Monday, January 4, 2021
Hello, Lidia, and Alex. I remember your mother as a friendly, loving Slavic woman (whether Russian or Ukrainian...I'm not sure-you tell me. I always thought that Igor was Russian, but Maria was born in the Ukraine? She could still have been Russian, though, because Stalin relocated millions of Russians to all the other Soviet states, back then...) At any rate, Maria was always friendly (and, I guess, happy to be in the U.S., as opposed to being in that dreadful Soviet state), and both of my parents loved Igor and Maria, as members of our church, and Igor and Maria loved my parents, too. Igor was hard-working and intelligent, and I wish I could talk to both of your parents, now, because they were good to me, when I was growing up, in Cranford. In fact, Igor travelled to the University of Pennsylvania, with me and my father, when I was matriculating there, as a freshman, in the fall of 1970, and moving into the freshman quadrangle dormitory complex. And, before he left, he taught me my first real (non-Anglicized) Russian word: "dosvedanya" (not sure if I'm spelling it right, but I know what it means, and I'm sure you do, too). I've learned a number of Russian words, since then (not too many), bit I'll always remember the man who taught me that word. Dosvedanya, Igor, and dosvedanya, Maria. And if either of you want to contact me, Lidia, or Alex, feel free to do so, at any time. Thank you.
Michael A. Totten
BSEE, Univ. of Penn., Class of 1975
908-420-7960
mtblackbeard@yahoo.com
