Firsova Valentina

About

Valentina Alexandrovna Firsova was born on September 22, 1937, in the Kursk region of Soviet Russia, into a working-class family. In 1957, she moved to the city of Bender in the Republic of Moldova, where she worked as a weaver at the Bender Silk Combine, part of the Ministry of Light Industry of the Moldavian SSR. She graduated from the Bender Vocational School of Light Industry and became one of the first weavers to transition to an expanded area of machine servicing, initiating the republican movement to fulfill the daily norm in seven hours. Her exceptional achievements, including the production of over 12,000 meters of superior quality fabric ahead of the seven-year plan (1959-1965), earned her the title of Hero of Socialist Labor in 1966, along with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Medal "Hammer and Sickle." In addition to her remarkable career in production, where she worked until retirement, Valentina Firsova played an active role in the political and social life of Soviet Moldova. She was a deputy in the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (1974-1979), a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Moldova (1971-1981), a delegate to the XXIV Congress of the CPSU and to several congresses of the Communist Party of Moldova. She was also a member of the Bureau of the Bender City Committee of the Communist Party of Moldova and a deputy in the Bender City Soviet, contributing to the economic and social development of the region, especially in the light industry, a vital sector for the local economy. Recognized as a model of work and patriotism, Valentina Firsova received numerous awards, including the Order of the October Revolution (1971), the Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1981), and the title of Honorary Citizen of the city of Bender (2014). She lived her entire adult life in Bender, Transnistria, Moldova, where she passed away on December 19, 2022, at the age of 85, and was buried in the city's central cemetery. Her contributions have inspired generations of women in the field of socio-productive work in the region.