NOTES ON PEOPLE (08/05/01)

NOTES ON PEOPLE

Pennsy resident manages worldwide sales at IBM

McADOO, Pa. - Christine M. Harasymczuk, daughter of Helen and Adolph Slovik of McAdoo, Pa., was recently appointed worldwide MPEG-2 sales development manager for IBM. In this capacity she is responsible for worldwide sales deployment of digital video compression and decompression products for both the broadcast and the consumer industries for which IBM makes silicon.

Prior to this appointment, she was the product marketing manager for broadcast products within IBM's Digital Video Products Group. She held that position for approximately 15 months, prior to accepting her new appointment.

Ms. Harasymczuk started her career with IBM in 1978, immediately upon graduation from the University of Scranton. While working at IBM she received her master of business administration degree from the same university in 1981. Since joining the company she has held a multitude of positions, beginning in purchasing and then branching out into management in programming and technical education. For the last seven years she has been involved in marketing and sales-support related capacities.

She has spent her entire career with IBM working at its Endicott, N.Y., facility, which is the birthplace of the International Business Machines corporation.

A native of McAdoo, Ms. Harasymczuk now makes her home outside of Montrose, Pa., where she lives with her husband and son, Nicholas. Continuing her grandparents' link to Eastern Europe, Ms. Harasymczuk sits on the board of directors for the Kobzar Society Inc., an organization of Ukrainian professionals dedicated to expanding the horizons of Ukrainian children by providing computer hardware and Internet services to school districts in Ukraine.

Ms. Harasymczuk, her husband and son, are all members of Ukrainian National Association Branch 7 in McAdoo, Pa.

Teacher receives award for excellence in education

CLEVELAND - During its annual dinner and teacher recognition ceremony on May 1, the Cleveland Catholic Diocese for the Southwest District presented Patricia Romanovich with an award for "Excellence in Education."

Ms. Romanovich was St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral School's teacher of the year because of her untiring enthusiasm and devotion to her students.

Ms. Romanovich serves as coordinator of the Computer Advisory Board, and moderator of the Student Council, Drama Club, yearbook and newspaper.

Ms. Romanovich has served St. Josaphat School for 25 years. Her dedication is evident in her late hours working with students, her weekend marathons upgrading the computer lab and her time spent dealing with the computer tech advisory board.

As the chairperson of committees on curriculum and technology, Ms. Romanovich is a vital force in advancing the school's improvement plan.

Ms. Romanovich is a member of Ukrainian National Association Branch 112.

Minneapolis resident explores folk music

MINNEAPOLIS - Natalie Nowytski, who grew up as a student of the traditional Ukrainian performing arts, now directs Mila, an Eastern European vocal group.

Mila, which is the vocal ensemble of the Ethnic Dance Theater, a Minneapolis-based cultural performance group, performed last summer at the National Folklore Festival in Koprivshtitsa, Bulgaria. The group sang traditional Bulgarian and Macedonian songs, and was among the first foreign groups to perform at the prestigious festival.

The trip to Bulgaria was a turning point for Ms. Nowytski; it transformed her interest in Eastern European folk music into a passion. In the days leading up to the show, Ms. Nowytski had the privilege of studying Bulgarian singing techniques with Svetla Karadjova and Lilyana Galevska, two of the country's most esteemed singers. During her trip, Ms. Nowytski also learned to play a variety of traditional Bulgarian instruments, including the gaida, which is a bagpipe made from the body of a goat.

Ms. Nowytski said she would also like to explore the ethnomusicology of indigenous cultures. Her dream is to travel to various regions of the world, especially Ukraine, to study folk music, including various vocal styles, as well as folk art design. She is currently planning a research trip with her sister, Olenka, during which they will study the music and art of ancient Egypt, the Greco-Roman era and Byzantium.

Since childhood, Ms. Nowytski has been involved with traditional Ukrainian arts, music and dance. She danced with the SUMivtsi (Ukrainian American Youth Association) for 13 years, played bandura with the ODUMivtsi (Ukrainian Democratic Youth Association), belonged to Plast (Ukrainian Scouting Organization) and began conducting her church choir at the age of 14. She has always felt the need to share Ukrainian culture with the world, or, in her words, "to keep Ukraine alive in our hearts."

Now, as the director of Mila, Ms. Nowytski has extended the group's Ukrainian repertoire to expose the world to the beauty of her native Ukrainian songs, much as she was exposed to new musical horizons while in Bulgaria.

Ms. Nowytski is a member of Ukrainian National Association Branch 487.

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