal subjects of Canada, await the command of our government and stand on guard for our fosterland Canada, and the whole British Empire, by the side of other Canadian patriots. All our service - for the King, for Canada, and for the bright future of the invincible British Empire."

In his paper, the author goes on to examine the Ukrainian Canadian community in Alberta at the time of the war and to summarize its record of war service.

Mr. Melnycky has been a historian with the Historic Sites and Archives Service of Alberta since 1982. A graduate of the University of Manitoba, he has researched and written about Ukrainian settlement in the province and the internment operations directed by the Canadian government against Ukrainians living in Canada during World War I. He is co-author with Bohdan S. Kordan of "In the Shadow of the Rockies: Diary of the Castle Mountain Internment Camp, 1915-1917." Mr. Melnycky is a member of Ukrainian National Association Branch 445 in Winnipeg.

The compilation edited by Mr. Tingley also includes first-hand accounts of Albertans' experiences in the heat of battle, the impact of thousands of U.S. soldiers upon both everyday life in the province as well as the social fabric, and much other interesting material.

"For King and Country" is available from Reidmore Books, Inc., 1200 Energy Square, 10109 106th St., Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3L7. The purchase price is $10 (Canadian). For further information call (403) 424-4420.

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