When one can be a part of history? When he died? One can become a part of the great history only in case when he realizes, that he is a part of the grand and great family, a branch of the family tree with the roots going deep in to the past, but at the same time having a very close connection with the present through its new members. All our past and present is very closely interwoven with people who lived and live thinking of our region, its future, its prosperity.

     I was brought up in a family, where the memories about ancestors are carefully kept in the hearts and souls of every new generation. Povolzhye – is one of the most beautiful and developed region of our immense country. The picturesque Volga-river banks, Zhiguli mountains, covered with thick forests and boundless steppes, crossed with small rivers – all these things are very closely connected with my past, with the past of my parents and in fact with my origins. All began in the year of 1915 when my great-grandfather Roman Makariyevich Levitsky left Latvia for Russia because of the events of the World War 1. So he settled down in Samara. Here he graduated from medical high school and in 1921 entered the medical faculty of Samara state University. After graduation he worked as a surgeon in the village of Makariyevka (that is in Samara) region for four years, from 1932 to 1938 – in the military hospital of Orenburg. At the end of 30-s our family moved to Stavropol, rather old town, but at the same time a very small one. That what my great- grandfather wrote about in his letters: “It is a very quiet town. In summer it is bucked up, because of many people, who come to their summer houses and sanatorium “Lesnoye” . From east to west there were 6 streets: Polevaya, Komsomolskaya, Banyikina, Pervomayskay, Sennaya, Zabegalovskaya, and parallel to the river there were 7 streets: Nabereznaya, Kooperativnayaa, Korpusnaya, Sovetskaya, Krasnoarmeyskaya, Kalmitskaya, Lazurnaya. In the town there was one church, 2 schools, a market, a bank, printing-office and in the suburb there was one hospital.” That hospital was run by my great-grandfather.

This is old Stavropol. Common view to the teritory of Stavropol hospital. First part of 50's.

     In fact, Roman Makariyevich had done a lot of good deeds for Stavropol and for the medical service growth in the town. Before the time, when he became the head of the Stavropol hospital, its condition was rather bad. Roman Makariyevich began with the renovation, replacing the furniture, preparing the linen and suitable conditions, on which the real hospital life depended. He lived on the hospital territory, this fact made him accessible for the 24 hours a day. If patients were brought at night in need for immediate help, Roman Makariyevich was ready to make the operation.

There is a house on the territory of Stavropol hospital, in which the Levitsky lived since 1938 till 1957.

     My great-grandfather was very devoted to his job, he worked hard just because he could not live without his hospital. At the beginning of 1941 the first results of this work appeared: instead of 6 beds for pregnant women, a new maternity home was built. It was rather small but enough to provide medical service for 15 young mothers. New equipment and instruments for traumatic surgery were brought, dental surgery started its work. In February 1941 he was commanded to the University of Sclifasovsky for studying the new methods of internal organs operations. There he learned about the war between Russia and Germany. On June 24, he returned home, and on the 25th of June he was conscripted Kharkov. In October 1941 near Kharkov he was badly wounded and by train delived to Caucasus in hospital with the fracture. After treatment he was demobilized and returned to his beloved town, his hospital, his patients. Due to Roman Makariyevich hard work the hospital got the inter-district status in 1942. After the war the life was very complicated, but the people tried to make it better with every year. Health service also grew better. New cures were received by the hospital, for example the hospital received an American penicillin. At the december of 1949 the new electrocardiograph was acquired and the doctor-therapeutist Sedov started to apply it. At the end of 40’s a new affection got out life’s of many people, and the collective of the hospital did mach to unload from it. But at the next period the life began to grow up. How the “Bolhevistskay tribuna” on the 17th of February of 1950 wrote: ”The number of hospitals is grew up. The new hospitals opened at the country called Yagodnoe and Nignee Sancheleyevo. In the hospital of Stavropol the number of beds increased to several dozens, 9 new specialists began their work in this hospital. Maternity home and ambulance were ready to treat their patients.” At the end of 1950 the number of beds grow to 150, the clinic started to work at two relays, the pharmacy began to send the medicine all day round. The station of ambulance got some new cars. All this years side by side with my great-grandfather worked his colleagues, doctors: Myasnicova, Katkova, Khassanovs, Ponomaryova, Iliyassova, Tsykunova, Guryanova, Pyanykina, Zhukova, Borisova, Solomonik, Yudina, Vasina, Trephilov, Gadalin, Putrya, Korneva, Danilova, Matylyova and many others. Besides his usual work in hospital, my great-grandfather worked as director of nurses school (from 1945 to the end of 40’s), he was acting the duty of the head of Health Department of Stavropol district, during the World War II he was Chairman of military-medical commission in the Stavropol. He took part in the work of Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Local Deputies Soviet. He was awarded some medals, they are 20 years of peasant-workers Red Army, for concern and for the valiant work in the World War II.

     It’s necessary to add, that Roman Makariyevich was a very universal doctor. He had a talent of a good doctor and especially of a gifted surgeon. He was a very versatile man: all his life astronomy was his hobby, he was fond of science, he had a vast book collection and certainly he was a great specialist in surgery. His skill was necessary for people all time and in every situation of life. He did his best to make the medical service in our region better. I do not know in what condition the medicine in our town could be without him.