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Dear Members of the List:
Our father and husband, Eugen-Jan "Gene" Dubovik, died at 10:30 pm EST on Thursday, January 13, 2000. He was an avid Internet user, but most importantly, an active supporter and member of the Belarusian community - both on and offline.
We do not know if he was an active participant of this group, but out of respect for him, we are checking his e-mail accounts and notifying "friends & family."
If you know of someone Gene touched who may not be a list participant, we kindly ask that you forward them this message so that they may celebrate his life and pay respects to his passing with us.
Thank you for your time,
The Dubovik Family
Below is a copy of his obituary which will appear in The Journal News (Westchester County, NY, USA) this Saturday and Sunday, 1/15-1/16.
Dubovik, Eugen-Jan "Gene"
Beloved husband of Larysa. Loving father of Erik and Aleks. Devoted brother of Elizabeth Ciappa of Old Greenwich, CT.
Born on March 4, 1944, in Belarus, Gene came to this country in 1949 via Boston, MA, and moved to White Plains in 1958.
After graduating White Plains High School in 1961, he earned his Bachelor of Arts at the City College of New York in 1965, and his Master of Science in Special Education from the College of New Rochelle in 1977. He also served in the U.S. Navy from 1965-67.
Gene "Mr. D" or "Papa Smurf" cherished his 27 years as a White Plains Special Education teacher motivating students to set and achieve their goals.
He will be remembered as a human being who treated everyone with respect and was always eager to know one's background. His love of learning intersected with his passion for computers in 1995 leading to his Web site -- http://home.att.net/~Homan2/ -- a source of tremendous joy and gratification for him.
Those who met him will never forget him.
Calling hours will be at Ballard-Durand Funeral Home, White Plains, Saturday 7-9 pm and Sunday 2-4 and 7-9 pm. The funeral service will be held at Church of Our Saviour, Rye, on Monday at 11 am.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the
It is with deep sadness that I have found out about Mr. Dubovik's death. "Homan", as Mr. Dubovik called himself, was one of the longest-standing and active members of the Belarus e-mail list. His postings to the list were usually laconic yet precise and meaningful. Never did they attack anybody on this list or showed any intolerance for other members' opinions, unlike so many other messages in the past. Instead, Homan always attempted to moderate arguments and add his words of wisdom to the often heated debates of this mostly young e-mail list. Mr. Dubovik's Homan Report on the internet is one of the best sources of opinions about modern-day Belarus.
Homan's signature - "A Belarusian in America" - was more than a simple explanation of an origin. It was an epitaphe of an epoch of the post-war immigration from Belarus, not many of which remain. But it is also a representation of the new wave of migration from Belarus in the search of a better future, and in the hope that some day those who left can return and those who are there will have no need to leave thair homes.
My sincere condolences to the Dubovik family.
Auhien
Amsterdam
My sincerest condolences and prayers to the Dubovik family.
Gene (or "Homan", as he preferred to sign his messages--and explained on his Web site) was certainly an active, positive contributor to the Belarus discussion list from the very beginning of its 4-year history, and with the Belarus (-American) Internet community.
Auhien gave a wonderful summary of Gene's participation on the Web.
Gene's Web site and his participation on this forum certainly expressed the strength of his love of Belarus. Some of his signature tags from his messages:
>"If you expect a nation to be ignorant and free, you expect what never
> was and can never be." - Thomas Jefferson
and most recently,
>"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
>A Belarusian in North America
And from his Web site:
> I hope my efforts, over time, will help to contribute toward changes I wish
> to see in my adopted land of America and in my native land of Belarus.
Although Gene and I are from opposite shores of the USA, we are from the same generation, both very proud of our American and Belarusian heritage, both veterans, both teachers, and both emigre's who although we came to the USA as children, have continued to learn about and share our love for Belarus.
Gene's death is certainly our loss.
I certainly will miss him. . . .
-- Peter Kasaty kasaty@cts.com kasaty@scn.org
Belarus discussion list co-manager
This is really sad news. I'd like to join Auhien in expressing my most sincere condolences. Mr.Dubovik was an excellent participant to this newsgroup and I enjoyed his postings tremendously.
Although I once engaged in an argument with him about me breaching the copyrights of some page from his Web site, I still harbored a lot of respect for him and all he was doing. I am so sorry to hear this news.
Sincerely,
U.K.
I also would like to express my condolences to Jan Dubovik's friends and family.
I've had a pleasure of exchanging a few e-mails with Jan, and I think he was a great man and a great patriot.
I'm deeply saddened by his death.
It makes me want to repeat sombody's words, "Why is it that good people die young?"
Constantine Makayed
Dear Dubovik Family,
I am very sorry to hear of your loss, and will remember Gene in my prayers.
I recognize his e-mail address as one that has appeared frequently and steadily on the Belarus (belarus@solar.cini.utk.edu) listserv over the 2-3 years that I've been on it. Gene's questions, observations, and comments have been a great contribution to this listserv, which is perhaps the single best source of continuing information about Belarus that is freely available today. We will miss him.
God bless you,
Barbara Proko
Boulder, Colorado
(Originally Prokopowicz/Ruscik/Zabricki/Blaszko/Bouszys et al. from the Szczuczyn and Radun' areas of western Belarus)
My deepest sympathy to the Dubovik Family.
I will miss "Homan"'s presence and messages on the List.
Ivonka Survilla
Gene Dubovik was one of the reasons I joined this list in 1995. His postings and letters attracted me with his intelligence, wisdom, and his love to Belarus. He personally inspired me several times, including creating Belarusian Website, www.belarusian.com. This is a terrible loss for all Belarusians. Rest in peace, friend. My sincere condolences to the Dubovik family.
Sergei Polevikov
Minsk, Belarus and Houston, TX, U.S.A.
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