Ivan Adriyanovych Feschenko-Chopivsky (1884-1952) is a prominent metallurgist and a public figure of Ukraine. He was a corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Sciences and of the numerous Scientific and Technical Societies of England, Germany, the USA. Feschenko-Chopivsky is the author of more than 140 scientific papers, including 23 monographies on the problems of diffusion, thermochemical and heat treatment which were published in German, English, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian languages. He made a contribution to developing the statecharts of the iron-carbon metals with consideration of the phosphorus, oxygen, silicon and tin impurities, conducted a research on the surface strengthening of the alloyed steels, their magnetic properties. Apart from that, he did some research in the sphere of physical chemistry. Feschenko-Chopivsky created a methodology of developing double and triple statecharts, developed the principle of the system approach to the theoretical analysis of the equations of chemical thermodynamics, introduced the concept of the combination of the plastic deformation with a heat treatment of metals. He is considered to be the pioneer of metal science in Poland and Western Ukraine. His central works are the three-volume monography called “The metal science” (1930-1936, in Polish), a two-volume book “The national wealth of Ukraine” and “The economic geography of Ukraine”.
Ivan Feschenko-Chopivsky was born on 20 January 1884 in Chudniv. In 1903 he finished a gymnasium in Zhitomir and entered Kyiv Politechnic Institute.
The years of Feschenko-Chopivsky’s studies in KPI fell on harsch times for Ukraine. There were few Ukrainians in Polytechnic Institute. The students rallied in the communities of fellow-countrymen. The Ukrainian community of KPI emerged circa 1907. During the Revolution of 1905 Ivan Feschenko-Chopivky, being a conscious Ukrainian, embarked on a vigorous public activity. The opening of Kyiv “Prosvita” in 1906 gave an impetus to his social and cultural activities. On 12 May 1907 the Ukrainian Scientific Society was founded.
As a member of the Society, Chopivsky made a contribution to the formation of Ukrainian scientific terminology. He was involved in the compiling of “Natural and technical dictionary” while working at the Terminology commission of the Ukrainian Technical Society. As a member of “Prosvita”, he was delivering lectures in Ukrainian, which was considered to be “rural” and “rough” language, on a regular basis. In 1910 the government of Russia arrived at the conclusion that the work of “Prosvita” was harmful and dismissed it.
In the summer of 1908 Ivan Feschenko-Chopivsky successfully defended his graduation project, obtained a cherished rank of a process engineer and then immersed himself in the national Ukrainian movement. He became one of the active figures of Ukrainian Socialists-Federalists Party. This party was the association of Ukrainian intelligentsia with moderate broad-Ukrainian convictions. The head of the party was Serhiy Yefremov (in 1930s he was subjected to repressions – the author’s note), an outstanding and acknowledged expert in literature, publicist, public figure. For some time Mykhailo Hrushevskyi was a member of the party, but then left it on account of his socialist preferences.
In 1917 Ivan Feschenko-Chopivsky took up the liberation struggle. As a member of the Central Council of Ukraine, he became the head of Kyiv City National Council and the head of the Council of Kyiv province. He vehemently opposed the attempt of Ukrainian government to find common ground with Kerensky and Ukrainian Bolshevik faction. On the forum of the Small Council he demanded certain measures to be taken, which resulted in the proclamation of the 4th Universal on 22 January 1918 and meant the declaration of the independence of Ukrainian People’s Republic. At the suggestion of Mykhailo Hrushevskyi he made a compilation on the natural wealth and industrial capacity of Ukraine. In 1918-1919 came out his two-volume work called “The national wealth of Ukraine”, in 1921 – two volumes of “The economic geography of Ukraine”.
After the Polish government prohibited the work of all Ukrainian national establishments throughout its territory Ivan Fexchenko-Chopivskyi went back to his occupation as a professional metallurgist. In the beginning of 1922 he was appointed as a senior teaching assistant of the department of metal science in Warsaw University of Technology. Shortly after that he was offered by the rector of Krakiw Mining Academy to arrange the department of metallurgy, which gave an impetus to his future career of the world-class scientist.
As a represantative of Polish technical community, he was deeply concerned about the fact that the results of his work belonged to Poland, but not to Ukraine. He signed his scientific papers in the Ukrainian manner by putting Ukrainian “Ivan” instead of Polish “Jan” which was frowned upon in Poland and was considered to be the display of Ukrainian nationalism. Throug his entire life he stuck to the opinion that the vocation and the sacred duty of the scientist is to share his or her knowledge and experience with future generations. He took a special care of his fellow-contrymen which entered the Academy. His zealous endeavor led to the emergence of a grant fund for Ukrainian youth, which was named after Symon petliura.
Feschenko-Chopivsky was actively involved in the public life of Krakiw, delivered the patriotic lectures in local “Prosvita”. He founded the “Day of Ukrainian Technology” for the young technicians, which was held annually in 1930s. During so-called “Ukrainization of Soviet Ukraine” he reestablishe tight links with his fellow associates from KPI, Kharkiv “Science and technology bulletin”. He met with Kharkiv delegation in the 2nd congress of Ukrainian engineers in Lviv. Feschenko-chopivsky was eager to cooperate with the body of scientists from Dnipropetrovsk magazine “The achievements of metallurgy in USSR and abroad”, but the magazine was not willing to publish in Ukrainian language, and Chopivsky didn’t fancy the idea of translating his works into Russian.
After the passing of V. Chizhevsky (1926), his teacher, the government sent him the formal invitation to return to his Alma-Mater. “The opportunity of coming back home glimmered on the horizone” – he wrote. But the authorities demanded him to “repent”. “Though I’m yearning after my Homeland, I cannot accept this offer. If I do so, I would feel a pang of remorse for the rest of my life. I had to resort to the emigration for the sake of the freedom of Ukraine, and therefore there is no way I can return through “contrition””.
During the German occupation of Poland Feschenko-Chopivsky became the head of the Relief committee for the emigrants from Ukraine, which subsequently was rearranged to Uktainian National Association. An active patriotic activity resulted in the arrest of 20 members of UNA on 24 January 1944. It is through the patronage of the influential members of UNA and the lack of evidence of his guilt that on 15 February 1944 he was released.
On 27 January 1945 the first units of Red Army entered Katowice, in the middle of March of the same year he was taken under arrest and sent to Kyiv, despite the objections of the Polish government. He was found guilty of “contrrevolutionary anti-soviet activities” and convicted to 10 years of confinement in correctional labour camp.
Ivan Feschenko-Chopivsky died on 2 September 1952 in the Abez camp, Respublika Komi. Only in 1996 the public delegation of Lviv managed to erect a cross and sanctify his grave.