Professionals and businesspeople recognize exemplary achievements with special awards (09/05/99)

Professionals and businesspeople recognize exemplary achievements with special awards

by Andrij Kudla Wynnyckyj
Toronto Press Bureau

TORONTO - The Ukrainian community too rarely reaches out to recognize those who have left their mark on the wider world.

However, two years ago, the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Federation decided to establish a program of awards "to recognize Ukrainian Canadians who helped build Canada through local, national and international endeavors," noted Olya Kuplowska, past president of the Toronto Ukrainian Professional and Business Association and master of ceremonies, as well as chair of the awards jury of the UCPBF's awards banquet held here July 3.

"More specifically, they were set up to recognize exemplary individuals who through their vision, creativity and perseverance have achieved personal, professional and business successes, and in so doing promoted the stature of Canada, the profile of Ukrainians in Canada, and who have contributed to Ukraine's growth and development," the banquet master of ceremonies added.

The awards were first presented at the UCPBF convention in Calgary in 1997. The four categories and respective award recipients were: Friend of Ukraine, presented to Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy; Personal Achievement presented to Saskatchewan Provincial Premier Roy Romanow; Business Achievement presented to Baton Broadcasting President Ivan Fecan; and Youth Achievement presented to former president Jon Thomas of the Ukrainian Canadian Students' Association.

The award itself was designed and produced by Chris Kowalsky of Chris Ceramics. In the shape of a pyramid, the award symbolizes movement into a new millennium under the leadership of the honoree and, as a mountain peak, the heights scaled by the individual being honored.

Ms. Kuplowska announced that this year a special jury category was created to recognize Ukrainian philanthropy via a Humanitarian Award.

Bohdan Lahanky: Friend of Ukraine

New Brunswick-based entrepreneur Bohdan Lahanky was recipient the Friend of Ukraine award.

Mr. Lahanky is a major supporter of the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund, and the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ukraine. Thanks to his contributions, the church in his native village of Zubiv in Halychyna, destroyed by the Soviet regime, was rebuilt and reopened in 1997. He operates a joint venture project in Ukraine.

In Canada Mr. Lahanky sponsored dance and choir performances, donated books on Ukrainian topics to university and municipal libraries, and supported a wide range of charitable and community projects and activities

Donna Lahanky accepted the award on her father's behalf, and read a statement in which he thanked his family, Bishop Isidore Borecky of the Toronto Eparchy of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and Gloria Drayson of the Moncton, New Brunswick, UCPBA for providing direction to his philanthropy. He also entreated the Ukrainian Canadian community to "open your hearts and help your brothers and sisters in a poor, but free and democratic country of Ukraine ... and [do not] forget the land of your ancestors."

Terry Evanshen: Personal Achievement

Montreal-born Terry Evanshen, who received the award for personal achivement had a 14-year career as a pass receiver in the Canadian Football League, playing for the Montreal Alouettes, Calgary Stampeders, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts, setting records in various categories and winning the Schenley Award as the league's Most Outstanding Canadian twice (1967, 1971). He was inducted into the CFL's Hall of Fame in 1984.

In July 4, 1988, he suffered a near-fatal car accident as a result of which, along with severe physical injuries, his memory was absolutely wiped out. Basic motor skills, emotions had to be rebuilt from scratch. His success in doing so prompted Mr. Evanshen to establish a motivational program called "Seize Each Day." In 1994 the CFL Hall of Fame honored him with a special Courage to Come Back Award.

Mr. Evanshen thanked the "wonderful team of doctors and nurses who put me back together again"; fellow players who "would tell me stories about myself ... so eventually I became an actor interpreting my first life, so I could retell the story although I can't add many of the details to it"; and his wife and three daughters who "made me realize, day after day, that it's just too easy to quit."

He thanked those assembled for the award and for Walter Maceluch of the Toronto UCPBA for drawing him back to the Ukrainian community.

Roman Kroitor: Business Achievement

Saskatchewan native Roman Kroitor, recipient of the Business Achievement Award, began his career as a film-maker for the Canada's National Film Board, and one of his early efforts, "Paul Tomkowicz" (1954) about a Ukrainian Canadian railway worker, was recognized as a milestone in documentary making. In 1960 he co-produced a pioneer film on space exploration, "Universe," which was used by NASA in pilot training and which strongly influenced the late director Stanley Kubrick in making his film "2001: A Space Odyssey."

The huge success of his multi-image film "Labyrinth," shown in several pavilions at Expo '67 in Montreal, led to the formation of the IMAX Systems Corp., of which he is vice-president and director, and whose revolutionary IMAX giant-screens he helped design, launching a worldwide industry. Continuing to innovate, he produced and directed the first OMNIMAX 3-D movie, "We Are Born of Stars," for Expo '85.

While thanking the UCPBF for the recognition. Mr. Kroitor recalled his childhood filled with Ukrainian song and dance and plays put on by his mother, a teacher in rural Saskatchewan schools, that filled his life with inspiration

Lubko Belej: Youth Achievement

The Guelph, Ontario-born immediate past president of the Ukrainian Canadian Students' Union (SUSK), was a member first of the SUM Ukrainian Youth Association and is currently an active member of Plast's "Vovkulaky" (Werewolves) fraternity. Attending Brock University in 1995-1999, he revived the Ukrainian Students' Club there, has been instrumental in bringing a renewed vigor to the activities of SUSK, and participated as a panelist at the Youth Conference at the recent Ukrainian World Congress in Toronto in December 1998.

Mr. Belej told the banquet attendees he would "continue to encourage young Ukrainians to involve themselves in community organizations" and expressed gratitude for having been "plugged into the Ukrainian professional and business network."

Yorkton UCPBA: Humanitarian Award

The UCPBA branch of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, was honored with the special Humanitarian Award for the branch's selfless support of two families who had immigrated to the area from Ukraine, as well as support for other individuals from Ukraine, for two years.

Ms. Wanio, a member of the UCPBF jury, stated that the jury decided to reward a gesture that was symbolic of the sacrifices made by Ukrainian Canadians for their families from their homeland.

Harry Krumyk, president of the Yorkton branch, accepted the award on behalf of the organization, commenting that the collective memory of the difficulties endured by the first wave of immigrants to a strange land prompted the community to lend a helping hand.

George Luckyj honored by CFUS

The Canadian Foundation of Ukrainian Studies is an institution closely affiliated with the UCPBF. As part of the banquet program, CFUS President Christina Stodilka presented the CFUS Award for Contributions to Ukrainian Studies to George S.N. Luckyj, professor emeritus of the University of Toronto's department of Slavic languages and literatures; an endowment in support of scholarly work in his name will be established.

The distinguished Ukrainian-born, Columbia University-educated scholar published several influential works of literary history, including "Literary Politics in the Soviet Ukraine: 1917-1936" (1956, second edition, 1990), "Between Gogol and Shevchenko" (1971); "Shevchenko and the Critics" (1980); "Paneteleimon Kulish: A Sketch of His Life and Times" (1983); "Young Ukraine: The Brotherhood of Ss. Cyril and Methodius" (1991); and "Ukrainian Literature in the Twentieth Century: A Readers' Guide" (1992). Many of these titles have appeared in Ukrainian translation in Ukraine since 1991 and have already had a profound effect on scholarship in the field.

Prof. Luckyj served as the first editor of the journal Canadian Slavonic Papers (1956-1961); was among the editors of the two-volume Ukraine: A Concise Encyclopedia (1963, 1970); and was the English-language editor of the first volume of the five-volume Encyclopedia of Ukraine (1984).

Prof. Luckyj has also been a prolific translator, aided by his wife, Moira, producing renderings of works by Panteleimon Kulish, Ivan Bahriany, Mykola Khvyliovy, Valerian Pidmohylny and the classic biography of Taras Shevchenko by Pavlo Zaitsev, as well as collections of modern short stories and poems.

Ms. Stodilka said that among the last recommendations made by the recently deceased Prof. Danylo Struk was that Prof. Luckyj should receive this year's CFUS award and that an endowment in his name be established.

Prof. Luckyj was unable to attend the banquet for health reasons, and forwarded a recording in which he expressed his gratitude and a request that the endowment be applied to reward the best translation from Ukrainian into English, "of which the field is in dire need."

Prof. Luckyj's junior colleague, Prof. Maxim Tarnawsky, accepted the award on his behalf, and paid tribute to the contribution the scholar made, ranking him along with Prof. George Shevelov of Columbia University, Prof. Omeljan Pritsak of Harvard and Ivan Lysiak-Rudnytsky of the University of Alberta, who "paved the way for Ukrainian scholarship into the North American academic world, combating both the prejudices of non-Ukrainian scholars and the provincialism of Ukrainian academics."

Prof. Tarnawsky praised the honoree's dedication, perseverance and adherence to the highest standards of research and scholarship.

John Stetch soars

A wonderful performance by pianist John Stetch brought the evening to a close.

Mr. Stetch has five recordings to his credit, including "Rectangle Man," "Carpathian Blues" and "Stetching Out" on Terra Nova Records, and his most recent, "Green World" on Justin Time Records. He won the 1998 Prix de Jazz du Maurier at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, placed second in the 1993 Thelonious Monk International Composers Competition in Washington, is often on tour with his eponymous band, and is frequently heard on national radio in both the United States and Canada.

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