One of Ewa's Grandpa's medals.

Ewusiu,
Your Grandfather Nicolai Siemionowicz Otdelencew was a handsome and very elegant man. He had also a great sense of humor which I could appreciate after I become fluent in Russian. I met him for the first time in 1972, shortly after our wedding on April 19th. Marina's parents arrived two day later from Far East Russia near Sakhalin peninsula where he was the CEO of the brunch of the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and... we had our second wedding party at home of Marina's parents.
Nicolai Siemionovicz was aviation engineer. He completed his study at Kharkov Polytechnic Institute before World War II. During the War he served as ground crew mechanic (aircraft maintenance and repair)of Russia Air Force. He ends up the war in Dresden-Germany.
Back in Moscow he joined the M.(Mikhail) Mil Experimental Helicopter Design Bureau (do not know when).
In 1951, after testing, the first Russian helicopter Mi-1 was born. The same year Mi-1 helicopters were manufactured in Kazan, Rostov and Swidnik (Poland)near Lublin, our university town. Later in 1955 the Swidnik Plant starts to produce Mi-2 helicopters. In 1956 our Papa and your Grandfather arrived to Lublin as a General Consultant of the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant (Moscovskij Viertalotnyj Zavod) with his wife Maria and daughters, Lala and Marina. Papa told me that Marina (7 years old at that time) in 3 months was fluent in Polish and was helping Mother to purchase groceries.
Papa served as a Consultant at Swidnik Plant until 1970 and in the end of his service he was awarded by Polish Government with the Cross Polonia Restituta for the outstanding contribution to industry and technology (that Cross is on the picture).
He retired in 1973 a year after our wedding... I met him and his exceptional wife Maria for the last time ten years later, in 1983 at their Dacza, when I was traveling for Biotechnology Congress at Khishiniow.
Papa died on Mai 1th 1990...
t.