Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore is a research institution within the Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta. It is permanently endowed through the generous gifts of Peter and Doris Kule, the Wasyl and Anna Kuryliw family, Erast Huculak, Bohdan Medwidsky and many other visionary community leaders. It was formalized in 2001 and received its current name in 2006, though it is based upon endowments and archives existing since the 1980s.
The centre’s five strategic priorities are to:
» Conduct ground-breaking research in Ukrainian and Canadian folklore studies
» Maintain and grow the Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives
» Support undergraduate and graduate courses in Ukrainian folklore and vernacular culture
» Support researchers and students with scholarships and awards
» Engage with diverse communities through publications, exhibits, lectures, workshops and more.
Peter Kule (then Petro Kuleba) was born in Stratyn in what was the Poland but is now in the Rohatyn district of Ivano-Frankivsk province of Ukraine. He came to Canada with his mother and two brothers on December 28, 1938 through Halifax. At that time, his father already settled in Two Hills, Alberta. Peter completed elementary and intermediate school in Stratyn, and secondary school in Rohatyn. In January 1939 he started in grade 1 in a school in Two Hills, as he didn't know any English, and six months later he finished the school year in grade eight. In 1940, Peter moved to Edmonton, and was trained as an accountant. The training lasted five years, and while studying, he worked as a bus boy at the Hotel MacDonald.
Peter met Doris Radesh in 1943. Doris was born near Boian, Alberta in a family of Ukrainian immigrants Usten and Mary (nee Lupul) Radesh. She was one of ten children. Doris finished nine grades at the school in Boian, and later became an elementary school teacher after teacher training at the University of Alberta. Doris and Peter were married in 1944. Doris worked in rural schools, and then at the Beverly school in Edmonton until her retirement in 1974. Peter opened his office in Edmonton i 1945. In 1950, a Ukrainian friend John Peach joined him and the firm was renamed Kule and Peach. Peach retired in 1977, and Peter was joined by his cousin's son Ken Pasnak. In 1950, Peter started investing in real estate, specifically in hotel business; the investments were successful.
The Kules attended St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral and were active in various community organizations: Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood of Canada (Peter), Ukrainian Catholic Women's League of Canada (Doris), Ukrainian Professional and Businessmen's Club, and many others. Both Peter and Doris received numerous awards for their work, for example, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Peter a Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great in 1993, and he conferred upon Doris the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice.
Peter and Doris supported numerous Ukrainian heritage and religious organizations: Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, Ukrainian Folklore Centre at the University of Alberta, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta, the Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre at Grant MacEwan, Kule Institute of Advanced Studies, and many other.
Doris passed away in Edmonton on March 15, 2020.
Composer and conductor Gary Kulesha (b. 1954, Toronto, Canada) studied piano, music theory and composition at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He later studied composition with John McCabe in London and John Corigliano in New York. As a conductor he is largely self-taught. Kulesha has worked as composer in residence at the Stratford Festival, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Opera Company, and as composer-advisor to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Since 1991 he has been on the music faculty of the University of Toronto. Kulesha’s output includes three symphonies, concertos for violin, cello, winds and brass, numerous orchestral pieces, chamber works for strings, winds, brass and percussion, solo piano works, two operas, art songs, choral works and incidental music. He is married to composer Larysa Kuzmenko.
Dmytro Kupiak (November 06, 1918, Yabloniwka village, Lviv Region, Halychyna - June 13, 1995, Toronto, Canada) was born in a family of Yuriy and Anna (nee Zdrazhil’).
In 1943, Kupiak graduated from the Institute for Trade in Lviv. In 1943-1945, he was a member of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. He immigrated to Canada in 1948 and settled in Edmonton, Alberta. In 1953, he got Canadian citizenship. The same year, 1953, Kupiak married Stefania Khorkava. In 1955, he and his family moved to Toronto, Ontario. In 1972, he ran for the election as a member of the Conservative Party. At that time, he was charged by the Soviet Union with committing war crimes.
Kupiak was a member of the Ukrainian Professional and Business Club, the Canadian Legion, the Knights of Columbus - Sheptytsky Council, the businessmen’s association “Queens-Tavern” and many others. He was the owner of the “Mayfair Inn” and a tavern in Toronto.
Sources:
“Купяк Дмитро.” Марунчак, Михайло. Біографічний довідник до історії українців Канади. Вінніпеґ: Українська Вільна Академія Наук в Канаді, 1986, p. 362-363.