Philadelphia center honors oldest Ukrainian-language daily, Svoboda (05/04/97)

Philadelphia center honors oldest Ukrainian-language daily, Svoboda

by Petrusia Sawchak

PHILADELPHIA - The early Ukrainian immigrants to the U.S. did much to enrich the fabric of American life. They also planted the seeds of many institutions that grew and blossomed with the help of other groups of Ukrainians who came to the U.S. at a later time.

In tribute to these Ukrainians who contributed to American life, the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center in Philadelphia honored the Ukrainian daily newspaper, Svoboda, the official publication of the Ukrainian National Association, at the center's 17th anniversary banquet on Saturday, April 5.

Also honored were the Ukrainian Americans who did much to improve the quality of agriculture in this country. Their efforts were the focus of a special exhibit titled "Contributions of Ukrainian Americans to the Agriculture of the United States."

At the banquet UECC President Borys Zacharchuk welcomed the honored guests: Dr. Yuri Shcherbak, ambassador of Ukraine to the United States; and Svoboda Editor-in-Chief Zenon Snylyk with his wife, Yara. After the invocation delivered by the Rev. Dr. Ivan Bilanych of Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church, Dr. Evhen Novosad acted as master of ceremonies for the evening. He introduced Dr. Shcherbak, who gave the keynote speech at the banquet.

Ambassador Shcherbak spoke about the current situation in Ukraine and its struggle to become a market economy, efforts in economic reform, military negotiations with Russia, and efforts to correct corruption and exploitation.

"Although the economic climate is not good, it is getting better." He added, "Ukrainians are patient; it takes time to improve." The ambassador also thanked the diaspora for their humanitarian support and contributions of medical supplies and equipment. Especially recognized were five individuals: Mr. Zacharchuk, Borys Gulay, Dr. Alexander Chernyk, Jurij Ichtiarow and Dr. Novosad.

During the banquet, Mr. Snylyk, editor-in-chief of Svoboda for 17 years, received the award on behalf of the Ukrainian daily, which has served the Ukrainian American community for 104 years. Since its inception in 1893 Svoboda has grown from a biweekly to a daily publication. It is circulated throughout the United States and around the globe.

In his acceptance speech, Mr. Snylyk reflected on the early years of Svoboda which developed thanks to the initiative of a group of early settlers in such areas as Shamokin, Pa. They were religious people who looked to their priests for guidance and leadership. In 1893 the Rev. Hryhoriy Hrushka became the first editor of Svoboda. In addition to the Rev. Hrushka, three more priests became Svoboda's editors. They were the Revs. Nestor Dmytriw, Stefan Makar and Ivan Ardan. In those early years Svoboda was instrumental in developing an intensive Ukrainianization campaign.

"From the beginning through today, Svoboda has lived with a double duty: to provide service to the community and to give it direction by promoting new initiatives that benefit the community and the entire Ukrainian nation," said Mr. Snylyk.

"It should be underlined, he added "that without Svoboda the Ukrainian community would not have recorded for history many significant achievements: the collection of $80,000 to aid Ukraine in 1917, the erection of a monument to Taras Shevchenko in Washington in 1964, the activity of the United Ukrainian American Relief Committee in the 1940s and 1950s, the defense of human rights leaders in Ukraine in the 1970s repressed by the Soviet regime, and the establishment of three chairs of Ukrainian studies at Harvard University."

"Most importantly," he stressed, "Svoboda, is a non-partisan newspaper that unites all Ukrainians in the diaspora, as well as keeps us abreast of what is happening in Ukraine."

Among the 200 guests present at the banquet were Congressman Jon Fox and State Rep. Ellen Bard. Representing the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture was Carl Muller. Dr. Donald Evans, head of the Department of Agriculture at Penn State, will be visiting Ukraine this year to contribute his professional expertise, was also among the guests.

The exhibit presented prior to the banquet covered the contributions of Ukrainian Americans in the fields of wheat production, veterinary medicine, parasitology, plant genetics, medicinal plants and others. The materials used to develop this exhibit included items from the National Agricultural Library and special collections. The accomplishments of these Ukrainian immigrants are documented in rare books, manuscripts, seed trade catalogues, historic photographs, as well as in published and unpublished reports. The exhibit was on display for the whole week at UECC.

The musical entertainment during the banquet featured a young pianist-virtuoso from Kyiv, Vitalii Kuprii, who is studying at the prestigious Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. He played works by Liszt, Revutskyj and Filipenko. Also performing that evening was tenor Bohdan Chaplynsky, a soloist in several opera companies in the Philadelphia area. Mt. Chaplynsky sang works by Barvinsky and Dankevych, and was accompanied by Roksolana Harasymovych.

The event was attended by representatives from over 30 organizations and was covered by eight newspapers, including the Philadelphia Inquirer.

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