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ANNA MELESZCZUK STECKO — MORE THAN A MEMORY In the minds of her descendents — children, grand children and great-grandchildren — Anna Stecko is more than the memory of a smiling face, a lovely complexion, a kind word. She is the embodiment of love for Ukrainian culture, dedication to Ukrainian community service, and good American citizenship. She represents to her family, friends and her community of Hamtramck (Detroit), Mich, an ideal of a life of service. Anna Stecko in her lifetime was involved in many Ukrainian women’s organizations and expressed her dedication to American society by participating in the campaigns of a number of local politicians and by a great deal of social welfare work. Mrs. Stecko came to the United States in 1913, at the age of sixsteen. She had come on her own, in order to settle matters related to the death of her father, (who had emigrated earlier), in a Pennsylvania coal mine. Living first in Chicago, she met and at the age of eighteen married Stanley Stecko. The couple moved to Detroit when Stanley’s employer sent him there to open up a branch office of the business. Here Anna Stecko’s organizing work began, while she was residing in Hamtramck, and raising her family. In the words of her daughter, Catherine Stecko Marshall, Mrs.Stecko ’’walked in the rain, snow and cold weather to the homes of every Ukrainian that she knew existed in and around Hamtramck. It was at this time that The Ukrainian Women’s Club was organized with the help of other Ukrainian-minded pioneer women. During 1932, Anna was elected president of the Ukrainian Women’s Democratic Club and president of The Sisterhood of the Immaculate Conception. She was also the president of the Ukrainian Women’s League, Branch #26, which she organized, Mrs. Marshall adds. She attended English classes in the evenings, and also took courses at the International Institute, where she later devoted many hours teaching the traditional customs, art and crafts of Ukraine. In recognition for her work for the International Institute and for the American Red Cross, she was appointed Delegate for the Relief of the Unemployed of the City of Hamtramck in 1930. This enabled Anna to help the Ukrainians first among others. Later, she worked with the Immigration Office and the Recorder’s Court of Detroit, where she interpreted many cases until 1941 when she was appointed to a position with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department. (Her study of languages throughout this time helped her to understand and assist the many kinds of people she met during her varied career.) The following years were devoted in helping those confined in jail. Those that returned to society would frequently call Anna just to talk or to get advice for whatever problems they had. In 1941, Anna Stecko was appointed Chief Deputy of the Women’s Division of the Sheriff’s Department, which position she held until her retirement in December, 1957. Anna Stecko was a woman who loved life, and the people she encountered during her own lifetime. Perhaps the essence of her life can be summed up in her often-repeated philosophy that can be a lesson to us all: "No one is born bad — there is always some good in everyone. “SHE’S PROUD OF UKRAINIAN PAST” — Condensed from the East Cobb Neighbor, Thursday, November 13, 1980. “We are certainly not Russians!” Olga Cehelska Underwood declares proudly. “We are Ukrainians!” Most Americans assume that the Ukraine is part of Russia. But to Olga and her friends/the Ukraine is a distinct entity. At the time of the Russian Revolution, the Ukraine was taken over by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Around the time of World War II, many Ukrainians were able to escape to displaced person’s camps in Austria, and, eventually, many came to America. They had come with nothing, but they all worked hard and soon began to earn decent livings once more. Many Ukrainian families gathered into communities in the larger East Coast cities and began to pass on their culture to their children. Says Olga, “The younger generation is determined to keep the Ukrainian culture alive. In November, Olga and her friends took part in the Ukrainian Cultural Arts Day at a festival in Buckhead. In December, they’ll be singing Ukrainian Christmas carols, accompanied by the bandura, a harp-like Ukrainian traditional instrument. Olga and her friends celebrate Ukrainian Christmas in January, since they follow the Slav calendar. They also hope to hold Easter celebrations in 1981, planning a program of traditional dances and songs. “We practice the bandura, we dance, we sing, we make crafts,” Olga says. Among the better known Ukrainian crafts are the embroidered pillows, decorated Easter eggs, known as “pysanky”, weaving, wood carving, ceramics, embroidery, and icon painting. The Ukrainian culture is most certainly not dying; it is thriving and being nourished by the younger generation of Ukrainians. 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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