A letter to The Cooper Union (06/10/01)

A letter to The Cooper Union

Following is the text of a letter sent on June 4 by George Rakowsky of Wading River, N.Y., to Dr. George Campbell Jr., president of The Cooper Union, concerning the proposed demapping of Taras Shevchenko Place.

Dear Dr. Campbell:

As a Cooper alumnus (engineering class of 1960), I have always supported Cooper Union's unique mission - providing an excellent education, on a tuition-free basis. To that end, I have contributed regularly to the Alumni Fund (although perhaps not as much as I should have). And I have always taken pride in the fact that my alma mater is a good neighbor and an integral part of the East Village community.

I also happen to have a bond with CU's East Village neighborhood spanning half a century. I attended sixth grade at St. George's parochial school in 1949-1950. Although I commuted to Cooper Union from New Jersey, the Ukrainian community in the immediate vicinity was my home away from home. I was active in Ukrainian scouts, joined the Dumka Ukrainian Chorus, and participated in the social life of the community. Even now, living on eastern Long Island, my wife and I are often drawn to the rich cultural life of the East Village's Ukrainian community, to St. George's Church, to the annual Seventh Street Fair, to the various restaurants serving Ukrainian "soul food," etc.

That's why I was shocked and dismayed to learn that my beloved alma mater was launching an insidious attack on "my" neighborhood and on a community that has been a stable anchor for more than half a century. This stability has been of material benefit to Cooper Union, both in terms of real estate value as well as in quality of life for its students, faculty and staff.

I feel the plan to demap Taras Shevchenko Place is a slap in the face of the community that has served you so well. Named after Ukraine's great poet, prophet and champion of freedom, Taras Shevchenko Place is more than a few parking spaces, some "free" real estate to be grabbed and developed. This little street may seem insignificant on a city map, but the name is a symbol of a community's identity, its place in the fabric of a great city.

I urge you to reconsider this action.

| Home Page |