Yaroslava Plaviuk

Yaroslava Plaviuk (née: Boyko; March 24, 1926, Bila, Ternopil Raion) is active in the Ukrainian women's movement. She is an honorary member of the Ukrainian Women's Society named after Olena Teliha and a member of the Olha Basarab Women's Society. As the wife of Mykola Plaviuk, she held the role of First Lady of Ukraine from 1989 to 1992.

Yaroslava Plaviuk Ярослава Плав'юк
First Lady of Ukraine in the exile
In role 1989–1992
President	Mykola Plaviuk
Preceded by	Helga Livytska
Succeeded by	Antonina Kravchuk
Personal details
Born	Yaroslava Boyko March 24, 1926 Bila, Ternopil Raion, Ukraine
Spouse(s)	Mykola Plaviuk
Children	Orest, Nestor, Ulana, Oksana
Occupation	Former First Lady of Ukraine

Biography

Yaroslava Boyko was born in Bila, Ternopil Raion, Ukraine on March 24, 1926. By 1945 she was in the camp for Displaced Persons in US Allied-occupied Germany Karlsfeld near Munich. In 1946 she graduated from the Ukrainian Gymnasium in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany.[1]

In 1948 she married Mykola Plaviuk in Munich; they had two sons, Orest and Nestor, and two daughters, Ulyan and Oksana.[2] In 1949 they moved to Montreal in Canada.[3]

Her husband took up several political roles, including the head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, the Secretary-General and the President of the Ukrainian World Congress. In 1989 he became the last president of the Ukrainian People's Republic in the exile, making Yaroslava the First Lady of Ukraine.[4]

Cultural work

Yaroslava Plaviuk made a significant contribution to the formation of self-consciousness in order to support the national idea of Ukrainians abroad and at home, and to preserve the cultural heritage of Ukraine. She is one of the organizers of nominal scholarships for Ukrainian students and orphans from the Montreal Department of the Public Service of Ukrainian Canadians "Help Ukraine", where she constantly cares for the victims of the Chernobyl disaster.

She patronizes the Ivanovo district organization of the Olena Teliha Women's Society.[5] She is actively involved in arranging sponsorship for the annual Ukrainian literary and artistic competition for the best performance of Olena Telihi's works "To continue to go one way", held among the students and students of Ukraine.

In 2013, Yaroslava Plaviuk transferred to the Central State CinePhotoPhono Archives of Ukraine material related to the musical heritage of composer Bogdan Vesolovsky and singer Antin Derbysh.[6][7]

On January 21, 2018, Yaroslava Plaviuk spoke at events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Ukrainian People's Republic in Toronto. She called to preserve the independence of Ukraine and to build a strong democratic European country.[8]

Awards

• Certificate of honor of Mayor of Kyiv
• Order of the Archangel Michael of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate

References

1. COMMEMORATIVE BOOK Of UКRAINIAN GYМNAZIUM IN BERCHTESGADEN North Port, Florida - 1997
2. Plavyuk, M. Ukraine is my life. From a son of peasant to statesman. Maria Fisher-Slyzh Library (Ukrainian life in Sevastopol)
3. Відійшов у вічність лицар українського патріотичного духу – Микола Плав’юк 03/21/2012
4. Dukh, Yarema (2008-04-09). Микола Плав'юк: "Май амбіцію не бути пересічним...". Plast (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
5. Presidential wife (notes to the portrait)
6. Archival materials returned and transferred to Ukraine in 1993-2015
7. Слово Просвіти 11 (700), 14—20 березня 2013
8. Століття Української Народної Республіки відзначено в Торонто / Consulate General of Ukraine in Toronto є на Facebook 21.01.2018