Alexandr Meitin

This isy father Alexandr Meitin. He is about 72-73 years old here. This photograph was taken in Moscow in 1950. He worked in a scientific research institute at the time and this picture was taken for the Board of Honor. My father was very cheerful and witty. He was the heart and soul of all gatherings. He was very sociable and easy-going. He was very intelligent and well read. It was amazing considering that he actually only had elementary education. He wasn't strict with the children. When we lived in Petrograd he and I were called 'Papa, buy' as a joke, since I was always asking him to buy a toy. He never turned me down. I think he had an influence on us. My sister and I made our way in life. He helped me a lot when I was working on my candidate's dissertation. He typed the first draft. In 1952 my father lost his job. He worked at the editorial office of a scientific research institute for over 30 years. He was one of their best employees. He began to work for free at the library near our house. My sister, who worked at the Institute of Glass and defended her thesis, was also fired. Our family of six lived on my husband's small salary. It was very difficult. We could hardly manage to make ends meet. My father died a sudden death of infarction in 1958. The day he died his colleagues from the library called to find out why he wasn't at work. After Stalin's death he didn't go back to work. They would have probably hired him, but he was over 75 years of age then. He had never been late or missed a day at work. He was buried in the town cemetery.