Kyiv mayor honored as Man of the Year (12/15/02)

Kyiv mayor honored as Man of the Year

by Helen Smindak

NEW YORK - It was planned as a gala dinner where Ukrainian Americans and diplomatic officials and celebrities from the United States and Ukraine would assemble to pay tribute to Oleksander Omelchenko, mayor of Kyiv and chief designer of the rebirth of Ukraine's capital city. It turned out to be all that, and more.

In the early evening of December 9, proceedings at the elegant Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue skittered somewhat off course and the banquet became a hubbub of conversation, picture-taking and autograph-seeking that quieted only at certain points - for the invocation and benediction, the award presentation, the mayor's acceptance speech, and greetings from Ambassador Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Ukraine's Consul General in New York Serhii Pohoreltzev and Ukrainian World Congress President Askold Lozynskyj.

Blame it on the city's gaily-lighted holiday atmosphere, the overly long cocktail hour caused by confusion in seating arrangements, or the exhilaration of the New World meeting the Old World, or just plain old-fashioned Ukrainian cordiality and talkativeness. Perhaps it was all of the above.

It may also have been due to the fact that the facilities of the Baroque Room, meant for 300 diners, were overextended to include many enthusiastic diasporans who simply had to see and speak to Mayor Omelchenko and world-renowned heavyweight boxing champs Volodymyr and Vitalii Klitschko.

Nonetheless, the Man of the Year 2002 award was presented on schedule to Mayor Omelchenko by Walter Nazarewicz, president of the Ukrainian Institute of America, the award sponsor. It was the 15th award since Oscar-winning stage, screen and TV actor Jack Palance was named UIA Man of the Year back in the 1980s.

Presenting the award plaque to Mr. Omelchenko, Mr. Nazarewicz cited the mayor as the "primary mover of the renaissance of Kyiv."

"Since Ukraine gained its independence, its capital city, Kyiv, has been transformed from what was considered a backward provincial town into one of the most beautiful capitals in the entire world. And we have Oleksander Omelchenko, the mayor of the city of Kyiv, to thank for this," Mr. Nazarewicz said.

In his response, spoken in Ukrainian, Mayor Omelchenko said: "it is a great honor to be awarded the Ukrainian Institute of America Man of the Year award. However, it is not only an honor, but a great responsibility to myself, to you and to all Ukrainians to rebuild Kyiv - Kyiv, which is the heart and soul of Ukraine."

A rousing "Mnohaya Lita" rang out from a standing audience as Mr. Omelchenko returned from the podium to his table.

A tireless promoter

Since his election as mayor of Kyiv in 1999, Mr. Omelchenko has been a tireless promoter of the ideas of tradition, reform, Ukrainian statehood and the rebirth of his beloved city of Kyiv. Concerned especially with the preservation of Kyiv's historical legacy, he has created a special department for the preservation of these treasures. He guided the reconstruction of such famous historical sites as the Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv-Pecherska Lavra (Monastery of the Caves) and St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral.

Among Kyiv's most prominent public spaces which have benefited from his organizational and engineering skills are the Ukraina Palace of Culture and the National Philharmonic building.

A graduate of Kyiv's Institute for Construction Engineering, Mr. Omelchenko began his career as a regular workman and eventually became first assistant to the local government body that oversees construction in Kyiv. He worked as a construction consultant in Afghanistan in 1987 and was sent to Armenia two years later to help with clean-up efforts after a devastating earthquake.

He rose through various administrative posts from Kyiv City Administration deputy to head of the Kyiv Municipal Council in 1998. Election to the mayoralty followed in May 1999.

Praises for Mr. Omelchenko and encouragement and hope in Ukraine's future were expressed in addresses delivered by Ambassador Gryshchenko, Consul General Pohoreltzev and Mr. Lozynskyj.

Good wishes were proffered by two Kyiv-based business persons - Marchell Marlin, country manager for Coca-Cola in Ukraine, and Karen Bishop, vice-president and managing director of operations for McDonald's in Ukraine - as well as George Zukoski, director of the American Chamber of Commerce. Orysia Woloszyn read a congratulatory message from Gov. George Pataki of New York, and Marta Farion relayed greetings from Mayor Richard Daly of Chicago, Kyiv's sister city.

Celebrities and performers

Mr. Omelchenko was seated with a group of Kyiv citizens who accompanied him on his three-day visit to New York. They included cosmonaut Leonid Kadenyuk, who circled the earth as a member of the Columbia space shuttle mission in 1987, and Alexander P. Bistrushkin, chief of Kyiv's Department of Culture.

The Klitschko brothers, boxing sport's newest hope, were also seated with the group, though this reporter was unable to get near them to confirm their legendary charm and humor. They had flown in from Las Vegas, where Volodymyr, the 1996 Olympic superheavyweight champion, defended his World Boxing Organization title against Jameel McCline on December 7 - and won by knockout. Vitalii knocked out the World Boxing Council's perennial contender Larry Donald in Germany on November 23.

Midway through dinner, National Artist of Ukraine Nina Matvienko, a popular folk singer who commemorated her 55th birthday at Kyiv's newly renovated National Philharmonic Hall earlier this month, offered a trio of Ukrainian folk songs a cappella. Attired in an antique Ukrainian costume, the petite singer disclosed a charming demeanor and the distinctive folk voice that has made her an icon of the Ukrainian nation.

Also singing without accompaniment, Kyiv Opera bass-baritone Oleksander Vasylenko revealed a powerful voice as he contributed a Ukrainian folk song and two distinctive works composed by Ukraina magazine editor Yurii Peresunko of Kyiv, who was present at the dinner.

Kostyantyn Tovstukha, a laureate of the famed Horowitz piano competition and winner of a recent competition in Germany, could barely be seen as he skillfully maneuvered the keys of a white grand piano. The slightly built 12-year-old, caught for a brief interview as he left the dining hall with Mr. Bistrushkin, said he has been performing since age 6. His offerings for the evening included a work by Chopin.

At the start of the dinner, soprano Anna Bachynska of New York, introduced by emcee Daniel Bazarko, led the singing of the American and Ukrainian national anthems and "God Bless America." Archbishop Antony of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of U.S.A. offered the invocation. The Rev. John Terlecky of the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese in Stamford gave the benediction as the evening came to a close.

Commemorative journal

For each guest to take home, there was a glossy commemorative journal whose royal blue cover with golden yellow print bore the words "A City Reborn - Celebrating the Renaissance of Kyiv." Along with features on Mayor Omelchenko, the restoration of Kyiv, the history and present-day profile of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Institute, the journal lists the generous support of the Self Reliance (NY) Federal Credit Union; TransNational Resource, L.I.C. - George Chopivsky Jr.; Obolon beer of Kyiv; and a host of major contributors.

According to the program, the award dinner was held in cooperation with the Ukrainian World Congress, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Ukrainian American Coordinating Council, Ukrainian National Association, Ukrainian Fraternal Association, Ukrainian National Women's League of America, Self-Reliance Organizations and Freedom House.

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