A memorial plaque to Sergey Shabashov, former First Secretary of the Vitebsk Regional Committee of the CPSU, was unveiled in Vitebsk
The event was attended by representatives of authorities, public organizations, former colleagues, youth, relatives and friends of Sergei Shabashov.
Sergei Shabashov headed the Vitebsk Regional Committee of the CPSU for 12 years, from 1971 to 1983. During his tenure in this capacity, large-scale transformations took place not only in Vitebsk itself but also throughout the entire northern region.
Colleagues and like-minded people of Sergei Shabashov warmly recalled their leader. He was a patriot of his country: during the war, as an 18-year-old youth, he joined the ranks of the "Morjak" detachment of Alexei Danukalov's partisan brigade. Even then, his organizational skills were evident, and it is no coincidence that he rose from an ordinary partisan to the deputy brigade commissar. He participated in the partisan parade in Vitebsk.
In peacetime, he constantly supported the veterans' movement, the creation of museums throughout the region, and the construction of large memorials, including the famous "Surazh Gates" in 1977.
The memorial plaque to Sergei Shabashov was created on the initiative of the regional organization of the Belarusian Public Association of Veterans.
Authors: sculptor Alexander Gvozdikov, architect Alexander Mikhailiukov, foundry engineer Igor Shostak.
– He dedicated himself entirely to creation, to the development of industry and agriculture. In 1976, a record grain harvest of 1 million 453 thousand tons was gathered in the northern region. This is a benchmark that we continue to strive for, – noted Vyacheslav Durnov, Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee. – In those years, trolleybus service was launched in the city, a new bridge was built across the Western Dvina, the Smolenskoye Highway and Lenin Street were reconstructed, Victory Square with a memorial complex was laid out, new buildings for the Pedagogical and Medical Institutes appeared, active construction of residential buildings began in the Yug microdistricts, and a number of new factories were commissioned. As a result, over 10 years, the volume of industrial production increased almost threefold. Unprecedented growth!
In parallel with the economy, the socio-cultural sphere developed. Palaces of culture, schools, stadiums, kindergartens, trade and service enterprises were built.
Behind these transformations stood Sergey Mikhailovich's phenomenal organizational abilities, his ability to see the essence of the processes occurring in the country's economy and politics in a comprehensive manner, to identify key problems, and to take on the difficult burden of responsibility.
In addition to being a talented and outstanding leader, Sergey Shabashov was a loving husband and father; he had three children. On behalf of the family, the youngest son, Konstantin, an associate professor at the Department of Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology of VGMU, spoke:
– Our parents, through genes and blood, passed on to us virtues such as a love for work, a desire to create and preserve peace. They, the generation that defeated fascism, restored the destroyed national economy, rebuilt cities, villages, factories, and plants. Today, the youth still learns from their example, adopting creative energy – and this is the key to the development of our country.
In a conversation with a "VV" correspondent, Konstantin Shabashov said that his father was rarely at home, worked without days off, and often traveled on business trips around the region, the republic, and to Moscow. He raised his children by his own example. He was unpretentious in everyday life, and as a native of the rural hinterland, he preferred simple food. At one time, when Sergey Shabashov helped his relatives in the Liozno region with farming, he was recognized as the best mower. His father also passed on to Konstantin the skill of performing this eternally male work. And most importantly, he taught him to love people, to live for people.
Sergey Shabashov's military and labor feats are marked by the Orders of Lenin, the October Revolution, the Patriotic War of the I and II degrees, the Red Banner of Labor (four times), the Badge of Honor, and other awards.
Now, the memory of this unique personality, whose name is inscribed in golden letters in the history of our region, has been immortalized in Sergey Shabashov's native Vitebsk with the installation of a memorial plaque.