Diane Henrikson Russell
December 21, 1979 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Stalin (real last name: Jughashvili) in the Georgian city of Gori.
Coincidentally, my graduate-student spouse conducted research through Tbilisi State University’s Sociology Department in Georgia’s capital city during the 1979-80 USSR academic exchange sponsored by IREX (International Research and Exchanges Board). We went to the pervyi otdel (which controlled the movements of foreign exchange students) at Tbilisi State to obtain a special propusk (permit) to attend the 100th birthday celebration at the recently renovated museum. Khruschev declared Stalin a persona non grata in the 1960’s, but many Georgians still viewed Stalin as a local hero. That made the celebration even more rare.
