Institute’s most senior employee, Vyacheslav Smelkov, passes away aged 87
A farewell ceremony was held at the Institute.
Dr Smelkov was born in a family of public servants in 1938 in Vysokaya Gora district of Tatar Republic. After graduating from school he entered the Faculty of Geology, specializing in geology and exploration of oil and gas fields. In 1960, he graduated from the university with honors, and in the same year he started working as an engineer, after which in 1965 he completed his postgraduate studies at the Department of Oil and Gas Geology. Smelkov defended his dissertation on the features of geology and geochemistry of middle Carboniferous sediments of Tatarstan in connection with the assessment of their oil-bearing prospects at the Moscow Institute of Petrochemical and Gas Industry (currently Russian State University of Oil and Gas).
In 1968, he started to work as a senior lecturer, since 1984 as an associate professor of the Department of Oil and Gas Geology. In 1987, he became the head of the department.
For services to the higher education of the USSR, in 1990 he was awarded the badge “For excellent achievements in work”. Smelkov was awarded the honorary titles of Honored Geologist of the Republic of Tatarstan (1993) and Honored Worker of Oil and Gas Industry of the Russian Federation (2004).
He did a lot for the department and faculty, created educational and scientific base, core storage facility, training laboratories, provided students with industrial practice and employment in companies.
The civil memorial service was held in the courtyard of the Institute, where the management and staff of the Institute, alumni, colleagues, representatives of companies, family and relatives of the Professor gathered. Many warm words were said about him.
“Vyacheslav Mikhailovich’s whole life was connected with Kazan University and the Faculty of Geology, with which he was associated for almost 70 years, where he headed the Department of Oil and Gas Geology for 20 years. He loved the University, the Geology Department, his profession, and his students. Until his last days he was interested in the life of the faculty, he called, gave assignments, worried that something was not done. For him the faculty, colleagues, students – it was the main thing in life. Today, from here, from the Faculty of Geology, we are seeing off this wonderful man, teacher, and leader,” said Danis Nurgaliev, Vice-Rector for Earth Sciences.
His former colleagues and daughter also shared their memories of Vyacheslav Smelkov. The memorial service ended with the laying of flowers.
