A commemoration in honor of Ilinden Uprising commander, voyvoda Smile Voydanoff, was held in Pontiac, Michigan, on the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Born in 1872, Voydanoff was a daecon and an in-keeper in the area of Ohrid when he became a prominent local leader in the VMRO organization. A contemporary of Goce Delcev and other legendary VMRO leaders, who eventually became a commander of a local militia that took part in the uprising. After the uprising was crushed by the Ottomans, Voydanoff moved to the United States, where he remained a leading organizer in the Macedonian movement.

In 1929, in his home in Pontiac, the first independent Macedonian association was formed. In 1930, he was elected as President at the first conference of Macedonian associations held in Toledo, Ohio. The next year, Voydanoff was named as President of the Macedonian National Association.

In this capacity, he worked during the Second World War to secure aid for the war-torn Macedonia, and to lobby for its post-war independence. He was one of the donors for the construction of the Medical clinic center in Skopje.
Smile Voydanoff died on March 4th 1958, and is buried in Pontiac.

If the Macedonians in the US want to authentically portray the work of Smile Voydanoff, this great Macedonian leader, there is maybe no better place and no better coincidence than to do so here, in Pontiac, named after the Otawa chief who defended his land and led a major, failed uprising in 1763. Just as a century and a half later Smile Voydanoff took part in another, sadly failed, but very courageous and historic uprising to liberate Macedonia. Sadly, he was not fated to be buried in Macedonia, the country he was born in and fought for. He rests in his second homeland, the United States, with all much deserved honors, said Ana Dukoska, activist of the “Forgotten Macedonians” association.

Goce Pangovski from the association, noted that Voydanoff is the author of a historic memorandum sent to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in February 1945, in which he urged the US Government to help accomplish the “desire and struggle of the Macedonian people for self-determination and national independence”.

In detailing the historic dimension of the Macedonian struggle for freedom and independence, Voydanoff pointed to Goce Delcev and said that “our struggle is led by VMRO, formed in Solun in 1893, and this organization is the true national power, led by Goce Delcev”, Pangovski said.

Speakers at the event included Smile Voydanoff’s descendents – sisters Jean Voydanoff – Justing and Judy Voydanoff – daughters of Smile’s youngest son Iliya Voydanoff, and his grandson Daniel Voydanoff. Father Dragan Jordanov from the Macedonian Orthodox Church in Sterling Heights led the service in memory of the Ilinden voyvoda. In honor of Smile Voydanoff, the association “Forgotten Macedonians” issued 150 collectors’ envelopes with his likeness.