Skip to main content

Alexander A. Granovsky papers

 Collection
Identifier: IHRC796

Abstract

A Ukrainian American entomologist, also an activist and poet, Granovsky was born in Berezhtsi, Ukraine, and came to the United States in 1913. He was educated at Colorado State Agricultural College and the University of Wisconsin, and taught entomology at the universities of Wisconsin and Minnesota. He became a leader in the Ukrainian American community locally and nationally and was president of the Organization for the Rebirth of Ukraine, Inc. (ODWU). In St. Paul, Minnesota, he was also an active member of St. Michael's Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Following World War II, he was active in resettlement of Ukrainian refugees. Granovsky's papers include a genealogy, biographical materials, diaries, family correspondence, writings, and poetry. Also included are materials pertaining to Ukrainian American organizations including on Ukrainians in Minnesota, the Ukrainian Congress Committee (Minnesota branch), Ukrainian Folk Ballet and Chorus of the Twin Cities, St. Michael's Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Minneapolis, MN), the Minnesota Commission on Resettlement of Displaced Persons, the United Ukrainian American Relief Committee of America, Inc., and many other Ukrainian American organizations including the Organization for the Rebirth of Ukraine, Inc. In addition, there are materials pertaining to the Immigration History Research Center’s Ukrainian American Collection. The majority of the material in these Papers are in the Ukrainian language. English-language material is located primarily in Series 5, 9 and 10. Selected items from the collection have been digitized and are available in the University of Minnesota's U Media Archive and on the Digitizing Immigrant Letters project website (see "Digital material" below).

Dates

  • Creation: circa 1900-2007 (bulk 1900-1976)

Creator

Language of Materials

Ukrainian, English, French, German, Czech, Russian

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS

Open for use in the Elmer L. Andersen Library reading room.

OWNERSHIP & LITERARY RIGHTS

This collection may be protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials. Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law.

For further information regarding the copyright, please contact the IHRCA.

HISTORICAL SKETCH

Alexander A. Granovsky (full name: Neprytsky-Hranovsky), a Ukrainian American entomologist, also an activist and poet was born November 4, 1887 in Berzhtsi, Kremianets county, Volhynia gubernia. Granovsky studied at the Kiev Commercial Institute (1909-10) before emigrating to the United States in 1913 at age 26. He served in France during WWI with the United States Army and remained there after the war’s end to study at the Sorbonne. Upon returning to the United States, he continued his studies at Colorado State Agricultural College (B.A., 1918) and the University of Wisconsin earning an M.A. (1929) and Ph.D. (1930). He joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota in 1930 as assistant professor and then as professor (1940) in the Department of Entomology and Economic Zoology, retiring in 1956. Granovsky is best known for his pioneering work in chemical control of insects, and as an early advocate for chemical dusting of forests to contain insect infestations, the use of DDT on potato bugs, and white grub and cutworm controls. He wrote numerous scientific articles and was a worldwide authority on the biology and taxonomy of the Aphididae, two species of which were named after him: Calaphis granovskyi and Drephanaphis granovskyi.While studying and later teaching (1922-1930) at the University of Wisconsin, Granovsky met and married Irene Violet Thorpe; they were married on August 7, 1928 in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Irene Granovsky was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. They had five children, Dagmar (Sandra), Philip, Robert, Natalie, and Theodore (Ted). Throughout his life Granovsky was involved in political activities concerning Ukrainian political autonomy. He became a leader in the Ukrainian American community locally and nationally and was president (1935-1963) of the Organization for the Rebirth of Ukraine. Granovsky was a full member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society and the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in the USA, and member of the senate of the Organization for Ukrainian Nationalists. He was a founding member of and held various positions (from 1944) in the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. Granovsky authored many political essays and books, including Ukraine’s Case for Independence (1940), Vil’na Ukraina neobkhidna dlia postiinoho myru (A Free Ukraine Is Necessary for a Lasting Peace, 1945). He was personally involved with diplomatic efforts to bring 5000 Ukrainians in German and Austrian displaced persons camps to the United States at the end of WWII. Of these, Granovsky helped resettle more than 100 Ukrainian refugees to Minnesota (mainly in the Twin Cities, Minnesota area). Granovsky was also a poet. His modernist poetry first appeared in the Kyiv (Kiev) journals Ukrains’ka Khata (Ukrainian Home) and Ridnyi krai (Native Country). He wrote seven collections of poetry (1910-14, 1953-64). After Ukraine became independent in 1991, a selection of his unpublished poems were published in Kyiv in 1995 under the title Zoloti Vorota (Golden Gates). Alexander Granovsky died in St. Paul, Minnesota, November 4, 1976.

Extent

106.5 Linear Feet

ORGANIZATION OF MATERIALS

The collection is organized into 15 series, some of which contain multiple sub-series. For a more detailed description, please see below.

PROVENANCE

The papers of Alexander A. Granovsky were donated by his wife Irene Granovsky to the Immigration History Research Center (IHRC) via Halyna Myroniuk in November 1976. His papers were boxed at his home by Halyna Myroniuk and Maurice Czerwonka and brought to the IHRC; preliminary organization and processing of his collection was done by Halyna Myroniuk. Further processing was made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities-Division of Preservation and Access; work was conducted by Astra Aspsitis and assisted by students from the Twin Cities Ukrainian American community (John Kramarczuk, Christine Pasichnyk, and IHRC staff Roman Stepchuk). The NEH grant ended in 1996, and following that, Halyna Myroniuk completed the final processing of the Granovsky Papers, in 2014. Materials in Series 15 - "Supplemental" were processed by Ellen Engseth in 2014.

RELATED COLLECTIONS

The Organization for the Rebirth of Ukraine (ODWU), Minnesota Branch Collection, IHRC1719; United Ukrainian American Relief Committee (UUARC) Records, IHRC2757; John Panchuk Papers, IHRC2029; Evhen Skotski, IHRC2935; Alexander A. Granovsky Papers, University Archives, University of Minnesota Libraries; Division of Entomology and Economic Zoology Records, University Archives, University of Minnesota Libraries

Title
Inventory of the Alexander A. Granovsky papers.
Author
IHRC Archives
Date
2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding Aid in English

Collecting Area Details

Contact The Immigration History Research Center Archives Collecting Area

Contact:

612-625-4800