Kennebec Valley Community College Russian Connections

ANNUAL LYNX SUPPLEME N T M A R C H 2 0 1 2 K O T L A S TIMELINE

Fall 1983 Peter Garrett writes to Ground Zero Pairing Project

April 1989 First Waterville contingent goes to

June 1990 First Kotlas group arrives in Waterville (1st KVCC visit), Sister City agreement signed

May 1994 second Russian visit to KVCC takes place

March 2007 third and most recent visit by Russian teacher, “Nadya” Kotlas, Sister City It may not be well-known that the Greater sister city connection became stalled. This did Waterville Area has a sister city in , but not stop citizens from both sides from the project that brought about this connection continuing to promote the idea. A number of dates back to the early 1980s. As the Cold War pen-pals were initiated and many are still began to heat up once again, one particular actively writing today. Garrett added to this Winslow resident felt that if people were given flurry of written correspondences by sending an opportunity to better understand one another a letters to a variety of Soviet Officials includ- lot of the tensions between the US and the Soviet ing Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986. Even though Union would be alleviated. It was with this goal a formal agreement had still not been reached, in mind that in the Fall of 1983 Peter Garrett a small delegation of Waterville Area contacted the Ground Zero Pairing Project, A Portland OR based nonprofit that specialized in matching US cities with Soviet counterparts. However, Garret was not satisfied with the match that was suggested and chose to do some research of his own. While looking for a Russian Kotlas Emblem city that shared some demographic and cultural traits with Greater Waterville, a committee of citizens from Waterville, Winslow, Fairfield, and Oakland was formed and named “Our Peaceful Russian Connection.”

A view of Kotlas looking down In December of 1983 Waterville’s mayor signed towards one of the rivers and sent a letter to the mayor of Kotlas, the city deemed to be the most suitable match. Unfortunately, the official effort to establish a A newsletter published by KVCC Archive P A G E 2 First Visit

June of 1990 marked the campus. While being shown on behalf of the Kotlas arrival of the very first around they also saw a delegation. The three group of Russian citizens to variety of demonstrations. wooden spoons presented to visit the Greater Waterville Among the programs that the school were meant to area as a result of the Sister provided demonstrations symbolize both the learning City agreement with Kotlas. were Emergency Medical that occurs between student Kennebec Valley Technical Services, Nursing, and teacher and the friendly College played a role in Respiratory Therapy, relationship between the US creating a favorable first Electrical Lineworker and the USSR. The college impression among the Technology, and Computer still has this sentimental gift members of the inaugural Sciences. Our visitors which remains in the delegation. A tour of the appear in a Morning archive. College’s campus and a Sentinel photograph with luncheon were planned as Paul Plumer overseeing the part of a broader campaign EMS simulation. The June to help our Russian visitors 22nd article provides a nice Gift of Russian become acquainted with summary of the days Spoons Waterville and the events. surrounding towns. After attending a luncheon Vyacheslav “Slava” with KVTC Faculty and Chernykh, a ship building Staff, Slava and Nikolai engineer, and Nikolai were presented with gifts Sheptyakov, a journalist, representing the College. spent part of the day touring The pair then offered a gift Excerpt from 6/22/90 Morning Sentinel

For more information on the history of this Sister City please Sister City (continued) visit Kotlas Connection’s web- site at Residents were able to get relationship has continued permission to visit Kotlas. to prosper. In 1993 the http://kotlas.org. April 20, 1989 marked the Kotlas Connection, which start of what would become formed out of the original They have an excellent piece, a regular exchange between committee, started what is “Discovering Kotlas: A Sister Waterville and Kotlas. now an annual central City Retrospective”, that can be Maine cultural event, The accessed directly at Roughly a year later, on Russian Sampler. Kotlas June 15th the first visitors Connection has also http://kotlas.org/about_us/ from Kotlas arrived. It was inspired the initiation of discovering_kotlas.html during this exchange that over 800 pen-pal the Sister City agreement connections and has had Woods near Kotlas was signed. Two of the roughly 60 individuals who as well as a brief description of Kotlassians from this initial have participated in trips the Russian Sampler at group, Vyacheslav to Kotlas. Chernykh and Nikolai http://kotlas.org/projects/ Sheptyakov, toured our sampler/index.html. campus here in Fairfield. Since those early days, the

RUSSIAN CONNECTIONS ANNUAL LYNX SUPPLEME N T P A G E 3 Where is Kotlas?

. The City of Kotlas is part of the Arkangelsk Oblast, which is located in the northwestern part of Russia. It sits at the intersection of the and Vychegda rivers. It was selected as a sister city due to its geographic similarities with central Maine. Kotlas is well known for its timber related and shipbuilding industries.

Victor at the luncheon with Gary Stevens, Bruce Davis, and President Woodlee

Kak skazat’* Chance? Steve Joliceour shows the Shulyaks the Auto-CAD lab Victor Shulyak’s tour of campus and the a two week visit to Maine in order to documents are currently in the KVCC consequent agreement between the technical spend some time with Diana during her Archive along with a photo album college he worked for and our own year-long exchange. As plans Victor gave to our school. institution was somewhat of a happy progressed for what was initially accident. Victor’s wife, Diana, was intended to be a friendly tour with a Both of these post-secondary participating in an exchange program with fellow educator, the idea of creating a institutions are located in the city of the University of Maine at Farmington when more lasting bond was introduced. Mr. in the Komi region of one of the UMF staff members, who Shulyak’s two-day visit to campus Russia. Interestingly, Syktyvkar is happened to be a Fairfield resident, ended with the drafting and signing of also similar to the Greater Waterville suggested that Victor might be interested in two partnership agreements. The visiting KVTC. agreements acknowledged the area in some of its geographic features overlapping interests and programs and commercial interests. It is roughly Victor was already in the process of planning between KVTC and the colleges 200 miles northeast of Kotlas and is represented by Victor and Diana, also situated on a river way. Technical College #34 and Syktyvkar * How do you say... Medical College, respectively. The The Kennebec Valley Community College Archive seeks to Kennebec Valley preserve the institutional history of the college. The Kennebec Valley Community College Archive contains Community College thousands of records that are divided into nine major collections. Archive Some of these collections are themselves broken down into sub- sections, referred to as series.

92 Western Avenue These Collections are: Lunder Building, Room 115 Maine School of Practical Nursing Fairfield, ME 04937 Correspondences Publications Accreditation Phone: 207-453-5004 Photographic Fax: 207-453-5194 Campus Life Maine Community College System E-mail: [email protected] Kennebec Valley Community College Archive Web: http://sites.google.com/site/kvccarchives/ Oral History

Special thanks to the Kotlas Connection for sharing information and for photos from Nadya’s visit. In particular I would like to thank Phil Gonyar and Carl Daiker

The Kotlas-Waterville Area Sister City Connection, PO Box 1747, Waterville, ME 04903-1747 www.kotlas.org

Marcia Parker shows Nadya how one of the medical mannequins works

Nadya

Nadezhda “Nadya” Perepyolkina’s Waterville area to participate in the connection with the Sister City Russian Sampler, an annual cultural event For further information on Nadya’s visit agreement goes back to its early sponsored by the Kotlas Connection. to Maine, please read the Kotlas days. Nadya’s family was among the While in Maine she spent a day on our Connection’s March 2007 piece at hosts who graciously took in campus. Even though she was not a members of the first Waterville area member of the Nursing faculty, she did http://kotlas.org/news/2007/ delegation to Kotlas. Even after teach English for the Archangel Medical two_visitors.html. moving away from Kotlas she kept College. Our own director of Nursing, up her connection to the program by Marcia Parker, showed Nadya around the becoming a pen pal. Nursing lab and arranged for a demonstration. In March of 2007, Nadya came to the