Shevelov honored with Shevchenko Prize (05/14/00)

Shevelov honored with Shevchenko Prize

Prime Minister Yuschenko makes presentation in Washington

by Yaro Bihun
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

WASHINGTON - During his tightly scheduled two-day working visit here, Prime Minister Viktor Yuschenko found the time to meet with many Ukrainian Americans and to officiate at two cultural presentations during a reception at the Embassy of Ukraine on May 8.

He presented the Ukrainian government's Shevchenko Prize to George Shevelov, linguist, writer, literary critic and professor-emeritus of Columbia University, and, on behalf of Ukraine, he accepted a collection of paintings by Volodymyr Vynnychenko, writer, artist and a leading political figure during Ukraine's brief period of independence after World War I.

Prof. Shevelov received the Shevchenko Prize for his works "Tretia Storozha" and "Poza Knyzhkamy i z Knyzhok."

An eminent Slavic linguist and philologist, Dr. Shevelov is most widely known for his most important work, "A Historical Phonology of the Ukrainian Language, " published in 1979, in which he demonstrated the historical continuity of the Ukrainian language.

In April of last year, Prof. Shevelov was presented with the Ukrainian Presidential Award for Merit (third degree).

The Shevchenko awards are presented annually in Kyiv; however, because of his age, the 92-year-old scholar received his award here.

Also during the Embassy reception, Dr. Oleksa Bilaniuk, president of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in the U.S. (UVAN), formally transferred a collection of paintings by Vynnychenko, which the academy in New York has held for safekeeping for almost half a century.

Dr. Bilaniuk said that the paintings are being turned over to Ukraine in accordance with the wishes of Vynnychenko's widow, who stipulated in her will that his archives be transferred to Ukraine after it becomes a truly independent country.

The academy, through the work of its Vynnychenko Committee and its chairman Hryhoriy Kostiuk, has published a number of books from Vynnychenko's archives, which Dr. Bilaniuk presented to Prime Minister Yuschenko along with the statement of transferral of the art collection.

In a letter read by his son, Theodor Kostiuk, Hryhoriy Kostiuk expressed the hope that this initial and partial transfer to Ukraine of Vynnychenko's legacy is just the beginning of a process that will transfer the entire Vynnychenko archive, including his manuscripts, to the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.

Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, who presided over the ceremony, noted the symbolism in having the head of the new reformist government accept this gift on behalf of Ukraine. Vynnychenko, he pointed out, headed the first government of Ukraine during its brief period of independence after World War I.

Accepting the Vynnychenko art works, Prime Minister Yuschenko said he saw in it the start of a grand tradition, when such treasures - "which really belong to the Ukrainian people, to the land of Ukraine" - return from around the world.

"And I am convinced that it is a great honor both for those who give and those who receive these treasures. It is, undeniably, a process of the utmost enrichment for all," he said.

"We are dealing here with the legacy of a man who selflessly and for many years had served Ukraine," Mr. Yuschenko said. "Volodymyr Vynnychenko was an example of the highest standard of true citizenship."

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