We are proud to present immimentary* about an immigrant who came to America and enjoys his work. Journalist and sports commentator , founder and executive director of Sports Veterans Association.

Tons of people from across the globe have come to the United States seeking the opportunity for a better life. America is a country that was built by immigrants, some who brought their talent and others who found themselves while pursuing their dreams in a new land. Here is one story about the life of a modern-day immigrant.

In my life, there were two moments when I could die. First, it was in the distant 1954 when I was born in detention camp in Karaganda. And second one, was here in America when I was diagnosed with two types of cancer. My name is Edward Luchin. Recently I celebrated my 65th birthday. Life flies by very quickly. From the moment I was born in detention camp in Karaganda in April 4th 1954 My mom, who saved me out there in the barracks, in women’s barracks in KarLag. When women, who were there said “Lida you save yourself, you should survive. You will give birth to another one later” But my mother set her priority to save me. She gave his daily ration to a woman from the another barrack, so she came to breastfed me. When I was less than a year old, I was flown from distant Karaganda to the city of Odessa, the residence of my mother. ended up in a foster home. Not many people knows what it is It is a special institution for children of prisoners who have been of pre-school age. After I grew up a bit I was transferred to the orphanage. Which was located in Chernomorka village, Odessa region. I grew up there in the Ukrainian village. After the third grade I was transferred to a boarding school number 4 in Odessa city where I studied up tothe eighth grade. Then I decided to continue studying. I had two options. Start working somewhere or go to the College. I decided to continue study to finish high school. I transferred to boarding school number 6 of Odessa, where I finished my high school. After that, my adult life began. I’ve got a job on the Opitko-Mechanicheskiy Zavod. I received turner machinist and mechanic specialties there. I also had job on KINAP factory, briefly. Then I transferred to the Opitko-Mechanicheskiy Zavod because it was located nextdoor I worked as a mechanic, turner machinist. I was drafted in Army I served near city Belaya Tserkov. In town Uzin 2, base of strategic bombers TU-95. TU-95 strategic bombers are still deployed. They were carrying nuclear weapons on board. I served at the radar station in communications division. Time in air force flew fast. They tried to recruited me to serve extra time but I realized that this is not for me. We had saying – “where air force begins discipline ends” My time in air force was a good experience but I decided to return to a civilian life. I had to do that to help my mother. She was alone, sick often. I went back to work. I liked sports very much. I liked play soccer. One day I was invited to work in Sports Society Vodnik. The soccer team Chernomorets was part of that sports society. It turned my life around, because since then, my whole life has with soccer. I decided to go to study physical training in Ivano-Frankovsk. I graduated with honors, three years after. And decided to continue study in Ushinskiy Odessa University. It was very difficult to get into university, for various reasons. The main reason was, my disability for 5 column. It was very difficult but I set myself a goal to be accepted at that university. Before that I’ve tried to go to Faculty of History in State University in Odessa. That attempt wasn’t successful. At least I finished college in Ivano-Frankovsk. I graduated with high honors. On my fifth attempt I finally was accepted to State University in Odessa, to the Faculty of Physical education. I was working and studying in absentia. After graduation I was invited to the department of sports games. I coached a soccer team. When I started, that team was on seventh place and then it become champion of Odessa. We played at republican and national competitions. We achieved success at both levels. I enjoyed working with youth and with children very much. I also worked in SDUSHOP Chernomorets. When I came the school didn’t exist yet. They only had a training group of Chernomorets. I and A. F. Zubritskiy created SDUSHOP Chernomorets. And from that school, later, came very famous players. I am proud that I trained that school. I am proud of my students, Yuri Nikiforov, well-known soccer player who I couched from when he was nine years old in Chernomorets school. With me he won his first gold medal. He became the champion of Ukraine between juniors. Also, Ilya Tsimbalar, who played in the national team of Ukraine and then in the national team of Russia. They played in Spartak Moscow team. Many times they become champions of Russia. Cup holders of Russia. By the way, Yuri and Ilya managed to win the Cup of Ukraine in 1992. That’s how my life was associated with soccer and then I was invited to work in Odessa Sports Committee where I was responsible for all children’s sport’s schools of Odessa and schools of Olympic reserve. Everything was fine, till one day when my mother got hospitalized and I was approached by a doctor who said “if you want to save your mother you should organize a heart surgery for her. Without surgery she won’t last long.” I had to save her as she saved me I decided to leave my place of work. For me the most important thing in this life was to save my mother. I filled an application to go to America. I, with my mother arrived to America in October 1992. My sister Jannet lived here. She invited us. It was the right decision to move here. My mom received successful heart surgery here. And she lived for 9 happy years after surgery. She was happy here, I saw that. I was happy that I was able to save my mother, as she saved me once. This time I made a step to save her. 9 years she lived happy till 2001 she passed away. May her blessed memory live forever. After arriving to America I was thinking, what should I do here? I had to survive somehow. I immediately went to work. 12 hours a day I tore old parquet I tore parquet in big houses. It certainly was a hell of a job. I felt very tired but at the same time I felt that I am helping my mother. It was necessary. Then I have worked as assistant in grocery. But I thought that I must be doing something more serious and important in this life. This kind of work is not for me. One day, I believe it is destiny, in 1994 America held Soccer World Cup. I listened to Russian radio, almost every home had receivers back then. It was radio WMNB. It wasn’t just radio it was TV WMNB. I got an idea, why not offer soccer coverage for our fellow countryman on radio? They are watching the game on TV but coverage often in English. They watch game on TV but many do not understand English. So, we can offer voice coverage over radio in Russian language. They get a picture on TV and listen voice on radio. I plucked up the nerve and I called to WMNB with offer. And they become interested. They invited me to come to the studio. Studio was in another state. I lived in New York in Brooklyn and it was in New Jersey, Fort Lee. I had to take two trains and bus. I wasn’t discouraged, I went there. I came to this TV station and they told me “We will play a tape with soccer game and you will commenting it” I responded, “I want to prepare, Commentator must prepare for the game. He should know which teams are playing and on what level, and so on. It is very difficult to comment without preparation”. For that they said “You know, you say what you know and our specialist, he will test you”. I agreed. And tested me famous journalist E.M. Rubin. He worked for Radio Liberty and worked on television and radio WMNB. He was specialist in ice hockey. Very good journalist. He wasn’t a big expert in soccer as in ice hockey. He didn’t have deep understanding of soccer. I remember Rubin from Soviet Sport newspaper. When you unfold Soviet Sport newspaper, on page 1 2 and 3 they had hockey calendar. We read all those Rubin’s articles. And we listened when he spoke at Radio Liberty here. And I saw him and he tested me. Tape played Canada-Brazil game. Brazil’s team came here in America to acclimatize before World Championship. They played friendship game with Canada. I saw that game. I saw that game on TV, live translation. They played the tape and I was commented based on what I have seen. They asked me to sit and wait for decision. After some time, vice president invited me to his office. They liked my commenting and they offered me job to comment with Rubin World Cup Championship on radio and on television. Well, you know, I was so happy. I was on the tenth heaven because I was able to carry out my favorite work. We started commenting. Unfortunately Russian team then quickly got out. By the way, at this World Cup played two of my pupils, Ilya Tsimbalar and Yuri Nikiforov. I was very proud At the end of championship they sent me a gift. They sent their uniform of team of Russia. Yuri sent a dark uniform, and Ilya sent light uniform. The uniform they played in on the Soccer World Cup. After the championship I was invited to work on the TV and radio sport coverage. I accepted that offer. Since then, from 1992 I’m with WNMB radio and TV. This year, 2019 is exactly 25 years since I’m in front of microphone of Russian radio and TV in America. Since I started this job I started getting a great pleasure from this work. I grateful to God, America and the people who gave me this opportunity. A bit later, unfortunately, our TV went bankrupt. The president took creditors money and bankrupted the company. I was invited to another TV station to work with Yuri Rostov and Ivan Medzheritsky. I worked there on TV and then I went to radio station. Now I work on RUSA Radio. This is a digital radio platform, iHeartRADIO very famous. It is available all over the world. I’m covering sport every day. I also have a sports review program. I am pleased that I can do my favorite job. America gives opportunities for people who have initiative, who make things happen. When I came to America I saw a huge amount of outstanding athletes, coaches, journalists who came from the Soviet Union. And I got an idea to create an organization, sports association which brings together all these people. Many of them here were forgotten. There they were famous athletes, coaches, journalists, but here, in different environment, different language they ended up isolated. With this idea, I found like-minded friend, the honored coach of Ukraine, Raphael Mikhailovich Gordetsky. To whom I offered to start to work together and invited him to become president of this association. I become an executive director we at the beginning organized It was different organization it was not Veteran Sports Association. we created Jewish Immigrants Sport Association. JISA in short. Unfortunately, we weren’t experienced enough so, we lost it. It was simply stolen from us. The next day I went and register another organization. It is called Veteran Sports Association. More than 16 years we were working together with Raphael Mikhailovich Gordetsky who, unfortunately died not long time ago May his blessed memory live forever. We did a great job here. We organized many sport activities. To name a few: soccer tournament in memory of policeman Russel Timoshenko, soccer tournament in memory of Valeriy Lobanovskiy, yearly festival in memory of known Israeli grandmaster, Boris Gelfand Memorial the eleven Israeli athletes, who lost their lives in terrorist act in September 1972 20th Summer Olympic Games. Relating to this memorial, I want to say that our Veteran Sports Association took the initiative to install a monument in memory of eleven Israeli athletes. We want to install it here in New York. And Association is working on that. We hold tournaments for kids, adults, veterans and it certainly unites us all. Our motto is “Through Sport to Good and Peace”. We try to bring people together to give them the opportunity, to make them feel not alone here. We have a number of outstanding athletes who live here. For example, Grigory Gamarnik, world champion in 1955. The first Greco-Roman wrestling world champion from the Soviet Union. Unfortunately he passed away not long time ago. Yuri Vilenskiy, great coach, honored coach of the USSR and Ukraine, who trained two-time Olympic wrestling champion Alexander Kalchinkiy. Honored trainer USSR of table tennis Alexandr Tabarovskiy. Honored coach of the R.S.F.S.R. of table tennis Arnold Malievskiy. Lev Fishman, multiple times champion and winner of national competitions. A huge number of outstanding athletes. Alexander Levinson, sports journalist, who worked all his life in sports journalism. He resides here. I’d like to thank people that surrounded and surround me here in America. I’d like to thank a beautiful woman, legendary TV broadcaster, on American TV, she also was known in the Soviet Union, Marina Burtseva (Marina Levinson). She and Yuri Roestov supported me when I came to the WMNB studio. Without that support it would be much more difficult for me. And they supported me. Of course I have to say thank you to Ivan Aleksandrovich Menzhelitskiy, very talented man who when I approached him and say, “you know, I’m not that related to TV”, he said, “Edward, for me it is enough that you know sports, go and get ready”.It was trust in me I have to mention Vladimir Gusarov, professor of history, who helped me a lot on WNMB radio. I had many supporters who assisted me here, in this country, and still helping me. I’m happy because next to me a huge number of close people. I have to thank my friend Rafael Mihalych Gorodetsky with whom we did a great job integrating of athletes, coaches, journalists, people who love sport. It was difficult work, especially in foreign country. And we did it. For me it is very, very important. I’m very appreciate people, I love people, because there is no life without them. We should be able to appreciate and love people and help them if necessary. I remember those moments when I faced health problems and how people, Rafael Gorodetskiy and many friends in Odessa helped me to gather means to buy medication. I will never forget that because it is very important in life. I do not sit in one place, I work very hard. And that work saves me. Recently we held a game in Odessa in memory of my student, Ilya Tsimbalar. Yuri Nikiforov, also student of mine, once called me, we were talking about Ilya and he told me that there is no tombstone on Ilya’s grave, after two years since he have passed away. I couldn’t believe that. I told him, Yuri, we should fix that. I started together, with my friends, to organize the game to commemorate Ilya Tsimbalar in Odessa. It was an amazing event for Odessa. On stadium was eight and a half thousand spectators. On Chernomorets’ stadium, the Mayor of Odessa city opened that game. 40 soccer players from around the world, from England, Germany, Spain came. All gathered to play that game. I must tell you, it was a great event in Odessa’s sport life. After that game, I with my friend Alexander Arbit made a documentary. The title is “Our friend-Ilya Tsimbalar” The documentary is about this event, how people from different countries of the world gather together and done a good deed, installed monument, to a great soccer player, held game in his memory and held a memorial evening. These are the things that bring people together, they give them the opportunity to live together in this life. Andrei Kanchelskis came from England, Andrei Voronin came from Germany Yuri Nikiforov came from Spain, and they all came to make a good deed, to play in memory of theirs friend, great football player, Ilya Tsimbalar. I can be proud by the fact that with my friend Sergei Martinov we published a book, a unique book, a whole monograph “Chernomorets Odessa story from 1939 to 2019”. For the first time in history of Chernomorets team such book published. There were small publications, small book by Boris Galicin called Chernomorets, booklets which just gave statistical information about the club. But such monograph that we, with my friend Sergei Martinov, sports journalist, a man who for many years have worked as a spokesman of Odessa Chernomorets Club. So, we published this book. That is also one of our achievements. My story approaches the end but life continues. There are still a lot of interesting things I would like to do. First of all to install a monument to 11 Israeli athletes here in New York. I would like to say a word about my friend. I am grateful to God that in America I met a lot of friends with whom we are side by side for many years. About one man, a great friend of mine, I would like to say a word. A wonderful doctor, great person, friend Joseph Kleynerman. A meeting with him had identified my way of life in America, it gave me understandings how I should live with people. That I must live not only myself but also for others. Helping people how I could. I’m very grateful to him. Now not the easiest days in his life and I ask God to help him to overcome difficulties he has in his life. I’m helping him as I can. I’m and other his friends, in particular, great musician, Valeriy Pezner and others people who helps him today in hard time. His family and friends. God please help him overcome all difficulties he is facing today in his life. I close to my family, my sister Janet, who I love. My niece Diana and her family, children Sasha, Shan, husband, wonderful singer Eddy Gents, My nephew Michail and his wife Irina. All these people are close to me, beloved. And I would like them to be in my life for a long, long time. I ask God to helped them in everything. From 1992 to the present time, 2019, I’m working on Russian radio of America. I’m happy. I’m doing job I love. Thanks to all who are working with me for support and help. To finish my speech I wish to tell those who will watch this video that every step we take in this life we not only take for ourselves, we do for our loved ones. We are humans, intelligent ones To summarize this conversation here, I can say that love to people, respect for people is the force that drives me and it will drive you. Believe me it is not just talk, I believe that above there is someone who watches how we fulfill our mission, called life. Try to live such life that could look people directly in the eyes and not cross to the other side afraid to meet eyes to eyes. I want you and your families be healthy. For every day, as one wise man said, your happiest day is today, not yesterday not tomorrow, but today is your happiest day. I wish you to have many, many happy days.

Sergey Bulba: I know Edward Luchin for more than a decade. We met walking our dogs. We almost become relatives, after the formation of a new dog family. We didn’t become relatives but become friends to this day. Edward real, unselfish, loyal friend. His energy and determination, have no limits. Been the director of the Sports Veterans Association, which Edward has organized more than 15 years ago, he groups extraordinary people of different specialties around him, and revealed their hidden potentials. Edward initiator of all projects for many years, such as annual international soccer tournament in memory of Valery Lobanovsky tournament of memory of victims of terror act, 911. memorial tournament in memory of policeman Ruslan Tymoshenko, many chess tournaments, wrestling tournaments. Each project Edward starts, always organized at the highest level. An outstanding Olympic Ball in Brooklyn, which honors the winners and champions of Olympic Games is also the idea of Eduard. So, that no athlete has not been forgotten away from their motherland. Edward, as person born in Odessa, has excellent sense of humor. He is the center of attention in company. Edward is courageous and patient. Thank you my friend for being in my life.

*The term “Immimentary” is a combination of words “immigrant” and “documentary”.
IMMIMENTARY is a film production company and a series of documentaries that feature interviews with immigrants from all walks of life. Stories told by the immigrants themselves.