John and Julia Stashuk scholarship
John Stashuk (1923-1993) and Julia Stashuk were great friends to many people in the B.C. Ukrainian community and the lower mainland community at large. Originally from Winnipeg, they moved to Vancouver in 1946 to raise their family of four sons. They were married for 47 years and cheerfully contributed decades of volunteer services to build and maintain the local Ukraine community.
John was instrumental in the formation of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) Provincial Council in 1990, and subsequently served as its president until his death.
During the 1970s and 1980s John held several key leadership positions in such organizations as the UCC-Vancouver, the Ukrainian Professional and Business Association, and the Canadian Foundation of Ukrainian Studies, of which he was a founding director.
John was a distinguished spokesman for the Ukrainian community, serving as a member of the Advisory Council on Multiculturalism for the Government of B.C. in 1988, where he worked with the government, business and other ethic community leaders to ensure a strong presence for the Ukrainian community within B.C. Multicultural mosaic.
John's 35-year career as a registered Industrial Cost Accountant with the Electric Steel Company Ltd, headquartered in Port Coquitlam, saw him rise through various ranks of management and serve as its vice-president of finance. He retired in 1983.
Julia, a founding member of St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Women's League, taught music and language at St. Mary's Ukrainian school for 25 years. Both John and Julia were active members of the church choir dating back to 1947. Julia was also a founding member of the Ukrainian Studies Foundation of B. C. And a board member for many years.
Julia Stashuk established this scholarship fund at UVic in 2008 in tribute to John.