For the Country of Soviets, Angelina Praskovya Nikitichna always remained Pasha. She was considered the first tractor driver. She was known as well as the legendary Stakhanov, Chkalov and Papanin.
She loved to say that she was able to saddle the “iron horse”, calling for other representatives of the weaker sex. True, this lesson deprived her not only of health, but also of personal happiness ... The biography of Pasha Angelina will be presented to the reader in an article.
Greek family
Praskovya Nikitichna Angelina was born in 1913 in one of the villages of the Donetsk province in a peasant family. Her ancestors are Greeks. She was brought up in Christian traditions.
Young Pasha initially prepared for rural life. When she was only five, she moonlighted as a shepherd. And a few years later she was already working in the mine as an auxiliary worker. Of course, she gave all her earnings to her mother.
In addition, from an early time the future champion was attracted to technology and various mechanisms. Although in Greek families since ancient times women should deal exclusively with children and household chores. But Pasha was originally considered a "boy in a skirt." And when the first tractor appeared in their village, Angelina could not remain indifferent. She decided to learn the profession of a tractor driver.
Of course, the members of the Angelin family reacted to this desire very negatively. However, the sixteen-year-old girl still got her way. She brilliantly finished the courses of machine operators and began to work in the fields of Donbass. She was the very first woman to drive a tractor. Since then, the development of agriculture of the Stalin era literally depended on it. She was able to become a legend.
Pasha Angelina - the legend of the labor Donbass
A few years ago, Angelina led the first female tractor operator brigade. Together with her, N. Radchenko, L. Fedorova, N. Biits, V. Kosse, V. Zolotopup, V. Anastasova and others worked.
In the first plowing, the girls managed to double the plan. In addition, they did not allow a single downtime of equipment during this period. Although then, Soviet agriculture was going through far from the best of times. There was a significant lack of spare parts and fuel. Also, repair teams have not yet been formed.
But despite this, in the same memorable year, Angelina received the title of “Excellent Tractor Driver”. And the news of this came to the capital. Advanced periodicals began to constantly publish her photographs. In the conditions of the first Soviet five-year plan, the country needed new “heroes”. And such was Pasha. There was a Stakhanov movement in the USSR. And party leaders began to "sculpt" from it the image of a real hard worker who was devoted to the head of state.
Deputy
In 1935, Pasha Angelina was first awarded the prestigious Order of Lenin. Two years later, she became a member of the Communist Party and a deputy of the Supreme Council. Repeatedly in personal meetings, she talked with Stalin. She even had the opportunity to directly call the country's leader.
But she never used it. According to her recollections, belonging to the party elite weighed heavily on her.
Nevertheless, due to her status in society, she had to constantly worry about sending equipment. She also made trips to the villagers to the south, helped them with entering universities and much more. In a word, she took care of literally everyone except herself. It was extremely inconvenient for her to use her position. Although, perhaps, her surname at one time saved the whole family from Stalinist repressions. True, her brother, who headed one of the collective farms, nevertheless ended up in the dungeons of the KGB. A little later, he was released, but after bullying and beatings in prison, he became disabled and soon died.
Highly educated toiler
Countrymen marveled at her exceptional energy. So, in 1938, she decided to appeal to all Soviet toilers. She went to them with an appeal: "100,000 girlfriends - on a tractor!" And soon, not one hundred thousand Soviet women followed this example, but twice as many.
In addition, the villagers were amazed at her desire for knowledge. Angelina Praskovya Nikitichna sincerely dreamed of becoming a highly educated toiler. However, initially she did not shine with a letter. But she always managed to make time to study with tutors. So, for several years she managed to complete the entire school course. And on the eve of the war, she was even able to get a diploma of higher education, having graduated from the famous Timiryazevka.
She fell in love with literature. She constantly read and wrote a lot of books. As a result, she herself took up the pen, writing her book. It was called "People of the collective farm fields."
During the war
When the war began, Angelina moved to Kazakhstan, where she again became the foreman of the women's team.
She slept 4 hours a day. And in these conditions, she continued to engage in the development of agriculture and set records.
In 1945, she returned to Donbass. Her partners were in different cities. But she again led the new brigade. Only here women, except for her, were not at all. But the stronger sex unconditionally recognized its authority.
Post-war time
In the post-war period, Angelina, as always, continued to reach new heights. Her team received 12 tons of grain. As a result, in 1947, she was awarded the first Labor Hero Star for shock work.
Over time, life generally began to improve. A canteen and a refrigerator were built in the field. In addition, a special pool for rainwater was built. The fact is that drinking radiators quickly rusted.
Its employees received a huge salary. In the end, many of them built houses, bought motorcycles. Also, everyone could buy a car. And if there was not enough money, the team leader immediately helped to solve this problem. So, once for tractor drivers she ordered two dozen “Muscovites”.
New realities
After Stalin's death, completely new times came. This era required other idols and heroes. But Angelina still could not complain about reality. She was elected to the Central Committee of the Ukrainian Communist Party. Then she continued to receive new awards. As before, she was praised in the press. She was constantly invited to various events and meetings.
She had her own personal Victory car. She drove a car as masterly as a tractor. Then she was offered to take the Volga, which was prestigious and fashionable at that time. But she refused.
She also refused the post of chairman of one of the collective farms. She until the last remained an ordinary foreman. However, the best time for her was already leaving ...
The death of the foreman
Tractor driver Pasha Angelina never complained to anyone about her health. But over the last months of her life, she was worried about pain in the liver. But she held on.
When she arrived in the capital for a session of the Supreme Council, she felt very ill. She had to see a doctor.
She was put in the famous "Kremlin". In another hospital room, by the way, was the famous Papanin. They were friends.
There she was awarded the second Star of the Hero.
Meanwhile, the doctors made Angelina a terrible diagnosis - cirrhosis. In those days, this disease was professional for tractor drivers. They constantly breathed toxic fumes of fuel.
Pasha was offered to undergo surgery, and she agreed, since she sincerely hoped that surgery would really help her. But the miracle did not happen. She died in January 1959. She was only 46.
They were going to bury her at Novodevichy Pogost. But relatives insisted that she be buried all the same in her homeland.
After the death of Angelina, the brigade did not break up at all. Before the collapse of the Soviet empire, she worked and continued to set records.
Also, for a long time, a club of women machine operators functioned in honor of the famous woman. This organization brought together several thousand rural workers.
In the homeland of Praskovia, in the village of Starobeshevo, a bust of Angelina was installed, in the same place she was named after the avenue and her museum was opened.
The unlucky family of Angelina
At one time, Angelina had an exemplary Soviet family. Her husband was a party leader. His name was Sergey Chernyshev. He came to Donbass from Kursk on a routine and became one of the leaders of the region. They say he was considered a very capable and talented person. He composed poems and painted.
Perhaps he would have climbed up the career ladder if not for his wife. The fact is that for all he remained primarily the spouse of the famous tractor driver, and not the owner of the district. And this madly wounded his pride. He began to roll up scary scenes and abuse alcohol.
When the Great Patriotic War began, he went to the front. He went through the whole war and was an order bearer. But during this period he has already turned into a real alcoholic.
After the Victory, he continued to serve in Germany. He was the commandant of one of the military towns.
After a while, he still ended up in the Donbass. A little later, his front-line wife arrived with him with a child. Surprisingly, Angelina managed to withstand this blow of fate. She treated this woman with enviable understanding. Moreover, subsequently she began to financially support both her and the child.
Well, Chernyshev continued to be jealous of his wife to her inexhaustible glory. Over time, the relationship between them finally went wrong. And when, when in a state of intoxication, the husband wanted to shoot Praskovya (he missed), she herself filed for divorce, not forgiving him this trick.
She completely deleted him from her life. She decided not only to refuse his alimony, but also to change the name of the children. Now they all became just Angelic.
After these events, Chernyshev only twice came to them. At the first meeting, the ex-wife even sent him to one of the sanatoriums, as his health left much to be desired. The second time he arrived at Praskovya’s funeral. True, when she was still in the Kremlin hospital, Chernyshev wanted to see her, but the children did not let him in ...
Meanwhile, Pasha's ex-husband started a new family. His chosen one was a school teacher. At one time, Chernyshev completely stopped drinking, but then began to abuse again. The wife kicked him out. And later he died.
... Angelina herself never married again. Although they got married to her repeatedly. So, even during the war, one of the Ural party functionaries P. Simonov was seriously carried away by it. But he had a sick wife. And so Praskovya nipped these courtship in the bud.
Descendants
Angelina raised 4 children. And one of them is the reception. She adopted her nephew into the family when his own mother refused him.
The first two children, Sveta and Valera, were born before the war. The youngest daughter was born already in 1942. She named the girl Stalin in honor of the leader of the Soviet state. In the family, her name was just Stalochka.
To date, the descendants of the legendary tractor driver live in the Russian capital and in the Don region.