Turning the pages back... May 10, 1994 (05/10/98)

Turning the pages back...

May 10, 1994

Four years ago on May 10, the Ukrainian National Association concluded its 33rd Regular Convention - its centennial convocation - in Pittsburgh. It was held in that city as a tribute to the UNA pioneers from that area who gave birth to the organization in 1894.

The Ukrainan Weekly's May 15 story about the convention began thus:

"The Ukrainian National Association began its second hundred years of activity pledging at its 33rd Regular Convention to keep the best of its deeply rooted traditions, while looking toward its younger ranks to secure a promising future for this oldest Ukrainian fraternal organization in the world.

"Meeting at the Pittsburgh Hilton and Towers, the 242 delegates representing 247 UNA branches from throughout the United States and Canada, marked this jubilee year for the UNA under the slogan 'With reverence for the past, with a vision for the future.' They voiced their concerns and expectations for the UNA as it prepares to enter the 21st century, demanding that it provide competitive insurance products for its clients, but continue to provide fraternal benefits for all of its members.

"The five-day conclave began on Friday morning, May 6, and concluded on Tuesday, May 10, re-electing Ulana Diachuk as president of the fraternal organization. ...

"In her acceptance speech upon being elected to a second term as president on Tuesday afternoon, May 10, Mrs. Diachuk emphasized the role of youth within the ranks of the UNA."

The Weekly's editorial that week noted that the convention had begun and ended with references to youth. "Hopefully, that will be a harbinger of things to come as this fraternal organization celebrates its centennial," the editorial stated. The convention "concluded with the election to the 25-member General Assembly of eight persons under the age of 50 - two of them to the Executive Committee. A further indication of the rejuvenation of the UNA ranks was the fact that there were 30 persons present at the Youth Caucus - more than in recent memory - and 14 of them were candidates for office."

The editorial went on to point out:

"The 33rd Convention will go down in history also as the one that stated unequivocally that Svoboda must remain a daily, as delegate after delegate rose to speak of the importance of the Ukrainian-language newspaper and its role as one of the major fraternal benefits provided by the UNA. To that end, the delegates approved an increase in the subscription fees charged both UNA members and non-members for Svoboda, as well as The Ukrainian Weekly and Veselka.

"Among other developments at the convention: delegates approved donations totaling $50,000 to various scholarly, religious and community organizations, and passed resolutions calling for, among other things, a marketing strategy for UNA publications, a special conference to examine the demographics of the Ukrainian American community, better relations between branch secretaries (the mainstay of the UNA) and the association's new insurance sales force, further development of the UNA Fund for the Rebirth of Ukraine and the activation of the already chartered Ukrainian National Foundation ...

"Among the topics of discussion, at times quite heated, were the work and expenses associated with the professional insurance sales force, whose performance, the Secretaries' Committee noted, had 'fallen short of expectations' in reversing the UNA's decline in membership. The managerial style of two executives and their lack of responsiveness came under attack, as did the idea that the UNA headquarters building in Jersey City, N.J., might be sold. Delegates agreed that cost-cutting measures are needed in various facets of the UNA's activity, but they also demanded that stricter and more precise accounting procedures be followed to keep closer track of expenditures - department by department.

"Delegates approved changes to the UNA By-Laws, some dealing with terminology, as the term 'supreme' has been banished, some bringing the UNA into compliance with modern insurance standards. However, ... the convention simply did not have time to review all the proposals prepared for the delegates' review by the By-Laws Committee. Thus, the culmination of three and a half years of work by the Special UNA By-Laws Committee will now be put off until the next UNA convention in 1998.

"So, what can one say about the 33rd UNA Convention? To put it simply: there was some progress, but perhaps not as much as had been expected."

And, thus, the UNA moved ahead into its second century of service.

Sources: "Ukrainian National Association convention looks to future" by Marta Kolomayets and Editorial: "The UNA moves on," The Ukrainian Weekly, Vol. LXII, No. 20, May 15, 1994.