To the 100th anniversary of Motrona Popudrenko and Natalia Bohdanova

3 November 2023 in Chernihiv Historical Museum named VV. Tarnowska museum hosted meeting, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of former employees - Motrona Popudrenko (1923–2011) and Natalia Bohdanova (1923–2005). Motrona Popudrenko is the deputy director of the museum for scientific work, and Nataliya Bogdanova worked as a museum curator for half a century.

4 November 1923 year in the Kyiv region, in the village of Plesetske, Vasylkiv district, in the family of a railway worker and a housewife. Motrona Autonomivna Cherepinska was born (married - Popudrenko), a well-known Chernihiv museum worker, archaeologist, honored worker of culture (1974).

1931 went to the first grade of the Plesetsk incomplete secondary school, in 1932–1933 she attended the Borov school, and received secondary education in 1941 year at the Fastiv Railway School No 19. Further studies were prevented by the German-Soviet war and the occupation. Only in 1944 she became a student of the History Faculty of Kyiv State University, which she finished 1948 year.

All subsequent life of Motrona Avtonomivna is connected with Chernihiv and the museum, where she came on the referral of the Committee for Cultural and Educational Institutions of the Ukrainian SSR: 1 August 1948 2008 - was accepted as a senior researcher at the Department of Primitive Society and Feudalism of the Chernihiv State Historical Museum, від 20 November 1949 year - head of this department, 1954 a year after the merger of the two departments - a researcher, and later (with 1969) - head of the history department of pre-Soviet Ukraine, від 8 September 1975 year - deputy director of the museum for scientific work. She took the last position, when the team worked on creating new exhibitions, open 1979 year: historical - in the governor's house and folk decorative art - in the premises of the Catherine's Church and held it until her retirement (1984).

The activity of Motrona Avtonomivna in the field of archeology deserves special attention. She is a student of the Department of Archeology of KSU, within a month of starting work in the museum with 1 September to 12 October 1948 participates in the Shestovytskyi archaeological expedition, the head of which was prominent Ukrainian archaeologist David Blifeld, Ph.D., employee of the Department of Slavic Archeology of the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. Since then, almost every year Motrona Autonomivna has participated in archaeological research in Chernihiv and the region. She also participated in the creation of 1968 year at the Chernihiv regional organization of the Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Regional Archaeological Section, which she headed for many years. The section included more than 30 people of different sexes, age, profession: engineers, workers, employees, students, teachers, teachers etc. Among these pupils of Motrona Autonomivna we have famous Chernihiv archaeologists, як-от: Oleksandr Shekun, Volodymyr Kovalenko, Vladimir Rudenok, who in turn became teachers-mentors for the next generation.

Motrona Avtonomivna Popudrenko passed away 20 October 2011 year, shortly before his 88th birthday. She had the status of a pensioner for more than three decades, but until the last days she did not lose her lively interest in her native museum, was interested in his problems, successes, often called, came to various events. Despite her advanced age and ill health, she participated in museum trips to the Shestovytskyi archaeological camp, where from 1998 Archaeological excavations continued under the leadership of her student V. Kovalenko. So active, purposeful, we will remember our colleague with ease.

Natalia Kostyantynivna Bohdanova (05.10.1923–26.03.2005) came from a family of Chernihiv nobles, which was related to the family of the Ukrainian writer and translator Pylyp Morachevskyi. Nataliya Kostyantynivna worked as a museum curator for half a century.

Head of the museum department Svitlana Lykhacheva,

senior researcher Svitlana Polovnikova