Ludmila A. Foster

Dr. Ludmila Aleksandrovna Foster, PhD, 84 years old, Alexandria, Virginia, Died November 14, 2015 from a stroke Ludmila, translated roughly as "Love of the people," was born in Vladikavkaz, Russia to Alexander Mikhailovich KOLESNYK and Tatiana Pavlovna Edison (Revo KOLESNYK). Her early life was dramatically impacted by the events of World War II and leaving Russia, then known as the Soviet Union. In 1951, Ludmila and her parents immigrated to the US, sponsored by a family in St. Louis, MO. There she attended Washington University, where she met her future husband William Foster. They married in 1954 and traveled while he served in the US Army, finally settling in Pittsburgh, PA. In 1956 she became a US citizen. Ludmila attended the University of Pittsburgh and received her Masters Degree in political science. In 1967 Ludmila left Pittsburgh with her sons and mother to attend graduate school at Harvard University, where she studied Russian Literature and Linguistics. Her mother supported Ludmila's research efforts by caring for the boys and proofreading dissertation notes. Ludmila received her Doctoral degree after publishing a Bibliography of Russian Émigré Literature. She taught Russian Literature at Holy Cross University, before moving to Durham, North Carolina to teach at Duke University. Ludmila continued her career in the Washington, D.C. area teaching Russian at the Defense Language Institute. Later, she joined the Voice of America, where she broadcast a weekly show entitled "Books and People," providing information to the Russian people that was withheld by the Soviet government. This work gave her great satisfaction, as she felt strongly about helping the Russian people, having lived through the suffering of World War II and the Communist regime. After leaving the Voice of America, she worked for the US Information Agency, facilitating idea exchange between Russia and America. She was active with the Congress of Russian Americans in Washington and San Francisco. Throughout this time she published numerous articles on Russian issues in Russian and American periodicals. After retiring, Ludmila traveled extensively around the world. She also focused her incredible love on her sons, and grandsons--Morgan and Garrett--and loved her daughters-in-law as her own. Her passion for many intellectual and artistic topics was formidable. She loved the ballet, classical music, fine art, and lectures on any topic. She was a member of the Harvard Club of Washington, serving on the student selection committee. She had a knack for always bringing the conversation back to Russia. Ludmila is survived by son James (Pamela), son Scott (Jennie), James and Pamela's sons Morgan and Garrett, and cousin, Anatolyi Zheldokov in Minsk, Belarus. Ludmila made many circles of friends during her full and exceptional life and will be deeply missed.

Tributes

Ludmila A. Foster

December 31, 1931 - November 14, 2015