Tamara Nickolaevna Grum-Grzhimailo

(1929 - 2007)



  The candle went out. All the time it blazed, and almost 78 years passed before it pop out. T.N. was
always the burning engine in the company, like the flame in the lamp and many other figures like moths
received the heart-warming of kindness and cordiality she spread…

  First I saw her when was invited to birthday party of her son, Alexey – my classmate and friend later
on. She was playing among the guests and was the center of the company. All the people wore definite
state of intelligence, which would capture you from the beginning and prevent of doing bad or
inappropriate things. Such coryphaeus as Harry Grodberg could notice in a gentle manner of doing
something not in a best way. I was lucky and happy to absorb that!

  She was "an owl" and "a lark" simultaneously. Her son inherited from her, "the ploughman" approach to
the work, always showing prominent achievements even in school. The acquirements helped me to have work
done in time, which is very important today. We had met with T.N. several times after "young ones" were
gone to their own lifes.

  I would like to tell about one of that meeting. I was in group of supporters for Korotich - well-known
chief editor of "Ogonek" magazine - on the days of election company for conference of our hopes and
expectations in 1989. There was a preliminary meeting for candidates to be represented in the conference
and Korotich's "party" was persecuted by officials. I went for help to T.N. - each voice was a great
value for us. I hadn't to describe much - she understood from the first few words - and went and vote for
us. She always was in a "ready to go" state, when concerned with public rights being oppressed. Later on
she told she managed to vote for Korotich in her native Kharhkov.

  I immediately bought the book "Rostropovich and His Contemporaries" when I saw in the bookshop the name
of the author. Nowdays we have a lot of books, but very few are worth of reading, you know. Indeed, I
enjoyed reading it, though being not a professional. It seemed to me that I continued to be educated and
becoming a little bit more good natured. Later on T.N. subscribed it for me and my wife and gifted
another one. The book had inspired me to make this site!

  You could hear her “Yes, yes” upon your call, as if you were just continuing the conversation. So, I
think, she in a way protected herself from waisting time, though not being aware of doing such as intent.

  It was so natural for her to live and write because she could not live without writing, so fulfilling
the precept of unknown to me classic - “Write only when you can not do without writing!”.

  Thank You, Tamara Nikolaevna!