Evdokia Fedorovna Bobyleva (; 18 August 1919 – 29 August 2017) was a Soviet and Russian teacher who served as a deputy in the

Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union The Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union () was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union from 1989 to 1991. Background The Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union was created as part of Mikhail Gorbachev ...

from 1989 to 1991 and in the

Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR) was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Based on the principle of unified power, it was the only branch of government in the So ...

in 1991. She worked for more than 70 years as an educator in the

Tula Oblast Tula Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an Oblasts of Russia, oblast) of Russia. It is geographically located in European Russia and is administratively part of the Central Federal District, covering an area of . It has a ...

, serving as director of the Odoevskaya Secondary School between 1966 and 2010. Bobyleva served on the Regional Committee of the Trade Union of Education Workers and was a delegate to the XIV Congress of Trade Unions of the USSR in 1968. She was awarded the

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour () was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding achievements in sports, production, scientific research and socia ...

, the Order of the Patriotic War, Second Class, the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

and the

People's Teacher of the USSR People's Teacher of the USSR () was an honorary title granted to teachers of the Soviet Union; it was established on 30 December 1977. Following the Dissolution of the Soviet Union (1990) the title was modified to ''National Teacher of the Russian ...

Biography

On 18 August 1919, Bobyleva was born into a peasant family in the village of ,

Odoyevsky District Odoyevsky District () is an administrative district (''raion''), one of the twenty-three in Tula Oblast, Russia.Law #954-ZTO Within the framework of municipal divisions, it is incorporated as Odoyevsky Municipal District.Law #545-ZTO It is locat ...

. She had two siblings. Following her graduation from Odoevsky Secondary School, she began working at the school in 1937, teaching the Russian language and Russian literature.
She and her husband relocated to

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

in 1939, and served as a volunteer fighter in the Great Patrotic War, using

Anti-aircraft warfare Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

. Following her demobilisation in 1944, Bobyleva went back to the Tusa Oblast and enrolled at . She later graduated from the university, and was appointed head teacher of the Odoevskaya Secondary School in 1956. Bobyleva was appointed the school's permanent director in August 1966, and served in that capacity until September 2010; declining health prevented her from teaching by 2006 but was able to organise events for the school. During her tenure at the school, children received certificates to drive tractors, operate as mechanics-adjusters and machine milking masters; the experience of training agricultural personnel was adopted in other Oblasts. Bobyleva successfully lobbied for the local police to receive new cars, give the Oblast with pipes to transport gas, and repair several Tusa Oblast schools and hospital as well as provide them with new equipment. She was frequently elected to serve on the Regional Committee of the Trade Union of Education Workers. Bobyleva was a participant in the 1962 World Congress for General Disarmament and Peace and gained election to the XIV Congress of Trade Unions of the USSR as a delegate six years later. In March 1989, she was elected to serve as a deputy in the

. Bobyleva was appointed to the

in May 1991, having earlier been appointed to serve on the USSR Supreme Soviet Committee on Public Education on 14 June 1990. She was on the , was a member of the

All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions The All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions (ACCTU; , VTsSPS) was the national trade union federation of the Soviet Union. The federation was established in January 1918. In October 1990, it was dissolved, and replaced by the General Confede ...

for four years and was a member of the OK Trade Union for eight years. A book on Bobyleva, «Евдокия свет Фёдоровна», was authored by one of her pupils, .

Personal life

She was married to the rural school director Ivan Aleksandrovich Bobylev from 1939 to his death in April 1944. Bobyleva did not remarry. She died on 29 August 2017, and was buried at Odoevsky City Cemetery.

Awards

She was made a on 4 February 1962. In 1976, Bobyleva received the

, the Order of the Patriotic War, Second Class in 1983 and the

in 1986. On 10 May 1990,

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

, the

President of the Soviet Union The president of the Soviet Union (), officially the president of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (), abbreviated as president of the USSR (), was the executive head of state of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from 15 March ...

, awarded her the

. Bobyleva received the Order of Kindness in 2003. She was made an honorary citizen of the Tula Oblast on 27 August 2008 by the

Governor of Tula Oblast The Governor of Tula Oblast is the head of Tula Oblast, the federal subject of Russia. The governor is elected by the people of Tula Oblast for five years. Dmitry Milyaev is the current governor since 14 May 2024. History From 1777 to 1796 the ...

"for outstanding services to the Russian Federation and the Tula Region, high personal authority, many years of conscientious work, great personal contribution in the socio-economic development of the Tula Region." In 2014, Bobyleva received the "as a citizen whose activities brought significant results for the region in the state, political, economic, research, public and other spheres, which received wide public fame and recognition." She was also awarded the Commemorative medal "100 years of the Trade Unions of Russia" and the .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bobyleva, Evdokia 1919 births 2017 deaths People from Odoyevsky District 21st-century Russian women Russian women in World War II 20th-century Russian women educators 21st-century women educators 20th-century Russian educators 21st-century Russian educators Soviet educators Russian educational theorists Soviet women in politics Members of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union Eleventh convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin