In the history of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, there have always been many workers whose descendants continued the path of parents, their relatives, creating dynasties of the scientific and technological intelligentsia of Ukraine and our university in particular.
Today's story is about one of these dynasties - people associated with family ties, who at different periods of their lives studied or worked at the KPI.
Analyst of the Department of Personnel and Archives Valentina Sapronova says:
- In my family tree, along with me, there are 8 family members who worked or studied in the Kiev Polytechnic. All began with my grandmother - Anna Vasilyevna Melnychuk (1889) - who started her work in the KPI before the Great Patriotic War, and after that she was a laboratory assistant at the Department of Electrical Machines and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. She took an active part in the reconstruction of the department after the war, easily coped with the conduct of laboratory work. Besides, she sewed very well, embroidered and has always been a very elegant woman.
My grandmother's husband, Nikita Pilipovich Melnichuk (1884), worked as a gardener in the KPI's greenhouses, was well aware of ornamental plants and flowers. He died shortly after the war.
My mother, Eugenia Kondratovna Korolenko (1919), in 1936-1939, worked as a laboratory assistant at the department of steam boilers. Now it is the Department of Nuclear Power Plants and Engineering Thermophysics of the Heat and Power Faculty.
Another member of our dynasty - my father, Petro Stepanovich Korolenko (1911) - a participant of the Great Patriotic War, he liberated his native Kiev from the fascist invaders. After the end of the war, he worked at the KPI from 1946 to 1974 as an educational master of the special department. At home, I have his military orders and medals, as well as certificates and rationales obtained during the work at the KPI.
My brother Oleg Petrovich Korolenko, in the 70's of the last century, worked as a laboratory assistant in the KPI at the Department of Machine Mechanics and Machine-Building Faculty.
My son, Vladislav Mikhailovich Sapronov, graduated from the Welding Faculty of the KPI in 1993. Now he is a sub-colonel of the Security Service of Ukraine, a member of the ATO.
We also have my daughter-in-law as a part of a dynasty - Oksana Valerievna Sapronova, who graduated from the Publishing and Printing Institute of our university and works as a dispatcher at the Dean's Office of the Welding Faculty.
In addition, briefly about myself. I was born in Kiev. After graduating from school in 1955, entered the Electrotechnical Faculty of the KPI and received a diploma in 1960. These were the unforgettable years of my life. I will memorize such great teachers as M.G. Gordeladze, I.M. Chyzhenko, M.L. Kalnibolotsky and the dean of the faculty S.O.Rebrov for good. Many new educational buildings were built in my eyes, a library, a large sports complex, a center for culture and arts, a dormitory, and a health resort on the Black Sea coast. New faculties were opened, reconstruction of the park was carried out. Moreover, most important - students' education at the university is held at a much higher level, it is currently at the forefront of higher education in Ukraine. In 2016, I celebrated my 50th work-birthday in the Igor Sikorsky KPI. I worked in the Capital Construction Department as the chief of the equipment, and now I work as an engineer in the Division of Personnel and Archival Affairs.
Let us add to this story that for the fifth year Valentina Petrovna together with the head of the Department of Valuable and Rare Editions of the library's M.A. Miroshnichenko conducts cultural and educational lectures dedicated to the outstanding personalities of Ukraine and Poland with great success.
This is one of dynasties that are connected with family ties and long-term labor contribution to the development of Kyiv Polytechnic.