Ukrainian Institute of America celebrates 50th anniversary (06/21/98)

Ukrainian Institute of America celebrates 50th anniversary

by Irene Jarosewich

NEW YORK - More than 325 people gathered at a luncheon on May 31 in the elegant grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ukrainian Institute of America and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the landmark building that is the organization's home.

Founded in 1948 by engineer and renowned inventor William Dzus, an immigrant from Ukraine, to promote Ukrainian heritage and culture, the institute was originally located in the Parkwood Mansion in West Islip, Long Island, near the Dzus family home. In 1955, the Fletcher Mansion, located on Museum Mile on Manhattan's Upper East Side, was acquired by the UIA. Commissioned by banker Issac D. Fletcher - and immediately prior to its purchase by the UIA, owned by the descendants of New York's Governor Peter Stuyvesant - the French Gothic limestone mansion was designed by architect Charles H. Gilbert and completed in 1898.

In honor of the combined anniversaries, the UIA has established the Crown Jewel Fund to raise a $5 million endowment fund during the next five years for the restoration of the landmark mansion.

Among the pledges and donations received by the endowment fund and acknowledged at the luncheon were $50,000 commitments from Mary E. Pressey, Walter and Frances Nazarewicz, Alex and Helen Woskobijnyk, and the Tatiana N. Charchalis Memorial Fund. Among the $10,000 contributors are Walter and Christina Baranetsky, Joseph and Mary Lesawyer, and Marko and Luba Melnitschenko. Also at the banquet, Myroslav Shmigel presented the UIA with a contribution of $25,000 towards the endowment fund on behalf of the New York Self Reliance Federal Credit Union.

The importance of individuals in shaping history, especially during periods of societal transition was one of the key themes touched upon by several speakers. UIA President Nazarewicz, speaking about the future of the UIA and the diaspora, explained how the UIA board of directors, in order to ensure the future success of the UIA, was actively seeking the involvement of younger members of the Ukrainian American community to pass along the heritage and responsibilities of the institute. Among the younger members of the UIA acknowledged at the luncheon was Deanna Hazen, chair of the anniversary commemoration committee, Lydia Zaininger, a member of that committee, Roman Kyzyk, the luncheon's master of ceremonies, and Peter Charchalis, of member of the board of directors.

In paying tribute to the founder of the UIA during his keynote address, Prof. Roman Szporluk, director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard, noted that "history is made by concrete individuals, it is not the function of large, unknown forces. [William] Dzus is just one example of such an individual." Professor Szporluk, who offered a cheerful and dynamic overview of the important years in Ukrainian history that end in the number "8," noted that the contributions of individuals to the course of history are important - not only from the well-known, such as Mykhailo Hrushevskyi who published his history of Ukraine in 1898 when he was only 32 years old, but from the anonymous and not-so-famous as well, such as the members of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Lviv, who supported Hrushevskyi in his endeavor, or wealthy supporters from Eastern Ukraine who financed the publication of Kotliarevskyi's "Eneida" in 1798 when Kotliarevskyi was 29 years old.

Calling the anniversary of the UIA "a celebration for all those who love Ukraine," Prof. Szporluk stated that the UIA was instrumental in many of the successes of the diaspora community and, in particular, in the development of the Ukrainian Research Institute, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The original fund-raising campaign for the Harvard project began at the UIA.

The UIA also received congratulatory letters and letters of thanks from more than a dozen Ukrainian American organizations, representatives from the government of Ukraine, New York Gov. George Pataki, Sen. Alfonse D'Amato (R-N.Y.), New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani, as well as other political representatives from the city and state of New York.

Among the honored guests at the event were Ukraine's ambassador to the U.N. Volodomyr Yelchenko, and his wife, Iryna, as well as Ukraine's Consul General in New York, Viktor Kryzhanivsky, and his wife, Lyudmila. Among the guests presented were four of the 30 original members of the UIA: Mr. Lesawyer, Dr. George Truchly, Dr. Walter Baron and Ostap Balaban.

The anniversary event included a musical program with performances by pianist Mykola Suk, cellists Marta and Natalia Choma, and soprano Oksana Krovytska, accompanied by pianist Toma Hrynkiw.

The atmosphere at the anniversary event was light and enthusiastic - punctuated with laughter and a continuous conversational buzz. One speaker, in an attempt to speak above the constant hum, jokingly apologized to the guests for interrupting their table conversations. And, as a harbinger of the festive mood inside, above the main entrance to the Plaza Hotel, among the row of a half dozen banners on display, a large Ukrainian flag slowly fluttered in the spring breeze - an acknowledgement of the celebratory commemoration of achievement and commitment to which the Plaza was host.