Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I pay tribute to the life and contributions of a prominent Rhode Islander, Sergei Khruschev. You may recognize his last name. His father, Nikita Khruschev, came to power after the death of Joseph Stalin and led the Soviet Union during some of the darkest days of the Cold War. Sergei Khruschev's life is necessarily intertwined with that of his father. Yet Sergei was his own man and achieved much in his own right. Sergei Khruschev was born in Moscow in July 1935. Naturally gifted and with a keen mind, he received a doctorate from Moscow Technical University. He would become an accomplished rocket and computer scientist, working on guidance systems for missiles and in the Soviet space program. In 1964, his father was removed from power and relegated to obscurity. During this time, Sergei helped his father write his memoirs. At the end of the Cold War, Sergei came to America with his wife Valentina and joined Brown University as a visiting scholar. He became a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and taught there until his retirement in 2012. Sergei used his considerable talents to benefit students, colleagues, and fellow Rhode Islanders. He gave generously of his time, taught at other institutions, and gave lectures across the country. Sergei sought to increase knowledge and understanding, particularly between Americans and Russians.…”