John Huk, Vichnaya pam'iat

John Huk

We are sad to share the news of the passing of John Huk, a member of the Ukrainian community in Whitney Pier. The groundbreaking work he did inspired the research that lead to this web portal. In 2009, Mr. Huk was involved with the Ukrainian Dance Exhibit at the Centre for Cape Breton Studies (CCBS) curated by Dr. Marcia Ostashewski. They also worked together over several years on the republication of his book in 2011, in which he wrote about the stories and history of Ukrainians in Cape Breton. Mr. Huk also contributed much of his collection to the Beaton Institute, who worked to support the CCBS when they republished Mr. Huk's book. To purchase a copy of his book, please click on the image to the right.

Here is an excerpt of his obituary taken from the Cape Breton Post, in partnership with In Memorium. For the full text, please click here. Included in this excerpt are many links to Mr. Huk's various collabortions and donations to the web portal and the Beaton Institute. Please click on the highlighted phrases to access the files and information related to his legacy:

In Memorium

John Huk, 85 of Whitney Pier passed away on Sunday, April 10, 2016 at home, surrounded by his family. John was a lifelong resident of Whitney Pier, and member of Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church. John was employed with the Department of Community Services for 32 years. Following his retirement he was able to enjoy his many favourite pastimes. He enjoyed travelling and was able to fulfill his lifelong dream of visiting the Ukraine and exploring his Ukrainian roots. John was devoted to his family and to his Ukrainian community. He was active in the art of Ukrainian dance from a young age. For 35 years he taught his love of dance and his Ukrainian Heritage to countless numbers of young people in the Ukrainian community. John was a founding member of the Ukrainian Catholic Men’s Club and for many years was active in the Ukrainian Choir.

Many knew of John’s passion as an avid reader and writer. He used his passion to chronicle the history of the Ukrainian migration to Nova Scotia, and in particular Cape Breton Island. John’s labour of love was published in a book, Strangers in the Land: The Ukrainian Presence in Cape Breton which was published in 1986. The book was later updated and re-published by the Beaton Institute in 2013 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Holy Ghost Parish. His passion for collecting and preserving the history of the Ukrainian community earned him a place as the church historian. John spent many a day entertaining the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the church’s founding families, many who had left Cape Breton years before. He readily shared stories and the community’s history with local school children, and anyone who wanted to hear.

A lasting legacy to the Ukrainian community has been left through John’s collaboration with the Beaton Institute. A number of years ago, much of John’s collection was gifted to the institute to ensure that the history of the Ukrainian community, the culture and its’ families would live on long into the future.