[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 11, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E643-E644]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO JAROSLAW DUZYJ

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 11, 2009

  Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of 
an important community leader and a good friend, Jaroslaw Duzyj, who 
passed away on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 after a long battle with 
Parkinson's disease.
  Mr. Duzyj was a leader of a very strong and vibrant Ukrainian 
community in Michigan, and was a founding member of the Ukrainian 
Cultural Center in Warren, Michigan. He was born in 1923 in Peremysl, 
Ukraine and was one of 10 children. At the age of 19 he was arrested by 
the Nazis and sentenced to death. Miraculously, he survived five Nazi 
concentration camps before being liberated on April 15, 1945.
  Mr. Duzyj immigrated to the United States in 1949 with little money 
and limited ability to speak English. He found work at Ford Motor 
Company and began establishing strong roots in the community. He 
married his beloved wife, Olga and they went on to raise three 
children, and now have seven grandchildren.
  Throughout his life he continuously worked to promote Ukrainian 
causes and also display his love for America. His passion and 
unwavering dedication allowed him to participate in several unique and 
prestigious events. In 1991, he was invited to a personal audience with 
Pope John Paul II, and on his 70th birthday he received the Pro 
Ecclesia et Pontifice medal from the Pope. He also had the distinct 
honor to meet with two sitting U.S. Presidents. In 1984, as former 
president of the Ukrainian-American Republican Association, he chaired 
a reception for President Ronald Reagan at the Ukrainian Cultural 
Center, and was a guest of President Bill Clinton at a state dinner 
honoring the president of the Ukraine.
  Mr. Duzyj also experienced personal success as a business owner, as 
he became co-owner and president of Cylectron, which made high-
precision parts for rocket and aircraft engines. In 1992 he started a 
company called Envotech Systems, which builds mobile laboratories for 
the detection and control of nuclear matter in the environment. In 
1995, he became a partner in Crocus Co. in Ukraine, a company that 
manufactured road building machinery. In 1996, Michigan Governor John

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Engler named him to Michigan's Bilateral Trade Team to the Ukraine.
  Mr. Duzyj cared deeply about higher education. He and Olga donated 
$100,000 to establish a fund at Harvard University to enable the 
Ukrainian Institute to publish significant works on the history of the 
Ukraine. He also published several books about Ukrainian history, 
geography, and the Ukrainian genocide of 1932-33. In 2005 he was 
honored as Ukrainian of the Year by the Ukrainian Graduates of Detroit 
and Windsor for the role he played in the business community, with 
higher education and his church.
  The experiences Mr. Duzyj endured early in life and the triumphs and 
selflessness he displayed through his entire life are truly 
inspirational. Mr. Duzyj is a shining example of what the American 
success story is all about. Today, I join with Mr. Duzyj's family, 
friends and the extended family of the Ukrainian community, in both 
mourning his loss, celebrating his life and honoring him for all the 
good work he did for others.

                          ____________________