Bush Presidential Library's first ethnic day spotlights Ukraine and Ukrainians (11/26/00)

Bush Presidential Library's first ethnic day spotlights Ukraine and Ukrainians

Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Over 300 people attended the Bush Foundation's inaugural ethnic day on Saturday, November 4, at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum. Dubbed "Ukraine: Its Traditions and Culture," the Ukraine Day event featured cultural displays, demonstrations, performances and entertainment provided by the Ukrainian American Cultural Club of Houston (UACCH) and the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) Branch 118 of Houston.

The day's events were highlighted by a panel discussion of dignitaries and experts: Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States; Roman Popadiuk, executive director of the Bush Foundation; Gregory Buchai, honorary consul for Ukraine in Houston; Lt. Cmdr. Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper, NASA mission specialist; and Dr. Alexander Litvinchuk, research scientist at the Texas Center for Super Conductivity. The moderator was Eugene A. Kuchta.

The panel discussion, slated to last one hour, lasted nearly two hours due to an abundance of questions from the audience. During the spirited question and answer period the deputy consul general of Argentina, Alejandro Mueronuec (Alexander Myroniuk), informed the audience that his parents had immigrated to Argentina from Ukraine. Other questioners/commentators also announced their Ukrainian heritage.

Throughout the afternoon, a magnificent display of Ukrainian arts and culture was on view, organized and presented by the UACCH and UNWLA Branch 118. A pysanka display and demonstration were provided by Olia Holowka Palmer. While the attendees viewed the cultural display they also had the opportunity to tour the Bush Foundation's International Center, which prominently displays a glass case of Ukrainian arts, costumes and crafts.

One of the highlights of Ukraine Day at the George Bush Library was an impressive gallery of photographs of Ukraine and Ukrainians by Wilton S. Tifft. The subject matter included landscapes, personal studies of individuals and remembrances of the horror of World War II. The Tifft exhibit was on display at the Bush Library and Museum during the month preceding Ukraine Day.

Mr. Tifft has spent much time traveling in Ukraine and to date has taken more than 43,000 slides and negatives of photographs there. Mr. Tifft's work has been exhibited in Ukraine under the title "An American Portrait of Ukraine," and has been the subject of both TV documentaries and newspaper/magazine articles throughout Europe and Ukraine.

Attendees were treated to a program of Ukrainian music, song and dance, introduced by master of ceremonies Anthony G. Potoczniak. Ukrainian pianist Galina Lay, who now lives in the Houston area, performed two compositions by Myroslav Skoryk. Erik Heymann performed selections on the bandura, including two traditional pieces and the haunting "Homin Stepiv" (Echo of the Steppe) by Hryhory Kytasty. The Ukrainian Community Choir of Houston, under the direction of Mr. Potoczniak, sang several a cappella selections, including the world-renowned "Schedryk" by Mykola Leontovych.

A comedy routine was contributed by Roman Cherwonogrodzky, who also sang some familiar folk songs accompanying himself on guitar. Capping off the program, the Ukrainian Dance Ensemble of Houston - composed of dancers age 9 through 20 - and directed by Marika Macko and Martha Noukas, provided several lively dances.

After the performing arts program there was a reception in the lobby of the Presidential Library. A smorgasbord of various Ukrainian-style foods was served as musicians dressed in Ukrainian garb entertained guests.

Drs. John and Terry Romanko of Fort Worth played Ukrainian tunes on their violins. Mr. Cherwonogrodzky was a wandering minstrel with his guitar as he serenaded the guests. To the delight of all present, Ms. Lay provided piano accompaniment for soprano Maryann Boychuk of Dallas as she sang Ukrainian songs.

Ukrainian Americans wore their embroidered blouses and shirts, providing a colorful backdrop for the reception. Guests were seen asking about the various costumes, the music, the dancing and the cultural displays; their enthusiasm to learn about the Ukrainian culture was obvious.

Ambassador welcomed to Houston

Ambassador Gryshchenko and his wife, Natalia, were welcomed to Houston on Thursday, November 2, by about 60 members of the Ukrainian community gathered at the Parish Hall of Pokrova Ukrainian Catholic Church. After being presented with bread and salt and a bouquet of flowers, the ambassador joined the group for a buffet dinner prepared by members of the community. Following dinner and an official welcome from the president of the Ukrainian American Cultural Club of Houston (UACCH), Wsewolod Hirka, Ambassador Gryshchenko addressed the gathering.

Ambassador Gryshchenko said that having good relations with Houston is very important to Ukraine because Houston is the oil and gas capital of the world, as well as a major international port. He said he looks forward to developing close ties to the local Ukrainian community. Then he turned to the subject of Ukraine's current situation.

He said that the early years of independence were extremely difficult for Ukraine as it had to find its own way to build a democratic system and a Western-style economy. Ukraine has more rough going ahead economically, he added.

The situation regarding education is encouraging, with more and more schools teaching all classes in the Ukrainian language and use of the Ukrainian language in all spheres of activity increasing he noted. One of the major concerns now is to keep young people in Ukraine as they continue to rebuild the country, Ambassador Gryshchenko underlined.

After his official remarks, the ambassador and his wife chatted with many individuals present, focusing their attention especially on those Ukrainian citizens who have been in Houston for just a few years.

A visit with the Houston mayor

On Friday, November 3, Ambassador Gryshchenko and Honorary Consul Buchai were warmly received by Mayor Lee Brown of Houston and representatives of the Houston Protocol Alliance at Houston's City Hall. The mayor stressed that the city and the port of Houston already conduct business with Ukraine.

Houston is the second largest port in the United States and a center of the space program, the oil and gas business, medicine and technology. There are 73 nations represented in the Consular Corps - further evidence of the importance of international trade to the city of Houston. Ukraine's representative, Mr. Buchai, is the latest addition to this active organization.

Mayor Brown emphasized that Houston-based companies have a lot to offer Ukraine. Because Ukraine is a recent member of the international community, Mayor Brown reaffirmed that he will lend his support to promote business relationships with Ukraine. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts and a picture-taking session.

Next came a visit to the headquarters of Compaq Computers, where a meeting focused on Compaq's international operations, specifically businesses in Latin America and Asia. Mary Ellen White Smith, vice-president for North America, discussed the possibilities of Ukrainian companies becoming a supplier of subcomponents for Compaq. In 1999 Compaq had revenues of $38.5 billion (U.S.) and employed over 67,000 people worldwide.

Compaq's operations in Brazil and in Singapore were explained in detail to the Ambassador Gryshchenko, who was later taken on a tour of the company's manufacturing operations for North America for personal computers and servers. Discussions centered on the criteria Compaq uses in selecting a country for manufacturing operations.

At the Texas Medical Center, one of the largest in the world with a "population" of over 54,000 people, Ambassador Gryshchenko was hosted by Dr. Lawrence Jones, director of telemedicine at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. When the ambassador learned that the Texas Medical Center had sent teams of doctors to Ukraine to help the victims of the Chornobyl disaster, he told them how grateful he was for their contribution. Texas Children's Hospital, another institution affiliated with the Texas Medical Center, also sent doctors and supplies to Ukraine to deal with cancer problems of children.

A tour of the rehabilitation and cancer prevention facilities was provided, and Ambassador Gryshchenko saw some of the patients. It was mentioned that a Ukrainian American, Dr. Andriy Holian, until recently was director of the lung cancer research center.

Ukrainian American astronaut provides NASA tour

A great highlight for Ambassador Gryshchenko and his wife was a VIP tour of NASA. Thanks to Lt. Cmdr. Stefanyshyn Piper, the delegation toured the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they saw full-size mock-ups of the International Space Station and the space shuttle, as well as the command center.

The ambassador's entourage also visited Mountain King, one of the largest distributors of potatoes, fresh fruits and vegetables in the west and in Texas. The group was hosted by Dr. Cary Hoffman, who noted that his grandparents came from Ukraine in the early 1900s, and discussed how he started and grew the company and made it a success with its 310 employees.

Information in this report was compiled by Nadia Buchai, Greg Buchai, Olia Hirka, Wsewolod Hirka, Eugene Kuchta and Olia Holowka Palmer.

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