Pranas Dovydaitis: ugdytinių atsiminimai
Pranas Dovydaitis in the Reminiscences of the People Nurtured by Him

Summary/Abstract: Pranas Dovydaitis (1886–1942) was a scholar, public and cultural worker, journalist and politician who had accomplished enormous work in moulding the nation’s Christian consciousness, constructing and strengthening the independent state of Lithuania and bringing up youth capable of performing noble and selfless deeds for the sake of the nation and the state. Personal example of Pranas Dovydaitis, maker of the whole epoch and a dedicated Catholic worker, helped more than one young man and woman to make right decisions at life critical turning-points and had a huge impact on moulding their Christian outlook. The professor’s material subsistence, which he generously gave to numerous students, made it possible for them to acquire education and find a proper place in life. Collected and published in the current article reminiscences of the people who, directly or indirectly, knew the professor prove the fact stated above. The reminiscences were narrated by physician dr. Albinas Šmulkštys (02.01.1918–23.09.2004), odontologist Elena Daumantaitė–Baltrušaitienė (born in 1920), philologist – teacher of the Lithuanian language and literature Ona Šoliūnaitė–Šniukštienė (born in 1920), research worker at the Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy dr. Julius Šalkauskas (born in 1931) and professor’s god-daughter teacher Nijolė Mačiunskaitė–Žukauskienė (born in 1935). The narrators of the reminiscences are people of different ages and occupations. The character of their relations with the professor was also different (the professor’s god-daughter learned about him from her mother‘s stories; Albinas Šmulkštys – from the widely known stories told about the professor by those who had personally known him; Julius Šalkauskas was still a child at the time, Pranas Dovydaitis frequented their home). Even though only two of the persons, referred to in this article, knew Pranas Dovydaitis personally, all of them were influenced by his personality and his inspiring example had a great impact on their way of life and their self-determinations.

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