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The Ukrainian women life to say that each one has a story behind how she wound up in the United States. “You want to hear good stories? You should listen to what we’ve listened to at the dinner table,” said Mis chenko. World War II was drawing to an end Ann Pedersen’s mother — with nothing more than the clothes on her back — contrived to escape her homeland by walking for miles toward the Polish border through a dark and foreboding forest. At the border was a clearing, patrolled by machine gun-toting guards in watch towers. Strategically placed trip wires rang bells to alert Soviet guards that their weapons were needed to stop defectors. Ecstatic that freedom was so close, Mrs. Pedersen’s mother broke into a sprint upon reaching the clearing and proceeded to trip one of the wires. Lying in the grass, she waited for the bells followed by the dreaded sound of what was to follow. Due to mal function, fate, or just plain luck, no bells rang out. Ann Pedersen’s mother had a story to tell that will be passed along from generation to generation. Now there are new stories emanating from free Ukraine. Most, so far, don’t have happy endings. They tell of aunts and uncles and cousins who didn’t make it. Most Ukrainian-Americans had long suspected that they hadn’t but speech restrictions had prevented relatives behind from sharing the truth. Arriving in the mail along with the long-suppressed stories have been scores of requests from Ukrainian rel atives eager to take advantage of unrestricted travel to visit loved ones in the United States. “You’d love to bring all of them over here, but you just can’t,” said Poruchynsy. With one dream suddenly realized, the Ukrainian women are now free to turn all their energies toward helping to rectify a nightmare. It is in the now free state of Ukraine that Chernobyl is located. The mood at the Ukrainian Women’s League turns somber as they consider the untold damage and dis ease that still lurks in the aftermath of the worst nuclear power accident in world history. Tears swell in several eyes as a picture is passed around showing a group of Chernobyl youngsters who visited New Jersey a couple of years ago during a trip to the United States to obtain medical care. Most of the children in the picture are now dead. The events of this past August, say the women, wil enable them to reach out and help those who still suffer. For there is little time to revel in the joy that came with the freedom for the homeland of their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles when there remains yet another Ukrainian story without a happy ending. Steve Giegerich is an Asbury Park Press staff writer. His column appears Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. M A R Y B E C K H O N O R E D On Saturday evening, October 26, 1991, at the Radisson Hotel in the State Capitol, the Michigan’s Women’s Studies Association inducted Dr. Mary V. Beck to Michigan’s Hall of Fame. This is a high honor and a special tribute to women who have made a dif ference in the state and the nation. To qualify, a candidate must possess a special identity, a name that would immediately signify both the quality of a person and the value of her contribu tions to women. She must have demonstrated a uni que understanding and support of women’s issues and concerns, and attributed importance to the advancement of womens’ rights and interests. Ms. Beck’s accomplishments are legendary. She is known as the “ Lady of Many Firsts.” Actually, she began her service to the city, county, and state governments by becoming the first woman to be elected to the Detroit City Council. In her twenty years of dedicated service, she served as the first Woman Council President and the first Woman Act ing Mayor of Detroit. She served nineteen years on the Wayne County Board of Supervisors. While in city government, Mary advocated and promoted other women’s involvement in government. Matter of fact, Ms. Beck appointed the first black woman to the Board of Supervisors. As an influential official, Ms. Beck stopped an attempt to prevent the abolition of the milk dating ordinance; she fought to fluoridate drinking water; she fought to preserve the old City Hall and other historic buildings, she advocated the use of Meter Maids and as such, freed police officers to fight street crime; supported the D, J. Healy Home pubicly, a home for wayward children which included black children in a socially tense period. In her non-official capacity, Beck’s activities included programs to benefit children generally, prevention of juvenile delinquency, sponsorship of health measures for children, youth sports programs, and financing the foregoing programs with fundrais ing benefits. One of her most rewarding experiences was her intense participation in various ethnic groups. In the Ukrainian community, to which she is linked through her Ukrainian parentage, she was dubbed as ”a freedom fighter” for her efforts to reveal the plight of the Ukrainian people and other captive nations who struggled to free themselves from the the Soviet Union. Today, with the declaration of sovereignty and independence in Ukraine, Mary has been able to witness the fruits of her personal, lifelong dedication to this cause. The Eighth Annual Awards Division of the Mich igan Women’s Hall of Fame dinner, with more than 500 people participating, was opened by Gladys Beckwith, president of WSA. She showed a docu 22 “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, БЕРЕЗЕНЬ 1992 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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