Kamshat Baigazinovna Donenbaeva ( kk, Кәмшат Байғазықызы Дөненбаева; Kämşat Baiğazyqyzy Dönenbaeva, ; 15 September 1943 – 9 November 2017) was a Kazakhstani agricultural laborer, who served as a deputy in the

Supreme Soviet The Supreme Soviet (russian: Верховный Совет, Verkhovny Sovet, Supreme Council) was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) ...

from 1974 to 1989. For exceeding production goals, she was awarded the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

twice and in 1975 received the

Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour (russian: links=no, Герой Социалистического Труда, Geroy Sotsialisticheskogo Truda) was an honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It repre ...

medal.

Early life

Kamshat Baigazinovna Donenbaeva was born on 15 September 1943 in Leninskoye (now Uzunkol), in the

Kostanay Region Kostanay Region ( kk, Қостанай облысы, translit=Qostanai oblysy; russian: Костанайская область, translit=Kostanayskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan. Its administrative center is the city of Kostanay. The pop ...

of the

Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic ; kk, Қазақ Советтік Социалистік Республикасы) *1991: Republic of Kazakhstan (russian: Республика Казахстан; kk, Қазақстан Республикасы) , linking_name = the ...

. At the age of fourteen, she began working at the Demyanovsky

grain elevator A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...

, while attending mechanics courses. She completed her schooling in 1961 at the Kostanai Agricultural College, graduating as an equipment operator.

Career

Donenbaeva began work as a tractor driver on the state collective farm "Kharkov". Within a year, she began to set production records for plowing on a Belarus-style tractor. In 1962, she exceed her allotted 720 hectares to plow by competing 1,018 hectares. She began testing equipment, working on a variety of tractors including the MTZ-5, MTZ-50, DT-54, DT-74, K-700, and K-701, as well as combines, mowers and reapers. The

Kirovets K-700 The K-700 (russian: К-700) is a four-wheel drive, heavy duty tractor from the former USSR and current Russian manufacturer of Kirovets (russian: Кировец). History The tractor was manufactured in 1962, its basic design has been adopte ...

was designed specifically for Donenbaeva and she was the first to test the equipment. Annually she exceeded her plowing yields by one and a half to two times her required production. In 1972, Donenbaeva placed first in the regional plowing competition of plowers and took 3rd place in the national competition. For her effort, she was awarded the

on 13 December 1972. The following year, she took the grand prize at the All-Union competition in

Zernograd Zernograd (russian: Зерногра́д, literally "Grain town") is a town and the administrative center of Zernogradsky District in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located southeast of Rostov-on-Don, the administrative center of the oblast. Population ...

. In 1974, Donenbaeva was elected as a delegate to the Kostanay Regional Council and the

Supreme Soviet of the USSR The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( rus, Верховный Совет Союза Советских Социалистических Республик, r=Verkhovnyy Sovet Soyuza Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respubl ...

. The following year, she was honored with a second Order of Lenin, as well as the

and in 1976 was decorated with the

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...

. She was re-elected three times as a deputy in the Supreme Soviet, serving until 1989. Simultaneously, she raised four children and for five years (1980–1985) was the deputy chair of the

Soviet of Nationalities The Soviet of Nationalities (russian: Совет Национальностей, ''Sovyet Natsionalnostey'') was the upper chamber of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, elected on the basis of universal, equal and ...

. She was promoted to safety engineer at the Kharkov farm in 1990, and then three years later became the overseer until her retirement. In celebration of her retirement, she made

The Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

, Saudi Arabia in 2002. In 2015, Donenbaeva was honored at the

International Day of Older Persons The International Day of Older People is observed on October 1 each year. On December 14, 1990 the United Nations General Assembly voted to establish October 1 as the International Day of Older People as recorded in Resolution 45/106. The ho ...

festivities by the

Akim An ''akim'' ( kk, әкім, әкімдер / ''äkimder''; ky, аким; russian: аким) is the head of a local government in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. ''Akim'', meaning "God will establish", is derived from the Arabic word '' hakim'', whi ...

of the

her region and , Akim of the City of Kostanay as a national heroine.

Death and legacy

Donenbaeva died on 9 November 2017 in Kostanay and her funeral was held at the

Mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

of Kostanay. In September 2018, the regional House of Friendship hosted a memorial in honor of Donenbaeva and it was announced that a biography was being prepared of her life.

References

Citations

Bibliography