THE LECTURE AT THE ETHNOGRAPHIC
There was to be a public lecture at the Ethnographic Museum in the downtown off of Prospekt Svobody, Liberty Avenue. The building was well known by the locals for the Statue of Liberty at the top of it that overlooked the central square in front of the Opera House. The speaker was Professor Potojbichny – accent on the next to last syllable – a renowned professor of mathematics, senior academician of the Academy of Sciences (even though he was just around 50 years old), and knower of many things beyond the realm of his field of specialization. He also was known to play guitar, make up rhyming poems at the drop of a hat, and perform at scholarly events and gatherings, often times making up songs of considerable wit on the spot. His verbal creative skills matc
