Our Librarian Celebrates Her 90th Year
- Ann Kutner
- Nov 5
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 12
Irina Dmitrievna Dragomiretzky, manager of the Russian Center’s Library since 1996, celebrated her 90th birthday in October. This interview was conducted by Nina Shikaloff, Russian Center Board Member, on the occasion of this momentous milestone.
NS: Dearest Irina Dmitrievna, congratulations on your upcoming 90th birthday! The Russian Center is so grateful to you for your continued work as Russian Center librarian. I have personally known you for over 50 years, and you remain as cheerful, vigorous and spry as ever. What is the secret to your fountain of youth?
IDD: I truly believe that staying positive is critical to a long and healthy life. Every evening, I take stock of the day; I remember everything good that happened, and forget all the bad. My now deceased husband, Nicolai Christoforovich (Kolia) and I, always resolved any issues and asked each other’s forgiveness before going to bed. That way, we always woke up with a clear conscience the next day. I continue to live my life with a smile and a kind word to all.
NS: You are truly an inspiration, and your attitude is particularly admirable considering the challenges you experienced as an immigrant to this country. Can you share a brief history of how and when you arrived in San Francisco?
IDD: I was born in 1935 in Dnepropetrovsk (now Dnipro) in Eastern Ukraine, and my younger sister and I were secretly baptized. My father’s father was an Orthodox priest; the communists arrested him and the family never saw him again. My mother’s father, a church warden, was arrested for non-payment of the increasingly high tax imposed on a small parish. The communists subjected the remaining family to a “raskulachivanie” (a forcible dispossession and eviction of all but the clothes on their backs), and it was difficult for the family to find work.
Our family was subject to severe bombings during WWII, and the house was destroyed by a bomb. Only the icon miraculously remained, and that icon became my wedding icon and remains with me to this day. During the war, the Germans forced an evacuation west, and we temporarily settled in Menhengof camp near Kassel, Germany. After the war ended, only Morrocco, Brazil and Belgium were accepting refugees without a waiting period, so we arrived in Morocco in 1947.
In Morocco, I finished high school, completed courses in draftsmanship and worked for Societe Marocaine d’Etudes, a French planning company consisting mainly of Russian emigrants. I met my dear husband Kolia at a Mardi Gras party, and we married in Casablanca - almost the entire Russian colony attended!
We - Kolia, Kolia’s father, our three month old son Andrei, my sister, my parents and I - finally arrived in San Francisco in 1960. In the beginning we struggled to get our bearings, all living in the same house. Kolia went to school for construction and ultimately became a construction foreman with a crew of up to 50 reporting to him.
NS: As a child, I remember both you and Nikolai Christoforovich as very active participants in the Russian American community in San Francisco. Both of you were such role models! How many organizations did your volunteer efforts support?
IDD: Our two children, Andrei and Natasha, attended Sts. Cyril and Methodius School, where Kolia was Treasurer of the Parent's Committee. The kids joined the local Russian scouting organization, St. George Pathfinders Druzhina Kiev, while I became a scoutmaster and the leader of the “squirrels” (the young girls branch of the organization.) I led camps in Jordan Park, Laytonville, Boulder Creek and Buck's Lake. Since the 60s, we have been active members of the St. Sergius of Radonezh parish, where Kolia served as parish council secretary.
NS: How did you get started at the Russian Center library?
IDD: In 1996, our friend D. Browns was President of the Russian Center Museum and Library, and he convinced me to take on the management of the library. We moved the library from its old spot on the 1st floor to its current spot on the 3rd floor. Kolia earthquake-proofed the bookshelves and built a dumbwaiter to raise the books from the Museum’s storehouse. I sorted and systemized the books and compiled catalogs. We would arrive around 8:30 in the morning, have tea with our fellow volunteers, and then spend the day working. I created fourteen book categories, including religion, children's books, classics, history, poetry, philosophy, crafts, health, cooking and others. Visitors were frequently surprised that this work was unpaid. But my work, and the work of many other Russian American volunteers, was a labor of love, and I continue donating my time to this day.
NS: Inquiring minds want to know: who’s the most famous person to check out the library?
IDD: Dmitry Medvedev, then President of Russia, visited the library with his wife Svetlana in 2010. They expressed amazement at our rich selection of some 20,000 books, including pre-revolutionary tomes dating back to 1846.
NS: Can you share a favorite story about the library?
IDD: Larry Alioto, son of SF Mayor Joseph Alioto, had a Russian nanny that read him fairytales in Russian. After attending the first Russian Festival at the Russian Center, Larry’s fondness for all things Russian reignited. One day, he wandered into our library reading Anna Karenina, and I convinced him to become a volunteer - he remained an active library and Festival volunteer for over 20 years.
NS: What do you personally love most about working at the library?
IDD: The most satisfying moments are when I’m able to identify a book based purely on storyline. A visitor remembers a book encountered in the past but doesn’t recall the book’s name or author. Being able to track down the right book for them is extremely rewarding.
NS: Thank you, Irina Dmitrievna, for sharing your life story and tales of the Russian Center’s library. The library is a great resource for Russian readers! How can one get access to these amazing books?
IDD: Unfortunately, the library itself is currently closed while it undergoes renovation (please subscribe to the Russian Center newsletter to learn when the library will reopen.) In the meantime, if you’d like to make a book request or have questions, please leave a message at the library phone number (415-921-4912) or the museum phone number (415-921-4082).
