PETER AKIMOVICH PAL'CHINSKII (1875–1929)

Russia has produced some great engineers, who had to contend with political as well as technical difficulties. The first to be profiled here, Peter Akimovich Pal'chinskii, became one of the victims of Stalin's paranoia. His father, Akim Fedorovich Pal'chinskii, a land surveyor and estate appraiser, married twice and had five children by his first wife, Aleksandra, seven by his second, Olga. Born on 3 October 1875, Peter was the oldest son by Aleksandra. As a child, he lived with his mother in Kazan, along with his brother Fedor and his three sisters Anna, Sophia and Elena, while the children of the second marriage lived with their parents in Saratov, further down the Volga.

Peter was an energetic youth and a bright student. After the age of eight, when his parents were divorced, he saw his father rarely. He confided primarily in his mother, a member of a socially prominent but impecunious family. She greatly influenced his early education. Under her tutelage, he became a good pianist, despite his lack of natural talent for the instrument. She also encouraged him to use the extensive family library, where, as well as works of literature, Peter read books on popular science and history. He also learned French and German; later he added English and Italian.