April 27 marked the 55th anniversary of the death of a prominent representative of the Bukovinian diaspora, a diplomat, public and political figure, scholar, lecturer, and one of the creators of the Ukrainian national revival - Roman Smal-Stotsky.

On this occasion, a memorial evening dedicated to the memory of the Bukovinian was held in the exhibition of the "Bukovinian Diaspora" department.

The son of the renowned Ukrainian linguist, historian, and educator Stepan Smal-Stotsky, Roman fully realised himself as a political figure who made a significant contribution to preserving Ukrainian identity in emigration. The period of his active political, public, and educational activities coincided with Ukraine's struggle for independence. And such people always posed a huge danger and threat to opponents of a free and independent Ukraine. Olexandr Dobrzhansky, Dean of the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor at Chernivtsi National University (ChNU), spoke about the life and work of the diplomat and scholar. He emphasised that such a prominent figure deserves the respect and attention of contemporaries, and his activities and achievements, especially in such difficult times, are essential for study.

Even in his youth, during the First World War, Roman Smal-Stotsky was an active member of the Union for the Liberation of Ukraine, participating in the organisation of cultural and educational activities for Ukrainians in prisoner-of-war camps in Germany. The work carried out in such camps at that time was extremely important both for maintaining the morale of the prisoners and for fostering their awareness of being part of the Ukrainian nation. Tetiana Minaieva, head of the "Modern History" department, spoke about this stage in Roman Smal-Stotsky's life.

In late 1918, Roman Smal-Stotsky was appointed diplomatic representative of the West Ukrainian People's Republic (ZUNR) in Berlin. After the Act of Unification of the ZUNR with the Ukrainian People's Republic (UNR) in January 1919, he became an advisor, and in 1921, an ambassador at the UNR embassy in Berlin. Roman held this position until the embassy's closure in March 1923, after which he moved to Prague where he became a professor at the Ukrainian Free University.

From late 1924 until the beginning of the Second World War, Roman Smal-Stotsky held the position of professor of Ukrainian linguistics at Warsaw University and secretary of the Ukrainian Scientific Institute in Warsaw, as well as being the editor of its publishing house. Concurrently, he held various positions in the UNR government in exile, including UNR ambassador to the Polish government, Minister of Culture, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Vice Prime Minister. From 1926–1939 (and also in 1946–1947), he chaired the Promethean League. Roman Smal-Stotsky considered Russian Bolshevism to be the greatest enemy of Ukrainian nationhood, and therefore initiated the League of Peoples Enslaved by Moscow, which included representatives from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Crimea, Kuban, Karelia, and others.

Unfortunately, the museum does not possess original documents or works by Roman Smal-Stotsky, but archives and, of course, libraries also contribute to preserving the memory of prominent individuals. Larisa Vornik, Chief Librarian of the ChNU Scientific Library, presented a unique collection of works, among which is Roman Smal-Stotsky's book "The Ukrainian Language in Soviet Ukraine," published in Warsaw in 1936. It is preserved in Vasyl Symovych's archive and contains an inscription from Roman Smal-Stotsky!

With the opening of KGB archives, new interesting facts have come to light, demonstrating the significant role played by the Bukovinian in the establishment of Ukrainian statehood.

After the Second World War, with a new wave of Ukrainian emigration, Smal-Stotsky fully demonstrated his abilities as a scholar and organiser. From 1947, he lived in the USA. In 1955, he became president of the Main Council of Scientific Societies named after T. Shevchenko, and from 1957, he headed the Scientific Society named after T. Shevchenko in the USA. For a long time, he worked as a professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He founded a Slavic institute at this university, which Roman Smal-Stotsky led until his death in 1969. Larisa Vornik presented Roman Smal-Stotsky's book from Arkady Zukovsky's library, published in that very city in 1952, titled "The National Problem of the Soviet Union and Russian Communist Imperialism."

In 1964, Roman Smal-Stotsky became the Head of the Shevchenko Monument Committee (SMC) in Washington. The odyssey that the Ukrainian community in America had to undertake at that time is extremely interesting and deserves a separate article. Thanks to the coordinated work of the team led by Roman Smal-Stotsky and the entire Ukrainian community, a large sum of money was collected and extensive work was carried out in a short period to ensure this monument appeared in the US capital. A copy of a photo testifying to this historical event is preserved in the exhibition of the "Bukovinian Diaspora" department.

Ukraine, the Ukrainian language, and national identity were always paramount for him! Despite being gravely ill, Roman Smal-Stotsky consciously spent a large sum of money, which the Ukrainian community had raised for his treatment, on reissuing his book "The Ukrainian Language in Soviet Ukraine." It was published in 1969.

In the year of his death…