Erast Huculak
On Saturday, 2 March 2013, the Ukrainian community lost Dr. Erast Huculak - a tireless community leader dedicated to supporting Ukraine and Ukrainian culture; a generous philanthropist nationally and internationally; a family man; a great man.
Born in Rivne, Ukraine in 1930, Erast experienced the trauma of World War II. He and his family lived in a displaced persons camp in Berchtesgaden Germany after the war, then immigrated to Canada in 1948, starting a new life in Vancouver. In his autobiography, he writes of coming to Canada as a teenager, speaking only his mother tongue and carrying a wooden suitcase containing all his worldly possessions.
Erast completed a degree in Pharmacy in Vancouver, then moved to Oshawa, Ontario where he established the first Medical Pharmacy. This company grew to a chain of some 27 pharmacies and became the largest provider of pharmaceuticals to long term care facilities in Canada. In addition to serving as President and Chairman of the Board of his pharmaceutical company, he established a growing family and dedicated his energies to many Ukrainian organizations in Ontario. He was a long-time leader in the Plast Ukrainian Youth Association. He served as President of the Canadian Friends of Rukh for Canada, founded the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund, and was active in other organizations.
As Dr. Huculak's business became more successful, his philanthropic activities increased. He always remembered his Ukrainian roots. In 1989 he established the Huculak Chair of Ukrainian Culture and Ethnography, the first endowed professorial Chair in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta. The Huculak Chair is a key component of a strong Ukrainian studies profile in Edmonton. He purchased a building for the first Ukrainian Embassy in Canada and donated 550 acres of land in the Durham Region to create a park. More recently, he and his wife Yarmila gifted the Toronto Branch of Plast with a beautiful new building for their activities. His generous financial contributions have supported the Ukrainian Canadian Congress for Holodomor-Genocide information, the Ostroh University in Ukraine, and political organizations working to support independent Ukraine. He was a personal friend of three Ukrainian Presidents.
Erast Huculak was a friend to people from all walks of life and enjoyed being a family man and spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. He loved to travel, to laugh and to make others laugh with him.
Dr. Huculak was awarded the the Taras Shevchenko Medal in 1995, the highest honour that the Ukrainian Canadian Congress can bestow. In addition, he received the Ukrainian President's Medal of Merit 3rd degree in 1996, and the President's Medal of Merit 2nd degree in 2001. The University of Alberta recognized him with an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree in 2001. He served as Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Canada from 2005. He became a Fellow of the Order of Canada in 2006. More recently Dr. Huculak received a medal from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Prince Ostroh Gold Medal from the Ostroh Academy (2011) and the Plast Order of "Eternal Fire" in gold, the Markian Okhrymowych Humanitarian Award, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Just weeks before his passing, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Ukrainian Free University in Munich.
In his autobiography My Wooden Suitcase - A Memoir, Dr. Huculak shares his philosophy regarding philanthropy: "Help others, and that goodwill will return to you a hundredfold. This is truly how I've tried to live my life." His philosophy has benefited many and his legacy will live on.
He was a man of great generosity and vision and will truly be missed. Vichnaia pam'iat.