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Saluting Jack Palance I would like to end this month's message with a tribute to another Am erican, one who is also a Ukrainian- Am erican, and who, like our former president, shows that belief in one's convictions should not be sacrificed to expediency. Motion picture star Jack Palance was bom W alter Palahniuk in Lattimer, Pennsylvania. He has appeared in more than fifty H ollywood films and has won an Oscar for his starring role in City Slickers. I had the honor o f meeting M r. Palance in 1986, the year he was named "Ukrainian o f the Y ear" by the Ukrainian Institute o f Am erica. That year, I was serving as General Chair o f the Institute and in this position, it was my privilege to present to Mr. Palance, on behalf o f the Institute, a ceramic figure o f a bandurist. Presenting the statue, I said to Mr. Palance that it is the Institute's version o f Oscar. In extending his thanks for being named “ Ukrainian o f the Y ear,” Jack Palance reflected on a congratula tory message he had been sent by President Ronald Reagan, stating that "a note o f recognition from Ronald Reagan to all 50 million Ukrainians, not just Jack Palance, would be marvelous." His words would be prophetic. A ll o f us will remember Ronald Reagan as the president who recognized the plight o f those 50 million Ukrainians suffering under Soviet domination. W e will always remember his efforts on their behalf. Today I am honored and deeply touched to have had this opportunity to take part in the ceremony during which Jack Palance was named Ukrainian o f the Year. I knew at the time that M r. Palance was an Am erican patriot who loved his Ukrainian heritage. Little did I know, however, that this distinguished figure also has kozak’s blood in his veins. Recent events show that Mr. Palance deserves to be named Ukrainian o f the Century. In April o f this year, at the culminating event o f the Pacific Design Center in W est H ollywood celebrating Russian contribution to the world o f art, cinema, theater, and music in Los Angeles, Jack Palance was to be pre sented with an award. A s he was introduced, Mr. Palance said, “ I’m Ukrainian, not Russian. I feel like I walked into the wrong room by mistake. I think that Russian film is interesting, but I have nothing to do with Russia or Russian film. M y parents were bom in Ukraine. I’m Ukrainian. I’m not Russian. So excuse me but I don’t belong here. It's best if we leave." The U N W L A salutes Mr. Palance for his response, for his courage, and for his adamant refusal to allow others the right to misrepresent his ethnic roots. In one o f his poems, our beloved Taras Shevchenko admonished us "svoho ne tsuraytis" (do not deny your own), and we are proud that Jack Palance did not. Mr. Palance, you are a hero. As we continue to celebrate the 60th anniversary o f Our Life, we are pleased to share with you another article from 1944. Written by Annette L. Kmetz, who was UNWLA Chair o f Public Relations, it underscores the fact that UNWLA leaders o f the time were politically astute women who understood the importance o f cultivating and nur turing good relations with the American public, political figures, the media, and other organizations. It is a policy that is encouraged by UNWLA leaders o f the 21st century and is upheld by branches that host meetings, seminars, presentations, and exhibits that educate the general public about Ukrainian Americans and about Ukraine. Public Opinion and the Ukrainian Problem A fine example o f how the Am erican people and Am erica's government leaders can be constantly re minded o f the fate o f forty-five million Ukrainian people and their country, was excellently demonstrated in the exchange o f letters between our editor, Mrs. C. Olesnicki, and Congresswom an Clare Boothe Luce. These letters, which were recently printed in Our Life , show that we can make a difference. It is through such communication that the eyes o f the post-war politically ambiguous person will be kept open and through such activity that G od ’s merciful will might be guided to undo the horrible injustice done to the Ukrainian people for so many centuries, including the past twenty-five years. 14 “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛИПЕНЬ-СЕРПЕНЬ 2004 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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