The Ukrainian Weekly 1994

4 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 26,1994 No. 26
Joseph Danko elected president
OBITUARY^^^^^^^^^^^
of The Ukrainian Museum board Michaei Podworniak, author,
NEW YORK - The annual meeting of
the members of The Ukrainian Museum
was held on May 22, with about 70 per–
sons attending. The agenda called for a
review of the work of the preceding year,
the election of new board members and a
discussion on the most pertinent issues
for the museum.
Dr. Joseph Danko was elected the new
president of the board of trustees. Dr.
Danko, who resides in New Haven,
Conn., has served on the board for many
years; he succeeds Titus Hewryk of
Philadelphia as president.
Other members of the new executive
board of trustees are: Anna Krawczuk,
lwanna Rozankowsky and Tatiana
Tershakovec, vice-presidents; Roman
Hawrylak and vera Skop, secretaries;
Oleh Sawkiw, treasurer; Maria Tomorug,
Olha Hnateyko and Mr. Hewryk, mem–
bers-at-large.
Barbara Bachynsky of New York City
was elected to the general board mem–
bership to replace irene Russnak of
Rochester, N.Y.
Ms. Tomorug chaired the annual
meeting, while Ms. Bachynsky served as
secretary.
The most discussed issue of the meet–
ing was the relocation of The Ukrainian
Museum and the problems associated
with financing the projected reconstruc–
tion of a large commercial building on
East Sixth Street, which is owned by the
museum. Although various opinions
were expressed as to the ways and means
of providing financial support for the
S3.5 million project, the assembly was in
agreement that it is necessary to begin
the project as soon as possible.
At the beginning of 1993 the board and
the Building Fund-Raising Committee had
set a goal of Si.5 million to be raised by
the end of the year. Although that amount
was not reached during the 12-month
fund-raising campaign, an impressive
S930,000 was raised.
Most encouraging during the meeting
was the presentation by board member
Christine Zarska-Shoh of a donation to
the Building Fund of S 15,000 from an
anonymous donor who had pledged a
total of S55,000.
Anna Alyskewycz, chair of the
Building Fund-Raising Committee, then
initiated what turned out to be the highlight
of the meeting. Addressing the
audience, she said: "Before we can ask
for support from others, we have to show
how giving we ourselves can be." in an
amazing burst of enthusiasm and gen–
erosity, the annual meeting participants
responded and within five minutes had
enriched the Building Fund with dona–
tions and pledges totalling S27,000.
During the meeting the assembly had a
chance to hear various reports: from the
outgoing president of the board, Mr.
Hewryk; Museum Director Maria Shust;
Oleh Sawkiw, treasurer; and Wolodymyr
Rak, who headed the Auditing Committee,
which gave a "clean bill of health" to the
financial record-keeping of the institution.
The Ukrainian Museum's annual
report, a 70-page publication that contains
accounts of the various museum
activities during the year, financial state–
ments, membership and donor lists, was
distributed to everyone attending the
meeting. The report will be mailed to the
general membership during the summer.
Museum members raise their ballots to vote during the 1994 annual membership
meeting.
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editor of Baptist publications
by the Rev. Olexa Harbuziuk
BERWYN, ill. - Ukrainian Baptist
author and poet Michael Podworniak was
laid to rest on June 1 in Winnipeg. He
was 85 years old.
Mr. Podworniak wrote 20 books on
various subjects, including novels. For
many years he served as the editor-inchief
of the Ukrainian magazine
Christian Herald published by the
Ukrainian Baptist association of churches
in Canada.
in 1953 he was instrumental in estab–
lishing the publishing organization
Doroha Pravdy (Way of Truth) and head–
ed it until 1988. He also translated some
books.
Mr. Podworniak was born in the vil–
lage of Khotovytsia in the Ternopil
Oblast of Ukraine on December 4, 1908,
and he died on May 27 at the Tuxedo
villa Nursing Home in Winnipeg.
in 1929, he enrolled in a Bible insti–
tute near Warsaw, but his studies were
interrupted when he was drafted into the
army, in 1938 he completed seminary in
Warsaw and became editor of the maga–
zine Evangelical Christian, in 1944 he
was taken for forced labor in Germany.
After the war, he became editor of the
magazine Doroha Pravdy, which was the
organ of the Ukrainian Baptist Church in
Germany.
in Germany he married valentyna
Kucenko. They immigrated to Canada in
by Mykola Czorny-Dosinczuk
NEW YORK — A very generous supporter
of Ukrainian organizations, George
Krawec of Queens, N.Y., passed away on
May 5.
Mr. Krawec was a saddle maker for
the New York City Police Department,
and in recognition of his long years of
service, his funeral procession from the
Jarema Funeral Home to St. George
Ukrainian Catholic Church was escorted
by a unit of mounted police.
Although he had no children of his own,
during his lifetime Mr. Krawec helped
many others, in the last two years, his
niece Maria Nosovych and her husband,
Karlo, came from Ukraine to care for him,
followed by his other niece, Stefania
Kondra. His illness made it difficult for
him to get around, however, to his last day
Mr. Krawec was very much aware and
interested in news from Ukraine.
A quiet man, he contributed his earnings
to a number of Ukrainian causes: the build–
ing fund of St. George Ukrainian Catholic
Church, St. Josaphat's Seminary in Glen
Cove, N.Y., the Ukrainian Patriarchal
Society, The Ukrainian Museum and the
Ukrainian Free University Foundation. He
also bought banduras for the Ukrainian
orphanage in Brazil.
This writer met with Mr. Krawec after
seeing his work displayed at the Police
Museum in New York. Under a number
of his leather pieces, mostly saddles, not
only was his name written, but the fact
that he was Ukrainian was mentioned.
The museum director commented that
although he was modest about his work,
Mr. Krawec was a master of his profes–
siori. interested in meeting this proud
Michael Podworniak
1948. Mr. Podworniak was an associate
editor for many years of the Chronicle of
volyn, a journal published in Canada by
the Research institute for Уоіуп.
The funeral service was conducted at
the Ukrainian Baptist Church of
Winnipeg. Officiating were the pastor,
the Rev. John Tkachuk, and the Rev.
Olexa Harbuziuk of Elmhurst, ill., repre–
senting the All-Ukrainian Evangelical
Baptist Fellowship.
Mr. Podworniak is survived also by
three sons, Walter, Eugene and John, and
four grandchildren.
George Krawec, supporter
of Ukrainian organizations
himself among New York's finest, 1
found his address and went to visit him.
His workshop was very impressive and
neatly kept, however, 1 was more taken
with the man himself, and asked him to
tell me a little aoout his life.
Born in the Yaroslaviv region, he
learned his trade from his father at the age
of 9, and quickly mastered his craft.
During World War 11, he was put to forceu
labor in Germany. After the war, he got
married, found work at a leather factory,
and eventually emigrated to New York.
After 14 years, he went to work for the
New York City Police Department, where
his work was admired and respected. He
restored saddles for Si00 each; earlier they
had been restored in England at a cost of
S700 each. Word spread quickly about his
work, and many visitors came to see this
leather master, the tools he brought with
him from Ukraine, and those he made for
himself already here in the U.S.
Although saddles were his specialty,
Mr. Krawec made all sorts of riding gear.
For his superb work, Mr. Krawec was
recognized and received an award from
the Police Department, Mayor Edward
Koch and the union. He was written
about in The New York Times, Daily
News and even was featured in two television
interviews. Whenever he was
interviewed, Mr. Krawec made a point of
saying he was Ukrainian.
During the 1981 inauguration of
President Ronald Reagan in Washington,
the New York City Mounted Police were
said to be the best dressed, thanks to the
saddles made by Mr. Krawec.
Mr. Krawec was laid to rest at Holy
Ghost Cemetery in Hamptonburgh, N.Y.,
next to Ь'.л wife who had passed away