The Shokhins' Labor Dynasty

The Zhlobin metalworkers have once again written a vibrant page in the annals of Belarusian industry. The author of this new story is the Shokhin family, whose combined work experience totals 110 years. Recently, their mastery and dedication to their profession received well-deserved recognition: the Zhlobin residents took third place in the industry-wide competition "Labor Dynasty - 2026".

From Cherepovets to Zhlobin

The steel biography of the family's head, Alexander Shokhin, began in the Russian city of Cherepovets. Here, at the metallurgical plant, after serving in the army for four years, he honed his skills as a crane operator in the oxygen-converter shop, continuing the work of his parents, who were infinitely devoted to this industry. Incidentally, his grandfather and grandmother worked at this enterprise from the moment it opened. Therefore, Alexander Vasilyevich rightly considers himself the founder of only one branch of the Shokhin labor dynasty, which has already taken root in Zhlobin.

At the time, he did not think that life would throw him into Belarus. Everything happened on its own - a few years after a fateful meeting in Lunacharsky Park.

"I came to Cherepovets after graduating from a pedagogical college and was already studying in the first year of the Cherepovets State Pedagogical Institute named after A.V. Lunacharsky," recalls his wife, Nadezhda Shokhina. "It was at one of the dance evenings in the park that we met."

Soon, the young people started a family and became happy parents of two sons, Anton and Artyom. The second, by the way, was born the day before the state exam that the young mother was supposed to take after graduating from college. But even this did not become an obstacle for her, since she had the reliable support of her husband and grandmother.

"From the very first day, my husband and I shared all our worries in half, helping each other and supporting each other in difficult situations. Moreover, a new motivator appeared in our lives - the children. Every decision and every step were driven by the desire to make their lives better. Cherepovets was a large industrial center, which affected its ecology. Therefore, we decided to change our place of residence," Nadezhda Valentinovna explains.

Alexander Vasilyevich sent requests to various metallurgical enterprises. The first response came from Zhlobin, where the construction of the Belarusian Metallurgical Plant was underway at the time. Good reviews from acquaintances who worked here finally convinced the spouses to change their accustomed way of life.

The Belarusian Stage

The head of the family was the first to arrive in Zhlobin, even before the start of the industrial history of the flagship of Belarusian metallurgy. And already in October 1984, the plant produced its first melt of domestic steel. At that time, Alexander Shokhin was working in the scrap processing section of the electric steelmaking shop. Participation in this historic event is a special pride of our hero.

In September 1985, my husband brought us to join him. We received housing and began to settle into our new home. Thus, a new, Belarusian stage began in our lives, recalls Nadezhda Shokhina.

Over time, Nadezhda Valentinovna found a job at kindergarten No. 41, and in 1989, she was offered to head the new BMZ "Rodnichok" kindergarten (now kindergarten No. 38). A pedagogue by calling, she led this preschool education institution for 30 years, caring for the all-around development of her pupils and strengthening their health. She managed to gather a team that shared her vision. More than once, kindergarten No. 38 became a leader among BMZ's departmental kindergartens and a winner of various competitions.

Alexander Vasilievich devoted almost four decades to working at the plant: 30 years of which were spent on the hot section of the steelmaking shop, and the rest, until his retirement, in the rolling shop No. 2. He was repeatedly encouraged by the plant's management for his dedication to his work and conscientious labor as a crane operator. The man became a mentor to many young specialists.

The relay of generations

The sons of Alexander Vasilievich and Nadezhda Valentinovna followed in their father's footsteps. Both started their professional path at the plant as galvanizers, and today they work in leadership positions: the older son, Anton, is the shift supervisor of the SPCT-1, and the younger son, Artem, is the supervisor of the SPCT-2. According to Nadezhda Valentinovna, the sons made this choice with their hearts, as from childhood they had learned that metallurgy is not only about production but also about character.

The grandson of the couple, Vyacheslav (the son of Anton and his wife Ekaterina), has also become a successor to the family's labor dynasty. For the second year, the young man has been working as an operator of the control post in the SPCT-1 and is improving his professional level by studying at the Gomel State Technical University named after P.O. Sukhoi. His brother, 11-year-old Stanislav, is still searching for his path, actively engaging in swimming and mastering the basics of pottery and fine arts. This year, his work became a winner of the children's drawing competition "I want to be a metallurgist!".

Granddaughter Alina (daughter of Artyom and Natalia Shokhins) has chosen a different path: she is a student at the Belarusian State Medical University. The girl dreams of making a career in her profession and providing highly qualified assistance to people. Unlike her sister, her brother Konstantin, being a 3rd-grade student, shows a keen interest in mathematics and programming.

But it's not only the close connection to metallurgy and the successes of their children and grandchildren that are the pride of our heroes: another labor dynasty has formed in the Shokhin family - that of educators. Its continuers include Nadia Valentinovna herself, as well as her daughters-in-law: Natalia teaches technical disciplines at a metallurgical college, and Ekaterina teaches preschoolers English.

"I am proud that we are an example of a labor relay of many generations," emphasizes Nadia Shokhina. "And I can confidently say that the strongest families start with common interests."

Tatiana Kotova.

Photo by Tatiana Melnikova.

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