Elena Semeka-Pankratov

Our dear wife, mother and grandmother passed away on Dec 18, 2022.

Elena was born February 6, 1931, in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Russia. She graduated from the Moscow Pedagogical Institute in the early 1950s and received her PhD in history from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences in 1964. She worked at that institute as a researcher in the 1960s and early 1970s, publishing a book on the history of Buddhism in Shri Lanka and a number of important articles.

She emigrated with her family to the USA in 1974 and became a professor of Russian Language and Literature; she taught at Boston College, MIT, Wellesley College, Harvard University and Tufts University. With her strong commitment to freedom, democracy and justice, Elena took part in the dissident movement in the Soviet Union and supported many charities in the USA.

She is survived by her husband Michael, son Sergei, granddaughter Elianna, sister Olga, cousins Irina, Helen and Viktor, and many devoted friends in Boston and around the world.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to MSPCA-Angell, Attn: Donations, 350 S. Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130, www.mspca.org