Myron Shatulsky passed away recently after a life time of cultural activism and commitment to his Ukrainian heritage. He will be remembered as someone deeply embedded in the service to others and resistance to oppression. While he engaged his Ukrainian-Canadian community in many ways, it was his love of music and song that conveyed his passion so poignantly.
Myron was born in the old Grace Hospital and grew up in the fabled North End of Winnipeg. He attended King Edward School, Faraday School and later, Isaac Newton High School. He studied drafting and machine design at the Manitoba Technical Institute.
He took violin lessons at the Bornoff School of music. Later he participated in the String Orchestra at the Ukrainian Labour Temple (ULT) and was a member of the Isaac Newton High School Student Orchestra.
In 1950, he received a scholarship from the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians (AUUC) to study in Kyiv, Ukraine. After completing three years of studies at the Conservatory of Music and Choreographic Institute in 1950 he returned to Winnipeg. There he worked as a choir and orchestra conductor and folk-dance instructor. In 1967 he worked for a short time as a machine design draftsman for Winnipeg Motor Coach Industries.
When he and Olga moved to Toronto in 1968 he worked for Stanley A. Grant designing crests. There he became an associate conductor of the Shevchenko Male Chorus and Toronto Mandolin Orchestra. In 1970 this group made a successful concert tour of Ukraine.
In 1972 Myron and Olga moved to Vancouver - Coquitlam where Myron worked for Morgan Power Operations. During his time he wrote the book “The Ukrainian Folk Dance,” published in 1980. Myron's book was highly significant to the development of Ukrainian dance in Canada and his work “Canada Suite” incorporated elements of traditional First Nations dance.
In the summer of 1984, Myron and Olga moved back to Winnipeg and in 1993 Myron took over the conducting of the Winnipeg String Orchestra. He also organized a mandolin quintet playing the Mandola. After ten years the quintet held its final concert in 2004. Here he carried on the legacy of his father who was instrumental in starting the AUUC in the 1920’s.
Dr. Nolan Reilly remembers Myron and reflects on his impact on the recorded history of the Labour Temple and the AUUC. “I spend many hours fascinated by his story telling and I loved taking friends from all over to the ULT to meet him.
“I was thinking of my many hours in the hall with Myron when I spoke at the re-opening of the hall several years ago. My emotions were such I had a very difficult time speaking. It was so very sad knowing my vibrant, talented, and caring friend was slipping away and couldn’t join us that day. The world was out of order. I should have been introducing Myron, as I had done many times before, to speak of the history of the hall and community that he loved deeply.”
He also was instrumental in establishing the Canadian Society for Ukrainian Labour Research and the Ukrainian Labour Temple Foundation.
His wife of 67 years, Olga and nephew Rudi were by his side at Fred Douglas Lodge, Evergreen when he passed away quietly. He leaves behind, his sister-in-laws, Mary Semanowich, Lucy Nykolyshyn and their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
