Madeline
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There are those who are remembered for their wisdom and caring during their lives, and others who are remembered for undergoing and surviving trials. Some are remembered for a life of accomplishments. And there are those who are remembered for heroic deeds. Every once in a while, there comes someone who is remembered for all of those things.Liviu Librescu was born in Ploieşti, Romania on August 18, 1930.
He was still a child when the Romanian government allied itself with Nazi Germany in 1940. Librescu and his family were sent to a labor camp in Transnistria with thousands of other Romanian Jews, then later to a ghetto in the city of Focşani. At least a quarter-million Jews died in Romania during World War II, but the majority survived, including Librescu.
Romania fell under Soviet administration after the war, and established its own Soviet-backed communist government by 1947.Despite his spotty education during wartime, Librescu was determined to go to college. He achieved a degree in aerospace engineering from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest in 1952. Then a Masters degree. He went to work for various Romanian research centers and got a PhD in fluid mechanics in 1969. Librescus work on experimental aircraft was well regarded and the Romanian Academy of Science honored him with the prestigious Traian Vuia award in 1972.
mental_floss Blog » The Extraordinary Life of Liviu Librescu
Please read the linked article in its entirety. It is not long, and I think you'll be inspired.
I know I was.