In the middle of 1970th we, students-polytechnics, fed up with plenty of homework and laboratories, had not enough vital experience, so that is why we were admired by personalities that were bright, experienced, who gladly communicated with students in extra-curricular time. A.Pavlov taught us about planes, figures, their crossings and projections. By the way, he was the first one who offered video lectures in the institute that are to this day kept in archives. Somehow we invited him to speak on "educational hour". And we heard the history, about him being the young engineer, how he went out from a difficult situation due to the experience and vital wisdom of old worker.
It was the third year of Great Patriotic War. A soviet army with fights freed the occupied territories. The decision was made about landing a desant to the enemy. It passed in the winter, therefore soldiers had to move on skis. In the short terms wooden structures were made, but there were no metal tips. As it turned out then, making such tips was not interesting for local factories so they were making lot of arguments why they won`t do it. At the end this important application “came” to the stamping-instrumental workshop, where a senior technologist A.Pavlov was working.
Glancing on a draft, a specialist understood that making such small detail with such equipments is impossible. A dinking press was "able" to do the elements of considerably bigger sizes. A despair and fear changed with the an indifference. Young man did not doubt, that for non-fulfillment of the task in a war-time he is expected to get punishment. He had already said goodbye to life. And here at the end of change an old locksmith goes near him with words "Let`s go to the ring". A “ring” was the turn of trams near the factory. An old man advised to cut down not "crosses", but intervals between them, that could be any size, and that will remain - and will be a necessary development. The task was done, the desant was sent. That was such a little stroke in this unknown history.
This history is still in our memory. And to this day I teach junior not to storm a task and not to lose hope to the last. Creativity? Great. But wisdom and experience are always useful.