Grigory Sergeyevich Glazyrin

Grigory Sergeyevich Glazyrin – local historian, geologist, founder of the Bilibino Local History Museum. Grigory Sergeyevich was born on November 27, 1909 in the village of Shavarzhakovo, Kirov Oblast. He was educated at the Urzhum Pedagogical Technical School and the Vyatka Pedagogical Institute, and in 1934 completed graduate studies at Moscow State University in the genesis and geography of soils. After graduate school he worked for some time in Moscow, engaged in the construction of airfields.

 

The outbreak of the Great Patriotic War found Glazyrin in Lviv. On July 3, 1941 he was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army. He took part in battles in Crimea and in the North Caucasus; in 1942 he was captured, but soon escaped and returned to the active army. He participated in the Jassy–Kishinev operation and in battles on the territory of Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia and Hungary as part of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. At the end of 1944 he was convicted, and in 1951 he ended up at Kolyma, where he worked in the mines. He was released on May 16, 1953; however, he remained at Kolyma and began working in the geological field.

 

From 1953 Glazyrin worked as a junior topographer and then as a hydrogeologist in various geological parties on Kolyma and Omolon. In March 1956 he moved to the Bilibino district and headed a geological party. Glazyrin made a significant contribution to the development of the settlement of Bilibino, in particular solving the water supply problem by drilling a well that provided clean water from beneath the permafrost. At his initiative a public canteen was opened in Bilibino. Glazyrin proved to be a curious and determined person. His interest in the history of the region led to the creation of the Bilibino Local History Museum. He collected historical materials, documents and exhibits, securing premises from district authorities for the museum. Grigory Sergeyevich Glazyrin passed away on March 12, 1990. His name is commemorated in the title of the Bilibino Local History Museum.