Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
UNWLA 100
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-39
40
“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛИПЕНЬ - СЕРПЕНЬ 2 009 15 as a reminder that history is popula ted not only by statesmen and warriors but by real people whose lives intersect with those we read about in bio - graphies and textbooks. The old issues, however, are not solely focused on Ukraine’s manifold tragedies. Many are filled with short and interes ting stories that reflect life in the diaspora, items about the UNWLA leaders whose legacy we have inherited, and interesting tidbits about the history of our magazine. Some of these are entertaining as well as enlight - ening. One short item in the 1958 iss ue welcomes then UNWLA President Olena Lototsky home from an extended (“a few months”) visit to Europe, part of which was devoted to inspecting Ukrainian kindergartens in Germany supported by the UNWLA Mother and Child Fun. In the 1959 summer issue, there is a congratulatory message from the UNWLA Executive to I. Rozankowsky for earning a master’s degree in library science. The 1961 issue includes a large photo of the Junior Volleyball Team from Philadelphia, accompanied by a very short write - up in which we are informed that this team had won a UNWLA - sponsored award in 1960. But although we learn that the team lost this award to another in 1961, we are left wondering “ W ell, who won?” The July 1959 issue includes an article by Alexandra Riznyk, a description of her experiences at her very first ever UNWLA convention. The article is upbeat and positive, but the author injects a question that continues to echo as a topic for debate fifty years later. “What about American - born Soyuz i anky? . . . The wonderful art icles in Our Life are lost to these members because of their lack of knowledge of the Ukrainian language.” A letter published in 1962 brings up a different question about the content of Our Life . Written by a Soyu - z i anka from Chicago, it explains, “My 11 - y ear old daughter is too old to enjoy the children’s pages but there is nothing in Our Life to interest young girls and teenagers.” The same issue mentions a UNWLA - sponsored contest aimed at getting new subscribers for the magazine. The winner for the mont h, Maria Wolynetz of Branch 29, had mustered up five. The prize was a free subscription or $5 worth of books published by the UNWLA. International news about Ukrainian women appears now and again. The 1965 issue sports a large photograph and a short artic le about the Ukrainian Women’s Association of France; the 1962 issue includes an article about a Ukrainian women’s organization in Leicester, England, which had h eld a contest for embroidered clothing for children. The article is illustrated with a photo o f the first prize winners — two cute kids (Natalie and Helen) in white silk dresses with embroidered hemlines. One can’t help wondering where they are and what they are doing 37 years later. Our Lif e’s international connection offers other interesting oddit ies. The front inside cover of 1960 lists the price for annual subscriptions in currency that no longer exist s and denominations that are almost painfully amusing : $4 in the United States, 1¼ pound sterling in England, 2 pounds sterling in Australia, and 9 00 francs in France. Press Fund acknowledgments are also fun to peruse. The total for July 1955 was $29.50. The total for July 1958 was $42. In July 1959, no doubt because the magazine was celebrating its 15th anniversary, the total leapt to a whopping $6 70. Our Life of yore, like our current issues, also featured articles and reports from Regional Councils and branches. And so I ended my excursion into the past by reading two articles from Philadelphia’s Branch 43, the branch my mother once belonged to (b efore she joined Philadelphia’s Branch 90). The first of these, in the 1961 July issue, is a cut and dry report about the annual meeting and elections, subcategorized with bold headings that very officially announce the date of the meeting, the person open ing the meeting, those presiding over the meeting, the person reading the minutes of the meeting, the reports of individual board members, reports of branch activities, report of the auditing commissions, and a list of the new board members. End story. The Branch 43 article of the following July (1962) was much more entertaining, an engaging piece about an excursion to New York City with wonderful descriptions of adventures at sites of interest. You read and imagine these women, all elegantly coiffed and ga rbed in suits and pillbox hats and gloves (of course), visiting the UN and wondering if one of the flags flying outside will ever be the blue and yellow of Ukraine. Th en you see them chattering amiably as they enjoy the ferry ride to Lady Liberty, bravely maneuvering the steps of the Empire State Building in high heels, and politely applauding the acrobatic kicks of the Rockett e s. And then you smile. — TSC
Page load link
Go to Top
1 
2-3 
4-5 
6-7 
8-9 
10-11 
12-13 
14-15 
16-17 
18-19 
20-21 
22-23 
24-25 
26-27 
28-29 
30-31 
32-33 
34-35 
36-37 
38-39 
40 
