People?s Hero of Kazakhstan Alexander Khristenko

KARAGANDA. February 16. KAZINFORM /Valentina Yelizarova/ Alexander Khristenko is a holder of the mark of special recognition Gold Star and the highest degree of destinction ?Hero of People? (?Halyk Kakharmany?).

Alexander Khristenko was born in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 2, 1936. From the childhood he has overcome many difficulties. His father died when he was a child. The mother brought up three sons in the war time. When Alexander was 14 he started working as an assistant to combiner. Later he became a combiner. For some time he was a shipbuilder. After graduation from the Kharkov Engineering School he worked as a master of a tool shop of the Tallinn Shipbuilding Plant. Alexander graduated from the Tselinograd Agricultural Institute. A. Khristenko is one of the cultivators of the virgin lands. He came to Kazakhstan in 1954 and was sent to the cooperative farm named after Przhevalsky, Karaganda oblast. He headed a crew of tractor drivers. At the same time he was a leader in the public front ? was elected as a Secretary of the Komsomol Committee. Alexander Khristenko made a great contribution to the development of gardening. He founded the Karaganda Scientific-Research Cooperative Farm ?Institute of Agriculture (at present the Karaganda Research Institute of Plant Industry and Breeding) in the Tsentralnoye village. Then Alexander entered the army. He was called up to navy service as a diver. Alexander demonstrated fine qualities being an excellent student and serviceman. After the army he returns to the cooperative farm. Nikita Khrushchev announced about Khristenko in his public speech. He noted that Kazakhstan had the youngest director in the Soviet Union and all should take a pattern by him. In 1958 Alexander became a Director of the cooperative farm ?Kievsky?. It was a large farm: about 20 thousand hectares ? grain field, vast herds of cattle. Khristenko always strived for creation of better conditions for people. ?All houses had steam heating. There was a telephone in every apartment. The cooperative farm had its hospital and policlinic?, journalists wrote. The young director could not remain unnoticed. And he embarked upon the career of manager of the district and later regional departments of agriculture. But Alexander was not satisfied with the official work. Khristenko returned to the field. At the beginning of 1982 Alexander became a director of an experimental farm station. There he started his scientific activity supported by scientists-breeders. Khristenko created all conditions for favorable scientific activity. In 1991 by the Government?s Resolution the Karaganda Research Cooperative Farm-Institute was created on the basis of the station. It was a kind of an agricultural research institute in the steppe. Old residents of the Tsentralnoye village remember Alexander with respect and gratitude. Comfortable houses were constructed for all veterans. Central heating and other amenities appeared in the village owing to Mr. Khristenko. ?Your life journey and faith to the choice made in the youth ? to work farmland, to be its owner and keeper ? are respect worthy. Beginning the labor activity at the age of 18 at cultivation of virgin lands in Karaganda oblast, you are still faithful to your calling and duty. Divisional engineer, brigadier of a tractor drivers crew, senior engineer, director of cooperative farm, leader of rural youth, organizer of agricultural production of the region, director of large scientific-research farm, scientist ? these are the stages of your life?, a welcome address of President Nursultan Nazarbayev in honor of the 60th anniversary of A.Khristenko reads. The Head of the State visited farms headed by A. Khristenko many times. A.Khristenko often was included in official delegations, when the President went abroad on the issues of development of cooperation in agriculture. Two documentaries about A.Khristenko were shot in Karaganda oblast in 1960 and in 1992, when Alexander headed the cooperative farm-institute. In 1995 A.Khristenko was awarded the highest title of Kazakhstan ?Hero of People?. He is an owner of the Golden Star. Among his other state awards are the Order of Lenin, Order of the Russian Revolution, two orders of Badge of Honor, a medal for cultivation of virgin and fallow lands, certificate of Merit of the Supreme Council of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. He was elected deputy of the Supreme Council of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, People?s Deputy of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1996 Alexander Khristenko was elected full member of the Academy of Natural Sciences.