A Tireless Worker: The Life and Work of V.D. Dimitriev According to the Documents of the Personal Fund of the State Historical Archive of the Chuvash Republic

The legacy of outstanding scientific figures, whose prominent representative was Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor V.D. Dimitriev, attracts attention due to its opportunity to comprehend fundamentally elaborated research papers, the experience in organizing their own and collective scientific work, teaching and active social activities. The purpose of the study is to attract the attention of specialists to the large documentary personal fund of V.D. Dimitriev, formed on the basis of materials received by the State Historical Archives of the Chuvash Republic. This institution keeps documents mainly characterizing him as an organizer of science, a statesman and a public figure, and a highly qualified teacher. Methods and materials. The article is based on a systematic review of the materials contained in the personal fund of V.D. Dimitriev. They are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, and based on their analysis, the activities of V.D. Dimitriev as a researcher and director of the Chuvash Scientific Research Institute of Language, Literature, History and Economics, professor and head of the department at I.N. Ulianov Chuvash State University are uncovered. Some of the documents show the social activities of the scientist. Study results. The article uses specific examples to characterize such qualities of a talented researcher and a skilled organizer as the ability to set scientific tasks, to control the progress and verify the results of their execution. Numerous documents testify to the great efficiency of the scientist, scrupulousness in writing both large and small scientific texts, perfectionism, first of all to himself, as well as to colleagues. Concrete examples show how V.D. Dimitriev created a system for organizing scientific activities at the institute he headed, which shows its effectiveness to this day. The documents show that he was constantly engaged in its improvement. The deposited materials reflect the historian’s diverse interests, and show his significant role as a propagandist of scientific knowledge not only among colleagues, but also among the general public. The article pays much attention to his social activities. Conclusions. The authors are convinced that the documents of V.D. Dimitriev’s personal fund can be used in studying the personality of the scientist himself, they also reflect the trends in the development of humanities in the Chuvash ASSR as a whole, allow an inside look at the activities of the Historical and Philological (Historical) Faculty of I.N. Ulianov Chuvash State University and the Chuvash State Institute of Humanities. The extensive correspondence conducted by V.D. Dimitriev on his administrative and scientific work characterizes many domestic and foreign scientists with whom he was in contact, which can be used in biographical research, uncover the scientific relations between researchers of Chuvashia and colleagues from other regions.