Danylo Husar Struk

[Maxim Tarnawsky]

        PRESS RELEASE



        Professor Danylo Husar Struk, 1940–1999

        Professor Danylo Husar Struk, age 59, passed away unexpectedly and
prematurely on Saturday, 19 June 1999 in Munich, Germany during a summer
sojourn in Europe. 
        Danylo Struk was born on 5 April 1940 in L'viv. He grew up in New Jersey,
where he became an active member of the Ukrainian scouting fraternity
Burlaky. After graduating with a B.A. degree from Harvard University in
1963, he moved to Edmonton to study at the University of Alberta. There he
received his M.A. in Ukrainian literature in 1964. That year he began the
Ph.D. program in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the
University of Toronto. In 1970 he successfully defended his Ph.D.
dissertation on the Galician modernist writer Vasyl Stefanyk. From 1967 to
1999 Dr. Struk taught Ukrainian language courses and graduate and
undergraduate courses in Ukrainian literature at the University of Toronto.
He became a full professor at the University in 1981.
        In 1982 Prof. Struk succeeded Prof. George S. N. Luckyj as the managing
editor of the Encyclopedia of Ukraine project at the University of Toronto.
In 1989 he became the encyclopedia's editor in chief. That publication was
prepared in collaboration with Prof. Volodymyr Kubijovy  and other members
of the Shevchenko Scientific Society (NTSh) with the financial assistance
of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS), the Canadian
Foundation for Ukrainian Studies, the Government of Canada, and the
provincial governments of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.
Five volumes of the encyclopedia were published by the University of
Toronto Press in 1984, 1988, and 1993. 
        From 1982 Prof. Struk also served as an associate director of the CIUS in
charge of its Toronto office, which houses the editorial offices of the
Encyclopedia of Ukraine, the CIUS Press, the Journal of Ukrainian Studies,
and a branch of the Peter Jacyk Centre for Ukrainian Historical Research.
Until his death, Prof. Struk oversaw the preparation of subsequent, still
unpublished, volumes of the encyclopedia by scholars in the West and
Ukraine. For his scholarly contributions, he was elected a full member of
the NTSh in 1988 and a foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences
of Ukraine in 1992. In May 1997 he also became the president of the west
European chapter of the NTSh. From that time on he devoted much effort to
transforming the NTSh complex in Sarcelles near Paris into the principal
Ukrainian-studies centre in western Europe. 
        Prof. Struk still had great plans, particularly to continue preparing and
publishing further volumes of the Encyclopedia of Ukraine. In September
1999 he was to become the chairman of the University of Toronto's
Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures for five years, and he hoped
that during his chairmanship he would be able to secure the future
existence of the Ukrainian language and literature program at that
university. With his death, Ukrainian studies at the University of Toronto,
the CIUS, and the NTSh have experienced a major loss. 
        Danylo Husar Struk will be sorely missed not only by his wife Oksana, his
mother Daria Husar, his sister—the artist Natalka Husar,
daughter—Boryslava, stepdaughter—Tetiana, his sons—Ostap and Luka,
stepsons—Andrij and Julian, daughters-in-laws—Zirka, Iryna, and Kim,
son-in-law—Andrij and granddaughter Yaryna, but also by his many friends
and colleagues in Canada, the United States, France, England, Germany,
Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, and Australia. We extend our heartfelt
condolences to all of them. Vichna iomu pam'iat! 



        On Friday, July 2, 1999 a Memorial Tribute to the late Danylo Husar Struk
will be held on the grounds of the University of Toronto, in the Chapel of
Emmanuel College, 75 Queen's Park, at 7:30 PM. The family of the deceased
invites everyone who wishes to help pay tribute to the memory of this
outstanding scholar, teacher and tireless worker for the cause of Ukrainian
scholarship. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that friends make
donations to the Danylo H. Struk Fund at the Canadian Foundation for
Ukrainian Studies, 2336A Bloor Street West, Suite 202, Toronto, Ontario,
M6S 1P3.

        In memory of Professor Danylo Husar Struk, the Canadian Institute of
Ukrainian Studies is establishing the Danylo Husar Struk Programme in
Ukrainian Literature at the Toronto office of CIUS. The programme will
eventually develop into a major centre for research and publishing in the
field of Ukrainian Literature.
        The primary aim of the Danylo Husar Struk Programme in Ukrainian
Literature is to enlarge the familiarity with Ukrainian literature in the
English speaking world. The Programme will work toward this goal by
sponsoring research, scholarly writing, translating and other activities.
It will organize workshops, public lectures and readings. It seeks to
sponsor research stays and visits to Toronto by scholars, writers and
translators. In special tribute to Professor Struk, it will organize an
annual public lecture named the Danylo Husar Struk Memorial Lecture, by a
distinguished scholar, critic or writer.

_____________________________
Maxim Tarnawsky,  tarn at chass.utoronto.ca   (Ìàêñèì Òàðíàâñüêèé)
Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press
Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures
University of Toronto,  21 Sussex Avenue.   Toronto, Ont. M5S 1A1
tel: 416-978-8240;       FAX: 416-978-2672;       http://www.utoronto.ca/cius