My academician 95

Estonian academician Mikhail Bronstein will be celebrating his 95th jubilee on the 23^rd of January. Academician Bronstein is one of the intellectuals from Leningrad, who arrived in Estonia as a member of the teaching staff and made his career in Estonian, which probably had  not been possible in the conservative centres of the Soviet period. His contribution into the development of our elite has been priceless. Due to that it is logical that Bronstein also contributed to the process of the re-establishment of Estonian independence by supporting his previous students.

Bronstein is an expert of economy, who reached a high position by becoming Gorbachev’s councillor. He is the creator of the idea of agricultural-industrial complexes used by Mikhail Gorbachev, the member of the political bureau and the agricultural secretary of the Central Committee, when he reached the top hierarchy of the Kremlin. Undoubtedly, this activity supported Gorbachev in his movement to the position of the leader of the second super power in the world and changed the course of the world history and guaranteed Gorbachev the Noble prize.

As father, the academician is definitely proud of his son Aleksander, who studied in Tartu University and has worked as a senior manager in the Ministry of Environment Protection and has currently also managed to establish himself as a successful businessman. Multi-millionaire Aleksander Bronstein has become one of the leading entrepreneurs in aluminium business. Aleksander has been the most generous financers of the re-established Synagogue in Tallinn. Academician Bronstein’s grandson Dan Bronstein follows his grandfather and father’s footsteps.

Academician Bronstein surprises with his vitality. He managed to be the teacher to President Lennart Meri, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and many others in the direct meaning of the word. Bronstein is also the honorary supervisor of my Doctor’s thesis, which I defended in St. Petersburg. Mikhail Bronstein has not said his last word yet, happy birthday to the grand old man of Estonian Science!