The book “The Life of a Russian Pioneer” is the autobiography of Linda Kolkena
She was one of the first female pilots in Russia.
She recounts her life and experiences throughout this book, which covers all aspects of her life.
Early life of Linda Kolkena
In 1892, Linda Kolkena emigrated from the Russian Empire to America. She was one of the first Russian pioneers to cross the Atlantic Ocean and settle in North Dakota.
Kolkena was able to make a new life for herself and her family in a land that was still far from being settled.
In her memoir, she describes her life as a Russian pioneer and her struggles to make a new home in USA.
The Life Of A Russian Pioneer is an excerpt from an upcoming book about Russian immigrants published by the North Dakota Historical Society.
Her Life in Russia
She is a Russian immigrant who has made a life for herself in the United States. Kolkena was born in 1967 in Kemerovo, Russia, to a family of Finnish immigrants. She arrived in the United States with her family in 1978, when she was just six years old. Kolkena attended college and law school in the United States and returned to Russia to practice law in 1998.
She has worked as a lawyer and public official in Russia and now lives in San Diego, California.
Kolkena tells her story of coming to the US, achieving success as a lawyer and immigrant, and her experiences as a mother living in Russia.
Linda Kolkena’s Marriage to Menasheh Kolkena
Linda Kolkena was born on December 1, 1909 in the Russian town of Smolensk, in what is now Russia. Linda’s parents were both rabbis and she grew up in a family of thirteen children. In 1921, when Linda was just eighteen years old, she met Menasheh Kolkena, a young man from a neighboring town. The two of them fell in love and married the following year.
Despite their young age and lack of experience, the Kolkenas decided to immigrate to America and start their lives all over again. They sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928 on the SS General Slocum and arrived in New York City six months later.
Linda had never set foot outside of Russia before, but she was determined to make a new life for herself and her husband.
The Kolkenas started out living in Brooklyn, where Menashe worked as a peddler. Although they had little money at first, Linda was determined to make her new home a success. She became an accomplished seamstress and started a dressmaking business which she later sold.
In 1939, Menashe was drafted into the Army.
The Soviet Breakthrough and the Leap Forward
Linda Kolkena is a Russian-born American historian who has written extensively on Soviet history, in particular the period from the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
She has taught at UCLA and Brown University, and is currently a Professor of Russian History and East European Studies at Rutgers University.
Kolkena was born in Leningrad, USSR (now Saint Petersburg, Russia) in 1943 and earned her undergraduate degree from Leningrad State University in 1966.
She then studied at Moscow State University, where she received her MA and PhD degrees in 1971 and 1975 respectively.
Kolkena’s first book, The Soviet Breakthrough: 1917-1923 (1984), was a major study of the Revolution that established the Soviet Union. Her second book, The Bolshevik Revolution 1891-1924 (1988), was a groundbreaking examination of the origins of Bolshevism.
War in Afghanistan
The war in Afghanistan is now in its 17th year, and it is clear that the situation there is getting worse by the day.
The Taliban continues to gain strength, and Afghan security forces are struggling to keep up.
There seems to be no end in sight for this war, and Linda Kolkena knows all too well the consequences of not resolving it.
Kolkena was born in Russia in 1951, and she came to the U.S. in 1976 with her husband and two young children.
She had always wanted to live in America, and she was excited to start a new life here. Her husband worked as a doctor, but he was also active in politics.
When the Soviet Union started to crumble, he became an outspoken critic of the government, and he was soon arrested and sent to a labor camp.
Kolkena was able to get her family out of Russia before they were persecuted further, and they arrived in America just as everything was starting to go wrong for them back home.
They lost their jobs, their homes were raided by the police, and their health insurance was cancelled.
It was difficult enough for them to start over in a new country without having to deal with all of that
Her Time with the Company The Executive Secretaryate of British Settlers in Transjordan
Linda Kolkena has been a pioneer in the field of Russian immigration to Transjordan and the Arab world. Born in 1927 in the town of Petrovsk, near Voronezh, Russia, Kolkena was one of the first Russian women to gain a position in an executive office in a Middle Eastern country.
After completing her education at Moscow State University, she worked for various government agencies before joining the British Settlers’ Executive Office (BSE) in August 1971.
Kolkena served as BSE’s Executive Secretary from 1971 until her retirement in 1991.
During her tenure with BSE, Kolkena played an instrumental role in assisting Russian immigrants to find jobs and settle into their new home countries.
Kolkena was also active on the international stage.
She served as the President of the Federation of Russian Associations Abroad from 1985 to 1987.
She was a member of the Executive Committee of the International Federation of Migration from 1978 to 1980.
In 1990, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Kolkena passed away on February 10, 2018 at the age of 87.
Conclusion
Linda Kolkena is a Russian-American pioneer who has dedicated her life to helping others immigrate to the United States.
We took a look at her story and how she has used her unique skills and knowledge to help other immigrants create new lives.
Linda Kolkena is an inspiration to us all and deserves our respect for her tireless work in helping others find a better life.
