Chornomortsi remember a fallen comrade: Slavko Luchkan (05/16/99)

Chornomortsi remember a fallen comrade: Slavko Luchkan

by Zenon Stakhiv

MORRISTOWN, N.J. - It was a curious way of remembering a fallen comrade, but we've been at it for almost 20 years now - mostly a bunch of old guys running around in shorts that were too tight and on feet that were once fleet. There were flashes of past brilliance, but mostly it was sheer, plodding determination to avoid last place.

The "usual suspects" gathered once again for their annual Plast Chornomortsi doubles tennis tournament in Morristown, N.J. commemorating their old friend and mentor, Yaroslav "Slavko" Luchkan. After the matches there was the usual get-together at Orest Fedash's Ramada Hotel in nearby East Hanover to savor the victories, create new myths, nurse tennis elbows and to reminisce.

Those who knew Slavko well reflected on how different their lives might have been had Slavko not died tragically just over 25 years ago on that fateful day, September 22, 1973. He was determined, as was his nature, to fly his single engine-plane alone in horrendous stormy weather from Hartford to Detroit to attend a conference ("rada") of Chornomortsi. He never made it. At the age of 37, he left behind his wife, Valya, and his two small children, Slavko and Roksolyana, profoundly altering their lives as well.

Slavko was the kind of guy who changed your lifestyle simply by the force of his character and presence, his ideals and noble goals, and his optimistic dynamism and leadership. We toasted Slavko, his place in our lives and committed his deeds to our hearts.

Ihor Lukiw presented the trophy to the victors, Steve Sosiak and Andrew Hadzewycz. We thanked the organizers, Eugene Mandziy and Mr. Lukiw (second-place winners), for giving us yet another excuse to get together during the year to have some fun and reminisce. Alex Popovich's role in initiating the tennis tradition and this salute to Slavko's memory was warmly recalled. Several noted that Mr. Sosiak seems to win every year, but with a different partner. Mr. Hadzewycz, a Chornomorets, was Mr. Sosiak's lucky partner this year.

Since it's mostly Plast members who show up at this annual event, just about everyone joined in with anecdotes about Plast; about Slavko's youthful pranks with his old buddy, Severin "Erko" Palydowycz, during the "good old days" about Slavko's daring flying escapades at sea scouting camps; and the continuous string of projects that he'd get us involved in to help Plast, the Bobrivka camp in Connecticut, the Ukrainian community and, ultimately, his goal of a free Ukraine.

One of the sad ironies of Slavko's untimely death is that he never got to experience the joy and pride that we all felt on that glorious day of Ukraine's declaration of independence on August 24, 1991. Slavko never realized his dream of sailing the Black Sea.

A tennis tournament may seem like an inadequate way to commemorate the importance of his accomplishments, but it serves to remind us that, aside from the fun and games, there is still work to be done in fulfillment of Slavko's goals and aspirations.

Oleh Kolodiy pulled out a 1965 issue of Yunak, the Plast youth magazine, which had an article about Slavko's accomplishments, and we recalled why he was named "Vykhor" by his Chornomortsi brothers. Slavko was a whirlwind, a dynamo of activity, who swept everyone into his vortex. Unlike a tornado that leaves behind wreckage and chaos, Slavko's energy cleared the way for the rest of us to fruitfully use our talents and energy on useful projects that were of value to the Ukrainian community. That's what leadership is all about: a combination of inspiration, energy, vision and a firm belief in ideals directed towards noble purposes.

Slavko was so involved with and commited to Plast and the Ukrainian community that we hardly knew he had a profession, much less a job. It seemed that Plast encompassed his entire being. His trademark was an expandable file crammed with papers defining various projects, housed in an extra large attaché case that he carried with him everywhere, even at summer camps, in the midst of our sports activities.

And yet, during the most active years that we knew him, from 1962 to 1973, he worked as an aeronautical engineer for United Technologies, ultimately ending up on the Apollo space program. Here, he had an experience that demonstrated, in stark realistic terms, the nature of his character. He didn't talk much about his job then, and we didn't pry. Most of us were still enjoying the freedom of college, and didn't want to think or talk about work.

We didn't know, until recently, that he had been assigned to a secret project involved with the testing and quality control of various components of the Apollo rocket that was destined to take our astronauts to the moon in 1969. One of his inspections suggested a major flaw, and he demanded further testing before he was going to certify the launch. This delayed the planned launch by several weeks - and upset the hierarchy - but he wouldn't budge. The tests were conducted, confirming a potentially fatal design flaw, and Slavko went from being a pariah to hero. He was tough and persistent, and almost always right. He had the "right stuff."

Slavko was a perfectionist, not in a pedantic or petty manner, but in demanding excellence when it counted. The people around him responded because they respected him, his goals and his accomplishments. He delivered when others failed, despite obstacles and disappointments, and he compensated for our weaknesses.

Although Vykhor was a pragmatist, he also had his big dream: to recreate Plast and Chornomortsi in Ukraine and organize the first canoe trip down the Dnister River to the Black Sea, just as his hero, Roman Shukhevych, also a Chornomorets, had done in the late 1920s. Alas, Vykhor didn't get to realize his dream, but his friends made sure it happened in 1995, when Nestor Kolcio and Mr. Kolodiy joined with Oles Kryskiv, a newly "christened" Chornomorets from Ukraine, to reignite the Plast kurin that had served as the training ground for so many of the leaders of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). Vykhor's spirit had, at last, joined that of Hamalia on the Black Sea.

Had he lived 50 years earlier, there's no doubt that Vykhor would have been standing at Taras Chuprynka's (Shukhevych's pseudonym) side, as did more than 20 other Chornomortsi. We all recognized Slavko's dedication to the cause, and how deeply he felt about Ukraine; we knew that he would respond to the call of duty and sacrifice, if needed.

He served his adopted country as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and right after completing his tour of duty in 1961, he resumed his Plast career and quickly rose up through the ranks to be elected as the U.S. head of Plast in 1965. Like that elusive "Scarlet Pimpernel," he was "here, there and everywhere," a perpetual whirlwind of activity, running around the country performing worthy deeds.

Typically, he would show up at the Plast headquarters in New York City on Friday evenings, driving straight from work in Stratford, Conn., bounding out of his sporty little MG, to round us up and involve us in his next project. It seemed as if every other weekend we were travelling about the East Coast, working, demonstrating, organizing or preparing for the next event. He pushed us so much it seemed that we'd never have any fun. Little did we realize then that this was his form of enjoyment.

He showed up one evening in September 1963 with 10 nice new uniforms, and proclaimed that he had registered us in the USCAK volleyball tournament to be held the following week at Soyuzivka. We took last place in that tournament, but that was to be the beginning of a very long and fruitful sports tradition among the Chornomortsi. We later went on to win that tournament five years in a row, and numerous others, too.

In one bold move, Slavko had created our sports tradition, so maybe the tennis tournament is, in some small way, a fitting tribute to Slavko, a tempestuous athlete and fierce competitor who never understood the meaning of the word "quit."

But most remember him as a leader and mentor, our conscience and inspiration. With those unique attributes there's no doubt that, in a prior era, he would have been remembered as a national hero.

It's ironic that so many of us knew Slavko for a longer time than his family. Regrettably, they didn't get much of a chance to share his time as a father, or to appreciate his talents and many accomplishments as a community leader. His many friends were indeed fortunate to share a decade of intense activity, creativity and personal fulfillment with a very special and unique person. He made us all better human beings as he set new standards for us and Plast. As long as we're able to move, we'll play tennis, remember Slavko and continue his work.

When that fails, we've trained some younger Chornomortsi in Ukraine to carry on his legacy.

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