1991: A LOOK BACK: At The Weekly (12/29/91)

1991: A LOOK BACK

At The Weekly

1991 was a year of comings and goings at The Ukrainian Weekly.

In January, Associate Editor Marta Kolomayets was Kiev-bound where she took on the duties of the Ukrainian National Association's first correspondent in its Kiev Press Bureau. In late June, the newspaper's other associate editor, Chrystyna N. Lapychak, headed for Kiev as Ms. Kolomayets' six-month stint was ending to relieve her and begin her own half-year tour of duty. Following a three-week period during which time both were in Kiev, Ms. Kolomayets returned in July.

Meanwhile, back at The Weekly's office in Jersey City, the staff was joined, or rather re-joined, by a former assistant editor, Ika Koznarska Casanova, in late April. Ms. Casanova returned to The Weekly on a part-time basis only.

During the summer, The Weekly hired Tamara Tershakovec as an interim intern. At The Weekly's request, Ms. Tershakovec agreed to stay on; in December she was named an editorial assistant.

In October, one day before she gave birth to a baby boy, Editor-in-Chief Roma Hadzewycz began a three-month maternity leave. Thankfully, Ms. Kolomayets was there to run the show.

In November, Weekly staffer Khristina Lew traveled to Ukraine for three weeks as part of a delegation of young Ukrainians from Canada and the United States. Their mission to promote the idea of Ukraine's independence in its eastern oblasts before the December 1 referendum. Ms. Lew, who had begun working at The Weekly in November of 1990, in March of this year was named an assistant editor.

In other personnel news at The Weekly, our trustworthy, and lone, typesetter Awilda Arzola was feted by the editorial staff on the occasion of her 10th anniversary with the paper. (Just for the record, the anniversary actually occurred in December 1990.)

1991 was also a year of expansion at The Weekly.

As the number of paid advertisements on the pages of The Weekly increased, so too did the amount of news that was being reported. This, of course, created quite a few occasions when advertising and editorial materials were literally fighting for space. As in previous years, The Weekly's editor appealed in her annual report to the Ukrainian National Association's higher-ups for an additional unit for the press that would enable the paper to print 20- or even 24-page issues as needed. The proposal was approved, the purchase concluded and, believe it or not, unbeknownst to the editors, the unit was installed on December 17. We suspect it was the work of one white-haired and bearded fellow known as St. Nicholas.

The Weekly's office space, too, was expanded as yet another wall came tumbling down in 1991. The "remont" (renovation) began right around Thanksgiving, giving us even more reason to be thankful. Hopefully, things will all be back in place for the New Year, providing us with an opportunity for a fresh start.

It was an exciting year for us in terms of the news we covered. Our favorite issue was the September 1 edition in which we reported in a big and bold headline (in our favorite typeface): "Ukraine declares independence." Then, three month later, we had a new favorite issue. The December 8 issue reported on the results of the December 1 referendum and presidential election. The problem was: How do you top the previous independence issue? The answer was our "INDEPENDENCE" headline in 80-point type capital letters.

We were especially excited that this year, as such historic events were taking place in Ukraine, our correspondents were there to cover them. For example, Ms. Kolomayets reported on the March all-union referendum, the return of the primate of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Cardinal Mstyslav Lubachivsky, the rebirth of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church with Patriarch Mstyslav I at the helm, and strikes by miners and students. When Leonid Kravchuk, chairman of Ukraine's Parliament traveled to the United States, Ms. Kolomayets was right there, on his plane with his entourage, reporting every move. Both she and Ms. Lapychak covered the drawn-out case of Ukrainian People's Deputy Stepan Khmara. Ms. Lapychak reported on, among other events, President George Bush's visit to Kiev, the dissolution of the Communist Party of Ukraine, the failed coup from Ukraine's perspective, ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the Babyn Yar massacres, and, of course, the December 1 voting.

At our home office we had our share of excitement as well as we greeted and interviewed prominent visitors from Ukraine. Among them were: Serhiy Koniev, chairman of the Association of Democratic Blocs and Councils of Ukraine; Ivan Valenia, co-chairman of the Chornobyl Committee of Ukraine's Parliament; two "Slavkos," Vyacheslav Chornovil, chairman of the Lviv Oblast Council, and Yaroslav Kendzior, people's deputy, who provided a Galician perspective on unfolding events; Archbishop Volodymyr Sterniuk, senior prelate of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ukraine; Green World activist Dr. Natalia Preobrazhenska; "the eternal prisoner" Yuriy Shukhevych, leader of the Ukrainian Inter-Party Assembly; Dmytro Pavlychko, chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee; and Dr. Ihor Yukhnovsky, head of the National Council and a presidential candidate.

The Weekly got some exposure this year by being featured as part of an exhibit at Philadelphia's Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies titled "Many Voices: The Ethnic Press in America." In addition, C-SPAN gave us some free publicity when Dr. Gregory Stanton, assistant professor of justice, law and society at The American University, was interviewed on "Events in the Soviet Union." (In fact, the focus was on Ukraine as Dr. Stanton has visited Ukraine three times in the last half year and is a legal advisor to Rukh.) He displayed a copy of the latest issue of The Ukrainian Weekly, described it as a very good newspaper for those interested in news from Ukraine, and told viewers they could subscribe by writing to The Weekly. Thank you, Dr. Stanton!

Thanks are also in order to our regular contributors and correspondents Dr. Myron B. Kuropas, Chris Guly (who this year became our special correspondent covering the Ukrainian Canadian Centennial), Oksana Zakydalsky, Dr. Roman Solchanyk, Dr. David Marples, Tamara Stadnychenko-Cornelison, Olena Stercho Hendler, and many others who wrote less frequently but were no less appreciated. Special thanks for special reports go to Bohdan Hodiak for his series on Chornobyl's effects five years after the nuclear accident and to John Hewko for commentaries on current events in Ukraine. Our colleagues at the UNA Washington Office also merit a hearty "thanks for all your help." Scores of local community activists also did their share in reporting the news for the benefit of The Weekly's readers. Our gratitude and our best wishes for 1992 go out to all of them.

And to you, dear readers, we wish a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year, and pledge to continue to do our best to report the news of 1992.