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Lithuanian man's long life changed St. Petersburg history

By CRAIG BASSE
Published December 15, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG- When Anatole Sokolsky was born, the midwife said to his mother, "He will live a short life."

Weak at birth, he survived several lifetimes of difficulties, wars, poverty and the trauma of making a new beginning in the new world, and wound up rewriting part of St. Petersburg history.

Mr. Sokolsky, a retired professor of Russian language and literature at the University of South Florida, Tampa, died Thursday (Dec. 14, 2006) at his St. Petersburg home after a stroke. He was 103.

Born in Lithuania, he witnessed World War I, the Russian Revolution and World War II. He lost the privileged life as a son of a colonel in the Russian army and starved as a refugee.

His story about the midwife's prediction was one of his favorites, said a son, Pierre, a physics professor at the University of Utah.

Sometimes he would forget his age, his son said. When he was told he was 101 or 102, he would respond: "Amazing, amazing. I never believed I would live this long."

He was a familiar figure in the 1990s at a South Pasadena gym until he was about 100, his son said. He continued working out at home until about a year ago.

"When I was young," he said in 2002, "I already read about the usefulness of exercise, you know, and also about the diet. I consider that the health of the human being is related to his movement and food. I consider first, I was no drunkard, alcohol stuff, you know. Second, I was many years vegetarian that I avoid to eat pork and beef."

When Nazi Germany occupied Lithuania in 1941, he and his wife, Irene, fled to Austria and France. In 1952, they came to the United States, and Mr. Sokolsky, a law school graduate in his homeland, started over in New York City as a conveyor belt worker at a match factory.

He took education courses and became certified to teach Russian. After posts with Syracuse and Michigan State universities, he caught on at USF. He retired to St. Petersburg in 1971.

His later years were filled with travel throughout Europe, writing books and making his own mark on St. Petersburg history.

"I was surprised why the man from Detroit gave such a name as St. Petersburg," he said. Gen. John Williams was credited as founder of St. Petersburg. "I started to research. I found it is wrong. It was not Williams, but Peter Demens. I changed the history of the city."

In The Story of St. Petersburg, Carl Grismer wrote that Russian immigrant Peter Demens brought in the railroad and founded the city.

Demens chose St. Petersburg in honor of the Russian city. In 1977, the City Council named the new city marina Demens Landing.

Mr. Sokolsky's wife of 76 years died in 2005. Survivors besides his son include a grandson, Michael Sokolsky, of Salt Lake City.

A service will be noon Monday at St. Andrew's Russian Orthodox Church, 4668 15th Ave. S, where he was a member. Burial will be at Royal Palm Cemetery.

David C. Gross Funeral Homes and Cremation Center, Central Avenue Chapel, is in charge.

[Last modified December 15, 2006, 05:39:02]