Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation
Ukrainian Rochester collection
Pylyshenko, Wolodymyr Mirko
D.381
/repositories/2/resources/1027
22 box(es)
1900-2005
English
, Ukrainian
.
Biographical / Historical note
The Ukrainian Rochester Collection is the largest collection of primary and secondary source material in New York State documenting the Ukrainian-American Community in Rochester and Monroe County, New York. The collection was compiled by Wolodymyr (Mirko) Pylyshenko (see biographical note) and is comprised of approximately 25 cubic feet of materials, including records and minutes from a variety of Rochester-area Ukrainian churches, clubs, schools, and veterans and fraternal organizations; books and magazines published by Rochester-area Ukrainians; family histories, personal memoirs, photographs, fliers and event programs: photographs and ephemera.
The Ukrainian-American Community of Greater Rochester consists of approximately 15,000 to 20,000 residents. They came from Ukraine to America in search of economic, political, religious, and social freedom. Their immigration history is especially complex because Ukraine was at various times occupied by Austria, Russia, Hungary, Romania, and Poland; and as the new immigrants arrived in the United States they were consequently registered as Austrians, Russians, Hungarians, Romanians, and Poles.
The majority of Ukrainians came in four waves:
- 1900-1914: Before WWI, mainly from Austro-Hungarian Empire
- 1918-1939: Before WWII, mainly from Poland (Western Ukraine)
- 1947-1965: Displaced Persons from the whole of Ukraine
- 1987-2005: Pentecostals and Baptists from the whole of Ukraine and USSR
Although each wave of Ukrainian immigrants came to the United States for different reasons and sometimes had different goals, they shared traditions, culture, language and a sense of community and common values. At different times, the Ukrainian -American community in Rochester organized its activities in different ways: for example in the 1950's there were seven Ukrainian clubs and one Ukrainian church; in 2006 there are seven Ukrainian churches and only one Ukrainian club. More than 50 organizations have served the Rochester Ukrainian-American community; these groups have included political, religious, business, professional, sports, women's, youth, educational, veterans', reading, and dance clubs and organizations. As individuals and through their organizations, Ukrainian Americans have made major contributions to the culture, social life, and business activities of the Greater Rochester community.
The Ukrainian Rochester Collection is an attempt to gather, organize, and annotate the surviving records of the community in an archive that will preserve the history of the first 100 years of Ukrainian-American life in Rochester and make its activities understandable to future generations.
Related Archival Materials
Wolodymyr (Mirko) Pylyshenko was born in Ukraine in 1934 to Wasyl Pylyshenko and Halyna Lopuchowycz Pylyshenko. During World War II his family lived in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and then in Displaced Persons Camps in Germany after 1945. In 1950, at the age of 15, Pylyshenko and his parents immigrated to the United States, joining the Ukrainian-American community in Rochester, New York, which had existed since 1900. Both of his parents were heavily involved in the Ukrainian community, church life, and politics.
Pylyshenko studied fine arts at Rochester Institute of Technology, where he received a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in 1958 and Master's of Fine Arts in 1964. He subsequently taught art at Rochester Institute of Technology, the University of Rochester, Irondequoit's Ridgewood Junior High School, and the Memorial Art Gallery before joining the faculty at the State University of New York, College at Brockport, where he taught art for 36 years and served as Chairman of the Department of Art and Art History for 10 years.
While at SUNY Brockport, Pylyshenko also offered courses in Ukrainian culture and history, and presented special lectures on Ukraine in political science and history courses. In 1979, he was an Exchange International Scholar at Moscow State University, and he taught at Kyiv Mohyla Academy University in 1996. President Jimmy Carter appointed Pylyshenko as an advisor to the Human Rights Committee in 1980.
From his youth, Pylyshenko was extremely active in more than 25 religious, political, social, educational, and professional organizations in the Ukrainian-American community. This included membership in the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences, the T. Shevchenko Scientific Society, the Ukrainian American Association of University Professors, and service on the Board of Directors of the Ukrainian Museum in New York City and as Chair of the Rochester Fund for Harvard University's endowed chairs of Ukrainian Studies. He also was a Charter Member of the Western Monroe Historical Society, a Trustee of the Irondequoit Public Library, and the Director of the Ukrainian Credit Union Library.
For over 40 years, Pylyshenko and his family have hosted scores of Ukrainian artists, poets, academics, and political figures during their visits to the United States. In that period he also made more than 35 trips to Ukraine and visited Ukrainian minorities in Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, and Germany.
Orysia Pylyshenko and Katya Kolcio are the daughters of Mirko and Irma Pylyshenko.
Sources of Additional Information
For additional background information on the Rochester Ukrainian Community, researchers may wish to review the following published histories and magazine, which are included in the collection:
- Bratush. James D. Historical Documentary of the Ukrainian Community of Rochester, New York. Rochester, N.Y., 1973. 581 pp. Illus. (English)
- Hawrylak, Walter. Free Cossacks: Anniversary Jubilee Book of the Ukrainian Civic Center. Toronto, 1970. 352 pp. Illus. (Ukrainian with an English summary)
- The Ukrainian Federal Credit Union magazine also has documented the major activities of the Ukrainian-American community since 1955.
Access
The Ukrainian Rochester Collection is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Books, Special Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Professor Pylyshenko is grateful to Christine L. Ridarsky, consulting Archivist, for her assistance and James Leach, DHP, Regional Library Council for his suggestions, and thanks Anne Kornylo, Irondequoit-Poltava Sister Cities Council president, Tamara Denysenko CEO of Ukrainian Federal Credit Union and Dr. Mark Anderson for their help and encouragement.
The description and arrangement of the Ukrainian Rochester Collection was subsidized by Documentary Heritage Program Grant provided by the New York State Education Department for 2005/2006.
The materials in Box 5a: St. Josaphat's Addendum and Box 20: Arts, Culture, and Education Addendum were donated by Carol Hackshaw (née Krajowsky) in August 2011 and June 3, 2011 respectively.
Use
In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
[Item title, item date], Ukrainian Rochester Collection, D.381, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Ukrainians
New York (State)--Rochester
New York (State)--Monroe County
Series I: Ukrainian authors of Rochester and Rochester imprints/repositories/2/archival_objects/1843911952-1992These have been cataloged and shelved in the Rare Books collection under the call no. F130.51.U5.Series II: Rochester Ukrainian collection vertical file/repositories/2/archival_objects/184392ArrangementFolders are arranged chronologically within boxes
Vertical file/repositories/2/archival_objects/1844251900-19601Vertical file/repositories/2/archival_objects/1844261961-19822Vertical file/repositories/2/archival_objects/1844271983-19983Vertical file/repositories/2/archival_objects/1844281999-20054Series III: Ukrainian Rochester community organizations/repositories/2/archival_objects/184393Subseries I: St. Josaphat's Ukrainian Catholic Church/repositories/2/archival_objects/1843961909-2005Ukrainian English liturgy and psalter/repositories/2/archival_objects/18447151Holy Name Society/repositories/2/archival_objects/18447252Anniversaries, dedications, and jubilees/repositories/2/archival_objects/18447353-5Bulletins/repositories/2/archival_objects/18447656-7Annual financial statements/repositories/2/archival_objects/1844785875th anniversary/repositories/2/archival_objects/1844795950th and 90th anniversaries/repositories/2/archival_objects/184480510Dedication history/repositories/2/archival_objects/184481511Miscellaneous/repositories/2/archival_objects/184482512Memorial cards/repositories/2/archival_objects/1844831943-20035a1-2Priests/repositories/2/archival_objects/1844851881-19905a3St. Josaphat's golden jubilee/repositories/2/archival_objects/18448619595a4Ukrainian holy pictures/repositories/2/archival_objects/1844875a5St. Josaphat's Ukrainian Catholic Church seventy-fifth anniversary, 1909-1984/repositories/2/archival_objects/184488212 page(s)5aSt. Josaphat's Ukrainian Catholic Church, dedication and history book/repositories/2/archival_objects/184489184 page(s)19795aSubseries II: Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Epiphany (UCCE) and St. Nicholas Autocephalous Orthodox Church in USA/repositories/2/archival_objects/184408UCCE miscelleneous records/repositories/2/archival_objects/18449061UCCE Weekly bulletins/repositories/2/archival_objects/18449162UCCE newsletters/repositories/2/archival_objects/18449263UCCE history and anniversaries/repositories/2/archival_objects/18449364UCCE annual reports/repositories/2/archival_objects/1844941967-1969, 1971-199465-13St. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church, sale and closing statements/repositories/2/archival_objects/184503614St. Nicholas Church, publications/repositories/2/archival_objects/184504615St. Nicholas Church, minutes/repositories/2/archival_objects/184505616Subseries III: St. Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church/repositories/2/archival_objects/184409Constitution and bylaws/repositories/2/archival_objects/18450671History of St. Mary's Church A/repositories/2/archival_objects/184507198572Scope and ContentsUnpublished
History of St. Mary's Church B/repositories/2/archival_objects/184508198573Scope and ContentsUnpublished
Publications/repositories/2/archival_objects/18450974-5Budgets/financial reports/repositories/2/archival_objects/18451176Annual meetings/reports/repositories/2/archival_objects/18451277Bulletins/repositories/2/archival_objects/18451378-9St. Mary's sisterhood/repositories/2/archival_objects/184515710St. Michael brotherhood of St. Mary's/repositories/2/archival_objects/184516711St. Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church weekly bulletins/repositories/2/archival_objects/1844331977-February 19, 19891819Subseries IV: Slavic Pentecostal Churches/repositories/2/archival_objects/184412Slavic Pentecostal Church, W. Ridge Road, Greece/repositories/2/archival_objects/18451781Evangelic Word (bulletin of Slavic Pentecostal Church), numbers 1-39/repositories/2/archival_objects/18451882-8First Ukrainian Christian Pentecostal Church, High St., Fairport/repositories/2/archival_objects/18452589Ukrainian Christian Pentecostal Church, Sobiesky St., Rochester/repositories/2/archival_objects/184526810Subseries V: Youth organizations/repositories/2/archival_objects/184397Ukrainian American Youth Organization (SUMA)/repositories/2/archival_objects/18452791-2Ukrainian Youth League of North America/repositories/2/archival_objects/18452993Organization of Democratic Ukrainian Youth (ODUM)/repositories/2/archival_objects/18453094Plast Ukrainian Youth Organization - Publications: anniversary programs and invitations/repositories/2/archival_objects/18453195Plast Ukrainian Youth Organization - Publications/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845321958-196196Plast Ukrainian Youth Organization - Publications: "Viking"/repositories/2/archival_objects/18453319651 issue97Plast Ukrainian Youth Organization - Publications: "Slidamy Rozban"/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845341970-19723 issues98Plast Ukrainian Youth Organization - Publications: miscellenous Plast/repositories/2/archival_objects/18453599Ukrainian Youth Organization - Scouts/repositories/2/archival_objects/184536910Miscellaneous publications on Rochester Sea Scouting/repositories/2/archival_objects/184537911-12Subseries VI: Clubs and fraternal organizations/repositories/2/archival_objects/184398Ukrainian National Home/repositories/2/archival_objects/184539101Ukrainian Workers Club and Ukrainian American League/repositories/2/archival_objects/184540102Ukrainian West Side Club/repositories/2/archival_objects/184541103Ukrainian Civic Center - Bylaws/repositories/2/archival_objects/184542104Ukrainian Civic Center - Anniversary bulletins/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845431930's-1970's105-9Ukrainian Civic Center - Concert and dance programs/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845481010Ukrainian Civic Center - Miscellaneous/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845491011Ukrainian National Association/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845501012Ukrainian Workingmen's Association (UWA)/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845511950's-1970's1013-14Ukrainian Workingmen's Association Youth Organization/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845531015Ukrainian Fraternal Association (formerly UWA)/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845541016Ukrainian American Club/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845551017United Ukrainian American Organizations of Rochester/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845561018Organization for the Rebirth of Ukraine/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845571019Organization of Four Freedoms in Ukraine/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845581020-21Subseries VII: Veterans organizations/repositories/2/archival_objects/184399Lists of war veterans/repositories/2/archival_objects/184560111Ukrainian National Army (Brotherhood of Former Combatants of First Ukrainian Division of Ukrainian National Army, Rochester, NY, branch) - Minute book/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845611957-September 24, 1961112Ukrainian National Army - Minute book/repositories/2/archival_objects/184562December 12, 1961-May 20, 1975113Ukrainian National Army - Minutes and membership book/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845631958-1972114Ukrainian National Army - Correspondence/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845641977115Ukrainian National Army - Anniversary bulletins/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845651960's-2000's116-10Ukrainian National Army - Miscellaneous/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845701111Ukrainian Insurgents Army Veterans in Rochester/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845711112American Legion, John Onufryk Post 1590/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845721113Petro Jarish Papers - Treasurer's book, Organization of Ukrainian WWI Soldiers/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845731965-19821114Immediate Source of AcquisitionDonated by a niece
Petro Jarish Papers - Correspondence, etc. (related to Organization of Ukrainian WWI Soldiers)/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845741115Subseries VIII: Arts, culture, and education/repositories/2/archival_objects/184400Harvard Center for Ukrainian Studies, Rochester Chapter, donor records/repositories/2/archival_objects/184575121-4Harvard Center for Ukrainian Studies, Rochester Chapter, ledger book/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845791962-1976, 1978-1993125-6Harvard Center for Ukrainian Studies, Rochester Chapter, financial reports/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845811987-1990127Harvard Center for Ukrainian Studies, Rochester Chapter, miscellaneous/repositories/2/archival_objects/184582128News of Harvard Center for Ukrainian Studies, Rochester Chapter/repositories/2/archival_objects/184583129("Visti Kond Katedry Ukrainoznaystva")/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845841978-19834 issues1210Ukrainian Saturday T. Shevchenko School/repositories/2/archival_objects/184585131Miscellaneous/repositories/2/archival_objects/184586132Choirs and dances/repositories/2/archival_objects/184587133Programs/repositories/2/archival_objects/184588134Olehkrysa concerts/repositories/2/archival_objects/184589135Irondequoit-Poltava Sister Cities/repositories/2/archival_objects/184590136Human rights and defense of Valentyn Moroz Committees/repositories/2/archival_objects/184591137Chernobyl Committee/repositories/2/archival_objects/184592138Columbia Viva-Tonal recordings in green album, Ukrainian marriage song and polkas/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845936 recordings201Columbia Viva-Tonal recordings in brown album, Ukrainian baptism ceremonial song/repositories/2/archival_objects/1845944 recordings202Subseries IX: Business/repositories/2/archival_objects/184401Rochester Ukrainian Federal Credit Union, Bulletins (numbers 1-65) and quarterly reports/repositories/2/archival_objects/184595July 1955-January 1970141-8Rochester Ukrainian Federal Credit Union, Bulletin numbers 59-65/repositories/2/archival_objects/184603April 1970-October 1971141Rochester Ukrainian Federal Credit Union, Opinion, Quarterly magazine (numbers 66-135)/repositories/2/archival_objects/1844431972-July 1989151-7Rochester Ukrainian Federal Credit Union, Opinion, Quarterly magazine (numbers 136-195)/repositories/2/archival_objects/184444October 1989-2005161-8Ukrainian business companies and people/repositories/2/archival_objects/184619171Ukrainian-American Business and Professional Association (Rochester Ukrainian Group - RUG)/repositories/2/archival_objects/184620172-4Ukrainian National Women's League of America, chapters 46-47, 120, and joint chapter activities/repositories/2/archival_objects/184623175-8Ukrainian Gold Cross/repositories/2/archival_objects/184627179St. Anne Society (associated w/ St. Josaphat Church)/repositories/2/archival_objects/1846281710Ukrainian sports/repositories/2/archival_objects/1846291711Ukrainian sports - Zenon Snylyk/repositories/2/archival_objects/1846301712Ukrainian American Sports Club of Rochester/repositories/2/archival_objects/1846311713Letterheads and stamps/repositories/2/archival_objects/1846321714Invitations, programs, celebrations, and tickets/repositories/2/archival_objects/1846331715-16Notebook/repositories/2/archival_objects/1846351922211Stockbook/repositories/2/archival_objects/184636early 1930's212Receipts found inside stockbook/repositories/2/archival_objects/184637early 1930's213Ledger/repositories/2/archival_objects/1846381936214National diary of 1929, entries made from 1935-1953/repositories/2/archival_objects/184639215Stockbook/repositories/2/archival_objects/1846401935-1945216Free Cossacks Ukrainian People's House, charter/repositories/2/archival_objects/184449written 1927, adopted 19371Free Cossacks Ukrainian People's House, meeting minutes/repositories/2/archival_objects/18445019212Commonwealth Ukrainian People's House, meeting minutes/repositories/2/archival_objects/1844511949-19543