Panchuk, Bohdan Gordon

Panchuk, Bohdan Gordon [Панчук, Богдан; Pančuk], b 8 February 1915 in Meacham, Saskatchewan, Canada, d 20 June 1987 in Montreal, Quebec. Community leader. In 1940 he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was posted in the United Kingdom, where he founded the Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen's Association (UCSA) in 1943. Panchuk became aware of the dimensions of the Ukrainian displaced persons and refugee problem in Europe while serving on the Continent, and mobilized the UCSA’s resources for their assistance. To this end he helped establish the Central Ukrainian Relief Bureau in 1945 and secured Ukrainian support in North America for refugee relief. After serving in the Ukrainian-language section of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s foreign service (1952–5) he taught high school in Montreal (1955–80). His memoirs appeared in 1983 as Heroes of Their Day.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993).]