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p Nina Shnyakova, the daughter of a worker, was born in 1945 in Leningrad. She began to work at the Lunacharsky Factory and then, in 1961, went to the Vibrator Plant where she learned the trade of a winder.

She proved an efficient and industrious employee. She always shares the experience she has gained on the job with her workmates. Nina Shnyakova is a communist shock worker. She was awarded the Badge of Honour and a medal for high production figures and overfulfilling her fiveyear plan norm.

p Nina lived with her mother and sister not far from the Vibrator Plant in the Malaya Posadskaya Street. Her sister, Galya, was a winder at the plant, and Nina and her mother kept up with all the news at the factory and knew most of Galya’s friends.

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p At fifteen Nina completed the eighth class, and the family decided that she should go to work and carry on at evening school. Nina wanted to work in Galya’s shop but the personnel department refused to take her until she reached sixteen.

p In May 1961 she at last reached sixteen and rushed to the Vibrator. They sent her to the No. 19 shop, where everybody knew her. The foreman took her to Galya and said:

p “Here’s your sister, take her and train her in your trade.”

p In three months Nina was done with apprenticeship and started to work independently. She soon caught up with the advanced winders. The foreman and the administration found that they were not deceived in their expectations, while the workers in the shop helped her to learn to respect the collective.

p But Nina was also member of another collective which moulded her character and helped her to become a woman whom everybody respects.

p On the first day Nina came to the plant, she saw an announcement inviting people to join a parachute-jumping group. Nina enrolled in the aviation club, began to train and took part in competitions.

p She reached the age when young people are allowed to do parachute jumping and began to wait impatiently for her first jump. But every time something went wrong— either the visibility was poor or the wind was too strong for the beginners.

p Finally came July 6, 1962, the day Nina will never forget. Later there were to be other happy or sorrowful days she would never forget, but July 6 was a special event, the day when her dream came true.

p The AN-2 took them up to an altitude of 800 metres— the altitude for beginners.

p There were eleven of them. Yes, only eleven out of the twenty-five who started two years ago. These eleven were the most resolute and tenacious of them. Nina was the youngest.

p Nina Shnyakova was in Leningrad’s city team.

p Then she was selected for the USSR national team.

p When the elections to the local Soviets came round, Nina 143 Shnyakova was nominated as a candidate first by the workers in her shop and then by the workers of the whole factory.

p Their hopes were justified. Two years of work as deputy crystallised Nina Shnyakova’s character.

p Formerly, her feats in sports brought joy and satisfaction mostly to herself, but the work of deputy concerns the welfare of others, and if people are satisfied, that makes her happy.

p In the executive committee they knew about Nina’s hobby and achievements, and so they decided to elect her to the standing committee on sport and physical culture. She was made responsible for school sports. In the two years of her term Nina inspected all the schools and discussed the possibility of adding new gyms with the architects and builders. These gyms are already operating in schools Nos. 82 and 86, and another one is nearing completion in school No. 87.

p The committee members are all energetic and serious. They helped to set aside 78 playgrounds and 18 sports grounds in the yards and squares. Moreover these are all capital projects. In the yard of house 8-10 in Lenin Street, the playground resembles a stadium in miniature.

p Nina Shnyakova often meets her constituency. Usually such meetings are attended by elderly people who, so to speak, represent the busy younger members of their families. They listen attentively to the report of their young deputy, who seems to meet with their approval.

Now the employees of the Vibrator Plant have nominated Nina Shnyakova, a member of the Komsomol, as their candidate to the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR.