New contribution from Kowalskys supports CIUS programs (08/09/98)

New contribution from Kowalskys supports CIUS programs

EDMONTON - A new program of Eastern Ukrainian studies has been established at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS), University of Alberta, thanks to the generosity of Michael and Daria Kowalsky of Toronto.

The $1 million Kowalsky Program for the Study of Eastern Ukraine will serve as a center of scholarly research on problems of national revival in Ukraine, and will further the development of Ukrainian studies and culture.

The Kowalskys have been strong supporters of CIUS research and scholarship since 1987, when they contributed $100,000 toward an endowment fund for academic research, scholarships and scholarly publications. Their gift was matched two-to-one by the Alberta government under a matching grant program then in place. Since Ukraine's independence, an increasing share of the Kowalsky Endowment Fund has supported scholarly projects in Ukraine.

In the spring of 1998, the Kowalskys increased the endowment by $700,000 and requested that a new program be established to fund scholarly projects in Ukraine and Canada. The Kowalsky program will give grants to scholars and sponsor seminars dealing with problems related to Ukrainian identity in eastern, southern and central Ukraine, support museum development, award a literary prize for historical novels for young people and fund other projects. The program will begin its work in the spring of 1999.

In addition to the endowment, the Kowalskys contributed $100,000 in 1997 to the Hrushevsky Translation Project at the Peter Jacyk Center for Ukrainian Historical Research at CIUS for the publication of one volume of the 10-volume History of Ukraine-Rus' in English.

The Kowalskys' commitment to Ukrainian studies and Ukrainian independence grew directly out of their life experiences. Both were ardent Ukrainian patriots, actively involved in the social and political life of Western Ukraine. Like many Ukrainians of their generation, they experienced great hardships during the pre-war and war years in Eastern Europe, as well as during their early settlement in Canada.

Born in Uhor in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Michael Kowalsky graduated from a classical studies high school in Stanyslaviv and obtained his law degree from Lviv University. He managed a co-operative dairy and bank, and was active in cultural and Ukrainian nationalist organizations. He was arrested several times by the Polish authorities and imprisoned for three years.

When the Soviets occupied western Ukraine, Mr. Kowalsky fled to Poland and then to Austria, immigrating to Toronto in 1949. Like most post-war immigrants, he worked hard at whatever manual work he could find. Eventually, he accumulated enough capital to set up his own business.

Daria Kowalsky (nee Mutsak) was born in Burshtyn in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. After completing a private women's teachers' college run by the Basilian Sisters in Stanyslaviv, she taught and took an active role in cultural and community organizations.

The Kowalskys' gift will play an invaluable role in the revival of Ukrainian culture and scholarship in eastern Ukraine, and will directly benefit hundreds of Ukrainian scholars, artists and students.