A Progressive Renaissance man

It was a wonder how George Shenkar could be such a devoted husband and father of two sons and a daughter, while engaging in so many extracurricular activities. If only he had used e-mail, he certainly could have increased his impact. He illustrated the old saying: "Only the good die young."

Although I knew George Shenkar only a short time, I learned a great deal from him.

His willingness to help was one of his outstanding traits, followed by his courage, especially with causes that the present Establishment abhorred. Fascinated by all ideas and philosophies, George Shenkar would fearlessly and intelligently discuss them all.

Undaunted, he subscribed to the Russian newspaper "Russky Golos" and he became the Secretary of the Detroit Council of the American Soviet Friendship Society and then a subscriber of the Northern Neighbours magazine and later to the Northstar Compass journal, despite the fact that they were listed on the US Attorney General’s list as "subversive". He conferred and exchanged ideas with some members and former members of the US Communist Party, disregarding any stigma of guilt by association.

He assisted me and others in many ways. Others can corroborate my statement. George translated many articles from Polish, Ukrainian and Russian for me and for the Reuther Labor Archives, since all of them have been deposited there. All the letters and copies of letters that George ever sent me, I faithfully deposited at the Reuther Labor Archives to compliment his original donation.

It seems that Shenkar always found time and some money for any progressive cause, and this kept him very busy, bringing sometimes his devoted wife Stella. I marvelled at the number of projects that he found time to devote his efforts and intelligence. I cannot recall all of them, like the cynics group, peace movements, Saul Wellman, American Technological Party, the Ford Hunger March, to name only a few. After 10,000 years, mankind continues to be plagued by superstition, myths, and legends that Shenkar enjoyed exposing with impunity.

Born during the Great Depression, Shenkar learned from his mother about core values, especially social justice. For the rest of his life, Shenkar participated and worked in the cause of social justice.

The poverty and the suffering of the Depression years, forced his mother and him to consider the value of Marxism. He spent his life discussing the pros and cons and how Marxism advanced social justice. In this continual struggle, courageous fighters like Shenkar will be sorely missed.

George also corresponded with relatives in the Ukraine and elsewhere. Many letters can be found at the Immigration History Research Centre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

While his friends and colleagues will miss him greatly, it is his devoted wife Stella and his children Robert, Kathy and Eric who will have lost his strength and human direction.