Ghimpu Maria

About

Ghimpu Maria Alexei (1930 – 2018). Hero of Socialist Labor Decree date: 08.12.1973 Medal no. 15072 Order of Lenin no. 421450. Ghimpu Maria Alexei — a worker at the Cahul State Farm-Technical School of Land Reclamation, Moldavian SSR. In 1948, she began working as a vine grafter in a nursery in the city of Cahul, Moldavian SSR. For almost 40 years, the main branch of this agricultural enterprise, later transformed into the Cahul State Farm-Technical School of Land Reclamation, was vine cultivation. By actively implementing new, more efficient techniques and methods for growing seedlings, she achieved high production indicators annually. Throughout her 40 years of activity, Maria Alexei did not only engage in grafting and growing seedlings. Her main merit lies in the fact that she invented her own method for sharpening and maintaining the grafting knife, which allowed for the improvement of the manual work process, reaching up to 2400 grafts per day, a performance that remains a record to this day. For a grafter, the main indicator in evaluating work is not the number of grafts, but the number of first-class seedlings obtained in the autumn. Maria Ghimpu managed to achieve a stable rate of up to 70% seedlings, which even today remains an unparalleled result. In 1966, for her successes in increasing grape production and procurement, she was awarded the Order of Lenin. During the eighth five-year plan (1966–1970), she performed an average of 65 to 70 thousand grafts per season, with a yield rate of up to 60% first-class grape seedlings. She was invited to share her experience in other nurseries in the republic, and many young grafters were trained based on her experience. By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 8, 1973, for outstanding achievements in the all-Union socialist competition and for labor valor demonstrated in fulfilling her commitments regarding the increase in production and sale to the state of grain, vegetables, fruits, grapes, and other agricultural products in 1973, Maria Ghimpu was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, along with the Order of Lenin and the gold medal "Hammer and Sickle." She continued to work at the sovkhoz-technicum. During the Ninth Five-Year Plan (1971-1975), she performed up to 80,000 grafts, with a yield rate of 72% for first-class vine seedlings. Throughout her entire period of activity at the enterprise, Maria Alexei carried out 2,580,000 grafts and grew 1,630,000 seedlings. Hundreds of hectares of vineyards were planted with the seedlings she grew. A hardworking and initiative-taking worker, she became the team leader of the nursery brigade, passing on her rich experience to young workers, training approximately 350 people in the art of nursery work. She was awarded the title of "Master Nursery Worker" three times, and the Main Committee of the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy (VDNKh) of the USSR awarded her the title of "Master - Golden Hands." She was elected a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 10th convocation (1979-1984; in the Soviet of Nationalities), a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR of the 8th convocation (1971-1974), and to the Soviet of People's Deputies of the Cahul district of the 12th convocation. She was a member of the trade union labor committee and the district people's control committee. She actively worked in the central bodies of consumer cooperation. After retirement, she continued to live in the city of Cahul. She passed away at the end of January 2018. She is buried in Cahul. She was decorated with 3 Orders of Lenin (including on 30.04.1966; 08.12.1973), medals, including medals of the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (VDNKh) of the USSR. She was awarded diplomas from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Moldavian SSR. Merited Mentor of Youth of the Moldavian SSR (1981). Honorary Citizen of the city of Cahul.