A page from the history of the University of Vilnius: selected biographical threads

Abstract

The article concerns the scientific path of the employees and authorities of the University of Vilnius, who had the courage to to hold a repeat official presentation of a dissertation of prof. Vyacheslav Vsevolodovich Ivanov in 1978 (the previous presentation took place in Moscow in 1955, but the documentation was “lost”) and to award the title of doctor honoris causa to Vladimir Nikolaevich Toporov in 1994. Biographical threads also concern employees who moved to Warsaw after WWII, primarily Professor Maria Renata Mayenowa. She was an assistant in the Stefan Batory University and participant in the seminar of professor Manfred Kridl. As a person of Jewish nationality, she lived in hiding near Bracław under the name of Szadziewicz during the occupation and survived thanks to the help of the university community. The following names appear on further pages: Professor Tadeusz Czeżowski, Janina Zienowicz, Stefan and Lidia Wołoszyn, Feliks and Maria Wolscy. The atmosphere of mutual support and help is noteworthy. The milieu of the period is overviewed on the basis of correspondence of Professor Mayenowa to Professors Kridl and Elzenberg. As defined by Professor Zygmunt Saloni, Professor Mayenowa was “Polish by choice”.