Connecticut Ukrainian honored with Martin Luther King Jr. award

ANSONIA, Conn. - Long-time community leader Orest T. Dubno of New Haven was honored on January 12 as a recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. 2002 Brotherhood Award in recognition of his "outstanding, distinguished and unselfish efforts to promote tolerance and understanding among all racial, ethnic and cultural groups."

The award was presented during ceremonies marking the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Ansonia High School in southern Connecticut. Mr. Dubno was praised as "an unsung hero" and "spiritual giant" who exemplifies the principles of peace and tolerance espoused by the late civil rights leader.

He was cited for his work as the former president of the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and for his long years of dedicated public service in the state of Connecticut. Mayor James T. Della Volpe of Ansonia issued a proclamation honoring Mr. Dubno and calling on all citizens to "rededicate themselves to the principles of justice and equality for all."

Presented every two years, the Brotherhood Award was established by the late Rev. Loma St. Clair of Ansonia. Past recipients have included Gov. Lowell P. Weicker, U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, U.S. Rep. James Maloney and Michael J. Adanti, the president of Southern Connecticut State University.

Mr. Dubno is well-known for his community involvement, including service on the board of directors of the University of New Haven and the Advocacy Council at Yale New Haven Hospital. After completing a tour of duty with the U.S. Marine Corps in 1962, he received his B.S. and M.S. in public administration in 1975 and completed graduate studies in consumer banking at the University of Virginia and the University of Chicago.

He served as Connecticut's commissioner of revenue in 1975-1985 under Gov. William O'Neill, and is currently the chief financial officer with the Lex Atlantic Corp., based at the Gateway Terminal, New Haven Harbor.

Mr. Dubno is also heavily involved in the Ukrainian community, and was chosen Ukrainian American of the Year by a coalition of Ukrainian organizations in Connecticut. He was instrumental in convincing the state of Connecticut to rename a portion of Route 9 in New Britain as the Taras Shevchenko Memorial Highway.

Mr. Dubno is a member of St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church in New Haven. From 1993 to 1999 he served as the chairman of the board of directors of the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund. Most recently, Mr. Dubno helped CCRF secure three ambulances from American Medical Response and a donation of fuel for the Great Lakes expedition of the Ukrainian schooner Batkivschyna.

Mr. Dubno lives in New Haven with his wife, Irene, and children, Gregory and Bohdana.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 17, 2002, No. 7, Vol. LXX

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