THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM

Honorary member of General Assembly Anna Chopek surprised on 90th birthday

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. - The family and friends of Anna Chopek, and the Ukrainian Club of Los Alamos, celebrated her 90th birthday, on Sunday afternoon, September 8 - one week early - with a surprise party at historic Fuller Lodge in Los Alamos.

The Rev. John F. Carney, pastor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, presented Ms. Chopek with a rendering of the bell tower of the church, and bestowed a blessing on her with wishes for a healthy and happy life. In his talk, he said he had served with a Ukrainian in Vietnam, and got to know a lot about Ukrainians.

Eugene Kovalenko sang the beautiful Ukrainian song "Dyvliusia na Nebo" (I'm Looking at the Heavens") in Ukrainian and in English. "Happy Birthday" and "Mnohaya Lita" were sung in English and Ukrainian, respectively.

Greetings from Stefan Kaczaraj, president of the Ukrainian National Association, were read by Ulana Kebalo George.

Ms. Chopek has lived in Los Alamos, N.M., for 25 years, and has been very active in the community. She was elected to serve three terms as probate judge, and one term as director of the Los Alamos Credit Union.

She and her sister, Stephanie Sydoriak, have had exhibits of Ukrainian artifacts, and each year conduct classes on Ukrainian Easter Eggs. She has been invited to speak before various groups in Los Alamos, on legal matters, presidential anecdotes, lives of first ladies as well as on her trips to Ukraine.

Ms. Chopek is well-known to the Ukrainian community, having served as vice-president of the Ukrainian Youth League of North America, as supreme advisor of the Ukrainian National Association for 24 years, as an honorary member of the UNA General Assembly for many years, and as president of the UNA Seniors.

She was born in Kozowa, Ukraine, on September 16, 1912, and came to Boston with her mother on Easter Sunday in April 1914 (her father arrived earlier). She graduated from Portia Law School in 1935, and passed the Massachusetts Bar Exam in 1936, having written the best paper. She worked for an insurance company as an attorney at a starting salary of 50 percent of what a male attorney would receive.

Seeking adventure during the war, Ms. Chopek worked for one year as an investigator for the U.S. Civil Service Commission in New York City, and then as an attorney for the U.S. Civil Service Commission and as an adjustor for the General Accounting Office in Washington.

While in New York, Ms. Chopek sang in Stephen Marusevich's choir.

After the war, she returned to Boston, applied to various large legal firms, only to be told that it was their policy not to hire women lawyers. She established her own practice, and during that time served as assistant attorney general for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and as assistant district attorney for Suffolk County, Boston, Mass.

She was a member of the Displaced Persons Commission and, as such, greeted in Ukrainian, in the name of the governor, the displaced persons on the ships as they came into the Commonwealth Pier in Boston. The late Walter Sochan, former UNA supreme secretary, reminded her very often that her voice was the first he heard on arriving in the United States. She did a great deal of work in helping the newly arrived in Boston.

There was much prejudice against women in Ms. Chopek's years of practice. After all, she was a lady lawyer in a man's world.

In Memoriam

John Babyn

February 10, 1920 - October 2, 2002

The Executive Committee of the Ukrainian National Association regrets to announce to the members of the General Assembly, members of Branch 168 and to the UNA membership at large that John Babyn, secretary of Branch 168 for over 30 years, died on October 2, 2002.

The Executive Committee and the entire UNA membership wish to express their sincerest sympathy to his sister, Pauline Medwick, nieces and nephews, as well as great nieces and grand-grandnephews. Funeral services were held on October 7 at the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Assumption in Perth Amboy.

Mr. Babyn will be remembered for his long years of service and dedication to the UNA.

Vichna Yomu Pamiat!

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, October 20, 2002, No. 42, Vol. LXX

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