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Looking at my Classmate Valya Popkova via Kaleidoscope of Time Gladly

Valya Popkova, 1954Turning around the kaleidoscope of time pointing at year 1947, at once one can see the scene of pupils of Grade the 1-st coming to school for the first time in their lives, the class of Bryansk All-Girls’ School #1, class leading teacher Nina Nikolaevna Ledneva, so beautiful and young at that time.
And among all of us is Valya Popkova, our A-student during the whole period of Junior High and later up to entering the College.
Valya was born on September 22, 1940 to the family where there were three children: brother Popkov Vladimir Ivanovich, one year older than her, now Honorable Professor of Bryansk State Technical University, and younger sister Lyudmila, who as her became a teacher by profession.
After graduation of the Bryansk Building College named after N.E. Zhukovsky Valentina chose the teaching career and was loyal to her profession for 47 years, for which she was awarded with title of’the Merited Teacher of the Russian Federation”.
I made a little research on Internet and found the writing dated November 11, 2005 that reads:
The Governor’s Awards
For multi-year hard work, big contribution to the preparation of high-qualified specialists for building industry of the region and on the occasion of the 115-th anniversary of the date of foundation of the educational institution the Governor of the region signed the Order #712-p of 7.11.05 about awarding of the workers of the Bryansk Building College named after Professor N.E. Zhukovsky:
with Honor Official Document and the Valuable Gift-
Ivashutina Valentina Ivanovna, teacher, Merited Teacher of the Russian Federation.”
Turning the kaleidoscope to the right a bit, I see two young students of the Building College Sveta Eremina and Valya Popkova, for the first time for practice on the construction site where at that time was working as a foreman Vladimir Ivashutin.
There they are the two slim youngsters dressed by the latest then fashion in skirts a la-bell and in high heels a la-pin, are trotting bravely through the construction boards and leftovers of the construction garbage.
“Who sent them here?” roared the chief dread. The young foreman Ivashutin took them under his cover.
So it was the first meeting of Valya and Volodya, which later ended up with the marriage, lasting already more than half century. They raised up their son Sasha, enjoying the successes of their granddaughter Masha who dedicated her life to the scientific career in the philosophy, “the tsarin” of all sciences.
Valentina Ivanovna Ivashutina is an unusual teacher, she has besides her professional skills also the sense of beauty and poetry. She recites poetry with pleasure and taste.
Here it is, one of them:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 map of Russia

Larisa Rubalskaya,

“Years’ re Moving, Years’re Going!”

Years’re going, years’re moving…
The jaw’s placed in, harder to breathe…
At the mirror I’m looking,
What a disgrace!
The neck’s in wrinkles,
So is the face.
If I buy the shoes-the model from magazine,
I cannot wear them ’cause of flat foot…
Cannot see far, cannot see near-
-as if I’m handless,
Far-sighted or near-sighted, I’m not sure.
And hearing became much less!
If I’m sent far – I go closer…
We were told by Pushkin, guess,
“love is obedient to all ages”!…
That there’s strength in old age,
I will tell you: “You bet!”
I want to coquette -my eyes’re down,
My hands’re in my purse-reaching the validol…
I want to throw myself into a man’s hugs-
From this prevent my glasses on the nose bridge,
And memory grew to low quality:
Why did I lie to him? Completely I forgot.
Everywhere with me is always one condolence:
I’m worse than I was, but
Better than I will be!” (translated by VFP)
This is music for you, Valentina:

“lara Fabian, Mademoiselle Zhivago in Moscow 15.11.2010”

2 Comments

  1. Валечка! Удивлена, что из такого мизерного количества информации о Вале Попковой, ты сумела написать такую достаточно интересную и даже можно сказать емкую статью! Снимаю шляпу особенно за Лару Фабиан! Единственно, на мой взгляд, стихотворение Рубальской несколько опошляет образ Вали – просто это не ее стихи, она значительно тоньше и интеллигентнее.С уважением Эмма

  2. Дорогая одноклассница Эммочка! Благодарю за чтение. Насчёт критики стихотворения Рубальской, это твой личный вкус. Я же считаю, что это стихотворение с юмором или даже сатирой, как хочешь можешь рассматиривать, но Валюша сама мне его читала и не без удовольствия Поэтому, тут мнения наши разошлись. А что думает сама Валентина Ивановна Ивашутина по этому поводу? Интересно бы узнать.
    С уважением Валя Филина, автор статьи

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