LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (06/13/04)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Remembering Pani Roma

Dear Editor:

Roma Pryma Bohachevsky was an unusual woman, who brought so much joy and love of dancing, Ukrainian dancing especially.

My older son had the honor of learning ballroom dancing from Pani Roma at classes organized in Philadelphia for our youngsters - about-to-become debutantes and future deb escorts.

Pani Roma had a great personality - always smiling, always with a positive attitude, always in control of the classes she taught and captivating as a person. The parents and children of that ballroom dancing course (she later taught an adult ballroom dancing course in Philadelphia) will remember her as a unique teacher and person.

There were many times when I drove her to Trenton to catch the last NJ Transit train back to New York City. Of those times quite often we left the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center (UECC) late because our teen-agers and parents did not want to let her go - they still wanted to be with her, in her company. Those times I had to "press the pedal to the metal" on Route 1 and she had to run to catch that last train. She never complained about these "fast" trips and her running to the train - in fact I think she considered it a challenge.

She will be sorely missed by all of us - young and old.

Vichnaya Yiyi pamat!

Dora Horbachevska
West Seneca, N.Y

Facts behind merger will emerge

Dear Editor:

Recently the 1st Security Federal Savings Bank board of directors in Chicago published a letter to the community about its announcement of "merging" with MB financial. The letter appeared in Ukrainian in Svoboda's April 30 issue. The same letter appeared in two other local Chicago publications in Ukrainian. A letter in Ukrainian Word dated May 7 from the Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union in Chicago signed by the board, however, raises suspicion.

In the letter, the board of directors states that incorrect information was given by 1st Security. The credit union never received any proposal from 1st Security yet 1st Security stated in the letter that they attempted to discuss a merger but that the credit union was not "receptive." The credit union also announced that they are willing to meet with 1st Security any time any place.

We have a failure to communicate by someone at a critical juncture, who is right and who is misinformed?

Did the credit union "fail" to respond for a full year? The directors of 1st Security state that the president proposed a merger in a greeting to membership of the credit union in 2003. Could a greeting be assumed to be a formal proposal? Not likely. So who said what, when and where?

Questions were posed to the whole board at a meeting on March 13. Many questions were not answered by the board: Did they sell the bank because of competition or lack of succession? How much compensation was received by the board of directors for this transaction? What were the stock options?

Eventually, the true facts of this merger will surface: Was selling the bank, for the good of the community or was this for the financial benefit of the board?

Roman G. Golash
Palatine, Ill.

Helping victims of Chornobyl

Dear Editor:

The Chornobyl anniversary was marked in Memphis, Tenn., by the International Children's Health Foundation by organizing a mission to Ukraine for two weeks, performing surgery and helping to set up pediatric heart programs in Kyiv and Kharkiv.

Dr. William Novick, the surgeon in the documentary "Chornobyl Hearts," was thanked by name by Maryann DeLeo when she received her Oscar. On April 26 Dr. Novick was invited to the United Nations to speak before the General Assembly. On April 18 this documentary was shown by the International Children's Health Foundation to inform the people of the Chornobyl tragedy. The documentary will make its debut in August on the Cinemax cable network.

Donations for the International Children's Heart Foundation may be sent to: ICHF, 1750 Madison Ave., Suite 100, Memphis, TN 38104.

Tamara Miller
Germantown, Tenn

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