OBITUARY: Roman Oliynyk Rakhmanny, prolific journalist-publicist (07/21/02)

OBITUARY: Roman Oliynyk Rakhmanny, prolific journalist-publicist

MONTREAL - Roman Oliynyk-Rakhmanny passed away on June 24, at the age of 83 after a lengthy illness, and was buried in Montreal. Born in Ukraine, he was one of the most notable journalists-publicists and political commentators in the Ukrainian diaspora.

He received numerous awards for his writings, and was the recipient of the 1994 State (now National) Shevchenko Prize - the highest award in Ukraine for his collected works in three volumes, "Ukraina Atomnoho Viku" (Ukraine of the Atomic Age). He was the author of many monographs, and his last scholarly work was "Literary and Ideological Trends in Western Ukraine, 1919-1939" (published in Kyiv in 1999).

Dr. Rakhmanny, who had a doctorate in philosophy, was a member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, National Union of Writers of Ukraine, Ukrainian Writers Union in Exile, Union of Ukrainian Journalist in Canada and the International PEN-Club, and a leading member of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). He was a visiting lecturer at McGill University (Montreal) and the head of the Ukrainian Section of CBC's Radio Canada.

Dr. Rakhmanny was a co-founder and co-editor of two newspapers - Chas (Time) in Germany and Homin Ukrainy (Echo of Ukraine) in Canada. He was also a member of the editorial board of several newspapers and journals. His articles and essays on current political, social and literary issues in Ukraine and the diaspora appeared in almost all Ukrainian newspapers and periodicals, as well as in many foreign-language publications (English, French, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Polish). Some of the latter appeared in a collection of his writings titled "In Defense of the Ukrainian Cause" (1979). Some of the first news in the Western European press about the struggle of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) came from Dr. Rakhmanny's pen in 1945-1947.

His family suggests memorial donations to the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund, 272 Old Short Hills Road, Short Hills, NJ 07078.

Ambassador Shcherbak delivers eulogy

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