THE NEWS FROM HERE (08/22/04)

THE NEWS FROM HERE

Prof. Natalie Chomyk-Dane and Andrew Demus are featured in this week's installment of the "News From Here."

Prof. Chomyk-Dane and Mr. Demus are two members of the Ukrainian community who draw from their experiences as Ukrainians to educate the American communities in which they live.

Prof. Chomyk-Dane is a newly appointed member of the board of directors of the National Alliance of the Arts in Education. As a professor of cultural diversity in the arts, Prof. Chomyk-Dane often draws upon her Ukrainian heritage to teach this topic.

Mr. Demus, a Ukrainian who lives in Atlanta, lectures in schools about the Holocaust. Through Mr. Demus' time as a slave laborer in Hitler's Nazi Germany, and his survival through Stalin's USSR and the German Gestapo, he is able to impart to children the horrors that victims of these tumultuous times endured. He hopes that his lectures will contribute to preventing repetitions of this violent history.

ANCHORAGE: Professor appointed to National Alliance of Arts in Education

The National Alliance of the Arts in Education, in conjunction with the Kennedy Arts Center in Washington, has appointed Natalie Chomyk-Dane as a member of its board of directors. Prof. Chomyk-Dane began her five-year term on the board in March.

The Weekly was alerted to news of the appointment by Dr. Juliana Osinchuk, a noted pianist originally from New York City who resides in Alaska.

The National Alliance of the Arts in Education promotes the integration of art in all aspects of education, specifically cultural diversity.

Prof. Chomyk-Dane has been a professor of art education and a faculty member of the University of Alaska in Anchorage for 17 years.

She is a former resident of Ohio and a member of Pokrova Church. She received her bachelor of fine arts degree from Ohio University and her master's in art education from the University of Cincinnati - both with honors.

One of her educational objectives for students is to focus on cultural heritages and their influence on the creation of art. Her lectures have often revolved around her own Ukrainian heritage, including slides of her travel to Ukraine with her parents.

Prof. Chomyk-Dane resides in Anchorage with her husband, Graham Dane, a fellow professor at the University of Alaska.

Her parents, Antin and Anastasia Chomyk, are members of the Ukrainian National Association.

ATLANTA: Local civic activist participates in Holocaust ceremony

On April 23, the state of Georgia held a ceremony in the state capital, Atlanta, to remember victims of the Holocaust.

A member of the Ukrainian community, Andrew Demus took part in this solemn day as one of the candle lighters. Brig. Gen. Russel Weiskircher awarded Mr. Demus with this honor in part because of Mr. Demus' extensive contributions to the community.

Mr. Demus lectures in various schools about the Holocaust. Mr. Demus knows what it is like to suffer at the hands of others. He was a slave laborer in Hitler's Nazi Germany, and he survived the repression of Stalin's USSR and the brutality of the German Gestapo.

Unfortunately, Mr. Demus's parents could not escape death like he did. A German soldier shot his mother because she would not give him her chickens and his father was killed by Communists when he gave food to a soldier in the Gestapo. Mr. Demus hopes that if children know about the horrible tragedies that occurred during that time, such events will not be repeated.

Following Mr. Demus's lecture at one school he received many thank-you notes from students who were grateful for his message to continue their education because that is the most important asset one can have.

One boy noted that he credits Mr. Demus for his decision to stay in school. The boy had planned to drop out but, after hearing Mr. Demus speak, he realized the significance of education.

Mr. Demus also cares about ill children and he does what he can to make them happy. He uses his woodworking skill to craft various pieces such as cars, planes and lighthouses out of different types of wood.

Mr. Demus even built a lighthouse as a gift to The Ukrainian Weekly. Crafted out of 110 pieces of various types of wood, the replica is displayed in the paper's editorial offices in Parsippany, N.J.

Citizens like Mr. Demus who dedicate their time and their knowledge to their communities deserve recognition for all of their effort. One can only hope that those to whom Mr. Demus imparts a message of compassion and hard work will spread that same message in their own ways.

- compiled by Roxolana Woloszyn

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