Vasily Fyodorovich Sebin

Vasily Fyodorovich Sebin – a local historian, a teacher at Pitkyaranta Secondary School, the founder and director of the Museum of Military Glory (now the Pitkyaranta City Local History Museum named after V. F. Sebin). He was born into a peasant family in the village of Khmelina, Vologda Oblast. In October 1944 he took part in the battles for the Norwegian port of Kirkenes as part of the naval infantry of the Karelian Front. For his service Sebin was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class, and combat medals.

After the war Vasily Fyodorovich devoted himself to teaching at Pitkyaranta School No. 1. There he organized the "Red Trackers" club, within which schoolchildren collected materials about the battles for Pitkyaranta, information about fallen soldiers and burial sites. Based on these materials, in 1969 the Museum of Military Glory was established, which in 1991 received the status of a local history museum and was housed in the historic Valden House. Sebin was the first director of this museum, compiled collections of memoirs and documents about the wars ("Memory and Sorrow", "Fiery Versts") and participated in the creation of the monument "Cross of Sorrow». Vasily Fyodorovich Sebin passed away on August 8, 2000.