Highlights from the UNA's 110-year history

A special yearlong feature focusing on the history of the Ukrainian National Association.

Two hundred ninety-seven delegates attended the Ukrainian National Association's 18th Convention in Detroit on May 15-20, 1933.

Convention reports revealed that UNA membership now stood at 19,831 adult members and 12,015 juvenile members. Assets had grown by $1 million during the four years since the 17th Convention and now totaled $2,941,338.92.

It was at this convention that delegates discussed the need for an English-language publication geared toward Ukrainian youths, and the convention adopted a recommendation urging the Supreme Assembly to take the matter up in its deliberations. At a special meeting held in July of that year the Supreme Assembly decided to begin publishing an English-language weekly supplement to Svoboda that would be called The Ukrainian Weekly.

Also at the 18th Convention, Nicholas Murashko was re-elected supreme president, which now became a permanent position at the Home Office. The post of supreme treasurer was eliminated and the responsibilities of that office were delegated to the supreme financial secretary, who had the duties of both treasurer and secretary.

At the 1934 annual meeting of the UNA Supreme Assembly, members discussed the possibility of a merger with the Ukrainian Workingman's Association (later known as the Ukrainian Fraternal Association), and the decision was made to proceed with discussions between the two fraternals.

Also of note was the December 1934 meeting of the Supreme Executive Committee, which decided to mark the 40th anniversary of the UNA by publishing a commemorative book containing information about not only the UNA, but the entire Ukrainian American community.

Source: "Ukrainian National Associa-tion: Its Past and Present, (1894-1964)," by Anthony Dragan (translated from the original Ukrainian by Zenon Snylyk). Jersey City, N.J.: Svoboda Press, 1964. The border featured in this special feature is reproduced from a UNA membership certificate dating to 1919.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, June 6, 2004, No. 23, Vol. LXXII

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