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as in her self-taught expertise as a seamstress and tailor, a skill that began with a decision to possess a Vogue wardrobe on a grunt’s salary. She was wearing one of her own stylish creations when I arrived at the townhouse to interview her. As do all houses, Ms. Pelensky’s reflects the personality and interests of its owner in a myriad of ways. There is a huge collection of records, tapes and CD’s evidencing an avid interest in classical music, opera, symphony, ballet. Ms. Pellensky admits to a special interest in the operas of Richard Wagner — her Siamese cats are named Tristan and Isolde — and the music of .S. Bach. The house is filled with memorabilia from her travels: Japanese dolls, Ukrainian artifacts, maps, a tea tup collection, boomerangs, a kangaroo hide and a wall-hanging of garment labels from different areas of Australia. On one wall hang framed copies of the U.S. Constitution, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Declaration of Independence, and the Gettysburg Address. When I comment that this is an unusual feature in a Ukrainian home, she answers, “ I am an American. I take these things very seriously.” But her heritage as a Ukrainian American is also important to her. Nestled in one of her bookcases is a substantial video library on Ukraine (current events and history). She is a member of and major contributor to the Ukrainian Museum in New York and a new member of the UNWLA Branch 90 in Philadelphia. A longtime member of Plast sorority Verkhovynky, she served as chief camp counselor of Ukrainian Girl Scout summer camps at Pisaniy Kamin’ in Buffalo and Bobnvka. One of the most interesting things she showed me during my visit to her home was a poster which was created by a colleague, signed by various co-workers and presented to her as a memento of her work as Pro ject Manager on the underground storage upgrading system in New Jersey. For here, more than anywhere else perhaps, I see a sign of how well she has suc ceeded in finding acceptance and respect in the male dominated field which she chose to infiltrate. On the poster is a stylized stick-figure Martha, sporting a cast on an injured leg, calling down to a trio of construction workers who are standing in a deep hole while a couple of male engineer types look on. The stick figure is chid ing the construction workers, one of whom responds by calling her “ Ditch Witch”, a telltale epithet that makes her “one of the guys” and attests to a sense of humor that allows her not to take herself too seriously. Ms. Pelensky calls herself persistent and stubborn, qualities that have been taken her to interesting heights in her professional and personal life. But she failed to mention a softer side that I observed in her eagnerness and willingness to explain in layman’s terms difficult and' highly technical information, a kind gesture that made my job easy and pleasant. And when I lamented on my ineptitude with reading maps and complained about getting slightly lost on the way to her house even with the detailed and simple map she had faxed me, there was another kind gesture — despite a foot injury that makes mobility difficult, Martha Pelensky insisted on getting into her car and leading me out to the major thoroughfare that would take me easily and safely home. Editor’s Note: As this article was going to press, Ms. Pelansky called to inform me that she is currently under contract to design a high pressure hydro-treating unit for АГіВ Lummus Global Incorporated. We wish her well in this new enterprise. In April 1986, the world was horrified by the worst nuclear disester in the history. Countless lives were lost when Chornobyl’s reactor number four exploded, countless more were lost during the attempts to steam the flow of radioactive emissions into the atmosphere, and countless more in the years following the initial explosion. The fate o f thousands of children effected by the disester is the most tragic aspect of Chonobyl’s bitter legacy to Ukraine. F or it is chldren who are now suffering from leukemia, thyroid cancer and other ailments directly traceable to the nuclear accident. Since 1986, Ukrainian organizations and individuals in the diaspora have worked tirelessly and continuously to help these small victims, providing medical assistance and modem medical technol ogy to thousands. Women’s organizations in the diaspora, notable among them the UNWLA and other members of the WFUWO, have been especially active in keeping the world apprised of the fate of Chornobyl’s children and in soliciting global aid to combat the problems that Chornobyl victims face. In Beijing, at the 4th World Conference of the U N on Women, for example, delegates representing the UNWLA and WFUWO conducted a workshop on the issue. Panelists from Canada, Australia, Ukraine, and the United States spoke on the nuclear accident, its aftermath, and its effects on women and children in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government’s decision to designate 1996 as the Year of Chornobyl has prompted Ukrainians worldwide to commemorate the ten year anniversary o f the nuclear disaster by developing strategies to help Ukraine overcome the resulting crises in health, energy and the environment. Under the patronage o f Dr. Yuri Shcherbak, CHORNOBYL CHALLENGE ‘96 has been organized — its para mount goal is to educate the American public about Chornobyl and its continuing threat to human lives. As a member o f the CHORNOBYL CHALLENGE ‘96 C OALITION, the UNWLA will be participat ing in many of the planned commemorative events. Articles on the Chornobyl tragedy and related materials will be featured in many of this year’s issues of “Our Life”. 18 НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, СІЧЕНЬ 1996 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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