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v e r s ity o f K iev, sh e w as secre ta r y o f th e A rch eological I n s t i t u te and d irector o f it s m u seu m (1 9 1 8 -1 9 2 4 ), and ta u g h t arche ology and h isto r y a t tw o h ig h er sch ools. S h e also w orked a t th e C entral A r ch iv e s o f K iev and a t th e U k rain ian A cad em y u n til 1933 w h en th e H u m a n itie s D e p a rtm en t w a s elim in a ted as a r e su lt o f S o v ie t policy. F rom 1943 on, P r o fe sso r P o- lo n sk a -V a sy len k o w as an e m i gran t, b u t alw a y s in volved in U k rain ian p ed a g o g y and h is- Our h isto rica l h e r ita g e is a k aleidoscope o f g lo ry and de sp air, p a g e a n tr y and p overty, v ic to r y and d e f e a t ; p in n acles o f p ow er and m a je sty , p ith s o f bondage and h u m ility . I t is a m arvelous and fa s c in a tin g ch ro n icle o f th e g ro w th o f a people, p a ssin g th ro u g h cen tu ries, lea v in g th e ir m ark on th e world. O ut o f th is trem en d ou s library o f h isto rica l f a c t one can u n cov er t h e m o st u nu su al in form ation , little know n, p erh ap s n eg lected — b u t n e v e r th e le ss fa n ta stic . In th e A lm an ac o f t h e U k rain ian N a tio n a l A sso c ia tio n fo r th e y e a r 1972 M ychajlo Y e rem ijiw h a s w r itte n an a rticle ab out a y o u n g U k rain ian w om an w h o b e cam e th e Q ueen o f Siam . N o doubt th is f a c t in it s e l f is s ta r t ling, y e t m o s t valu ab le n ow in t h e lig h t o f th e w o m en ’s a w a r e n e ss m ovem en t. H er n am e w a s K a ter y n a D es- nycka, d a u g h te r o f a ju d g e in K iev Ivan D e sn y c k y and h is s e c ond w ife M aria V erdi. A s Mr. Y e rem ijiw n arrates, K a tja grew up in a la r g e fa m ily o f 10 c h il dren. W h en h er fa t h e r died, p o v erty b ecam e a r e a lity y e t sh e escaped t o t h e e s ta te o f her w e a lth y uncle w h ere m id fr ie n d s, fu n , g a m es and w ork in g in th e fie ld sh e sp en t th e d ays o f h er y o u th . A n in te r e s tin g ite m a c cording t o Mr. Y e rem ijiw is, th a t d u rin g a fu n se ssio n o f fo r tu n e tellin g , K a tja w a s told th a t one day sh e w ill b e queen. to ry . S h e w as a p ro fe sso r a t th e U k rain ian F re e U n iv e r sity in P ra g u e and th en in M unich, sh e w as an a c tiv e m em ber o f th e U k rain ian F re e A cad em y o f S cien ces, T he S h evch en k o S cien t if ic S o ciety , th e In tern ation al A cad em y o f S cien ces in P aris, and th e U k rain ian H isto rica l S ociety. N a ta lia P olon sk a-V asylen k o died on June 3, 1973 in a hom e fo r th e aged in D orn stad t, G er m any. K a tja w as n ot a r a v in g b eau ty . S h e w as an a v er a g e looking, level head ed y o u n g wom an. A f te r th e outbreak o f th e R u sso J ap an ese w ar K a tja b ecam e a nurse. W hen h er fia n c e w as m issin g in action sh e c r iss-c r o ss ed S ib eria lookink fo r him , b ut in vain. It w a s in P e te r sb u r g th a t K a t j a m e t P rin ce Chakrabonh, h eir to t h e th ro n e o f Siam . T h e y fe ll in love and K a tja accep ted h is m arriage proposal b u t w ith tw o con d ition s — th a t h e n o t ta k e an y m ore w iv e s as is th e cu sto m in S ia m ; and th a t t h e y b e m ar ried in th e O rthodox church. Mr. Y e r e m ijiw co n tin u e s h is fa s c in a tin g ta le s a y in g th a t K a tja w a s received r a th e r cooly b y th e ro y a l fa m ily in Siam . H ow ever, b y p rod u cin g a so n sh e b ecam e a fa v o r ite w ith th e K in g and Queen. S h e w as g iv e n a title , w a s gra n ted fa v o r s, pam pered w ith je w els, p rese n ted w ith tw o p alaces and ev e n a w h ite e le p h a n t th a t b ecam e a lovab le pet. B eca u se h er h u sb an d h ad a E uropean education and k n ew sev era l la n g u a g es he w a s se n t on m an y d ip lom atic m issio n s all over th e world, and K a tja w e n t w ith him . B u t all good th in g s com e t o an end, so sa y s Mr. Y e rem ijiw , and so K a tja ’s good fo r tu n e ended ab ru p tly w h en sh e d iscovered th a t h er h u sb an d took: a second w ife. O utraged, K a tja g a v e back h er je w e ls, p ack ed a su itc a se and m oved to S h an gh ai. T h ere sh e b ecam e ac tiv e in a id in g r e fu g e e s fr o m th e b olsh evick revolu tion . W hen K a tja learned t h a t h er husband m e t an u n tim ely d eath , sh e w e n t back to S iam a t th e re q u est o f th e old Queen b u t fou n d th a t th in g s had ch an ged . S h e th e r e b y retu rn ed t o E u rop e and se ttle d in P a ris w h er e sh e stu d ied p a in tin g . S h e died a t th e a g e o f 75. H er son P rin ce Chula lived in E nglan d and died tw o yea rs a fte r h is m other. T he sto r y o f K a tja is rem ark able, to ta lly absorbing, m ayb e hard to b eliev e y e t tru e. Mr. Y e rem ijiw su p p lem en ts h is n a r r a tiv e w ith w on d erfu l p h o to grap h s. K a tja w a s a Cinderella, a poor girl fro m K iev w h o b e cam e th e queen o f one o f th e m o st e x o tic and m y ste r io u s k in g dom s in th e world. A B U S Y Y E A R FO R B R . 32 B ran ch 32, Irvin gton , N . J., had an a ctiv e 1972-73 season . In October, 1972 th e B ranch m em b ers took a bus to u r o f th e P en n sy lv a n ia D u tch cou n try. N o vem b er had th e m em b ers v e r y b u sy w ith a B azaar a t w h ich em broideries, baked good s and h ousehold item s w e re o ffere d and w h ere Mr. R a k o w sk a (B r. 32 m em ber) ex h ib ited h er p a in t in gs. In January, 1973, a club pro g ra m on th e U k rain ian p h ilo so pher, H ry h o ry i S kovoroda, w as held. B r. 32 m em b er Mrs. H el- b ig sh ow ed slid es o f U k ra in e and h er collection o f carved w ooden w orks. A p y sa n k a w orksh op took place in March. On th e in v ita tio n o f B ran ch 18, P a ssa ic, th e m em b ers o f Br. 32 took an a ctiv e p art in an in tern a tio n a l e x h ib it a t B loom field College, w h ere Mrs. L osow yj (B r. 32) prepared a ta b le o f U k rain ian food s. In A p ril th e m em b ers a s s is te d in org a n izin g a B azaar in N e w ark. T h e y ended th e ir ’7 2 -’73 se a son in J u n e w ith a b us trip to t h e S m itth v ille R en au lt W inery. T h ey are sta r tin g th e ir ’7 3 -’74 sea so n b y h o s te s s in g a C on fer en ce fo r B ilin g u a l B ran ch es in Sep tem ber, 1973,, Katja — Queen of Siam 26 НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ — ВЕРЕСЕНЬ, 1973 Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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