Duzhyi Yaroslav and Olha

This collection originates from the library of Yaroslav and Olha Duzhyi, Ukrainian-American public figures whose names are widely recognized within the academic and cultural communities of the United States, Ukraine, and Western Europe owing to their many years of philanthropic activity.
The collection comprises 1,141 items representing 571 titles.
Yaroslav Duzhyi (1923–2006) was born in Przemyśl into a family of ten children. After completing his secondary education in 1942, he studied veterinary medicine in Lviv. In 1944, he was arrested by the German authorities following a denunciation and imprisoned in Kraków before being transferred to concentration camps in Germany. Liberated by British forces in April 1945, he subsequently resided in displaced persons camps in Münster, Karlsfeld, and Mittenwald, Bavaria.
In April 1949, he emigrated to the United States and settled in Detroit, where he married Olha Liash in 1952. Beginning in 1953, he worked as a manager at an automobile manufacturing plant. In 1956, he became co-owner and president of the Silectron Corporation. In 1992, he established a company producing radiation-monitoring equipment for nuclear power plants.
Yaroslav Duzhyi was highly respected both as a successful entrepreneur and as an active public figure. He was equally well known as a singer and philanthropist who generously supported artistic groups and individual artists. He performed with the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus of North America and participated in concert tours of Ukraine in 1991 and 1994. In 1994, the Chorus was awarded the Taras Shevchenko State Prize of Ukraine. In 1995, Duzhyi became the owner of a mechanical engineering plant in Horodok near Lviv.
From the earliest days of the revival of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Yaroslav Duzhyi strongly supported the institution and its mission. He was one of its most passionate advocates and inspired others to recognize Ukraine’s need for highly educated and patriotic young people. He took great pride in contributing to the development of the Academy and gratefully accepted the highest distinction of the Mohyla community - the St. Peter Mohyla Medal.
Yaroslav Duzhyi passed away in 2006.

The collection is fully represented in the Electronic Catalogue.
Collection Profile.