Jadvyga Tūbelienė visuomeniniame Kauno gyvenime XX a. 3–4 dešimtmečiais

Abstract

J. Tūbelienė (born Chodakauskaitė) was a well-educated erudite, fluent in several foreign languages and in possession of the talent to interact with people representing different social strata and holding various beliefs as well as inspire the audience with the proposed ideas. Her talent was acknowledged at the University of St. Petersburg. In 1917 she successfully passed her state examinations at the faculty of history and classical languages and was offered lecturer’s position at the university. In 1918–1923 she worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania and proved to be a reliable and skilful employee of the press section. In 1920 she got married with Lithuanian economist and politician Juozas Tūbelis. J. Tūbelienė expressed concern with social problems of Lithuanian women and children, therefore starting from 1927 together with other women sharing her ideas sought to join forces of all social and charitable organizations of Lithuanian women and expand their activities nationwide. In 1928 the Association of Organizations for the Protection of Lithuanian Women and Children which encompassed 23 women organizations and was under the leadership of J. Tūbelienė assumed effective measures to combat mortality of newborns and mothers. Health centres established through the efforts of the Association attended to health matters of 30 per cent of Lithuania’s population, whereas the museum of Mother and Child opened in Kaunas became the leading centre of public health education. Excellent education, competence, managerial experience and good communication skills resulted in the election of J. Tūbelienė to chairpersons and managing boards of a number of women organizations. In 1928 J. Tūbelienė together with her counterparts Ona Mašiotienė, Sofija Čiurlionienė, Bronislava Biržiškienė and others considered the necessity to unite not only social and charitable women organizations but also the ideological ones. Until June 1940 J. Tūbelienė was an active member of the Lithuanian Women Council board established in 1929, representing the organization on the international level. In 1938 in acknowledgement of J. Tūbelienė’s active public and political work she was decorated with the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (third degree). J. Tūbelienė earned extensive public respect. 50 years of sovietisation erased numerous personalities of the First Republic of Lithuania from the memory of Lithuanians, however, during the more than 20-year period of restored statehood not a single article elaborating on the activities of the woman who can easily be called the second lady of the state has been published. On June 17, 1940 with the beginning of the Soviet occupation J. Tūbelienė decided to escape to the West. In 1941 she was issued with the American visa. J. Tūbelienė passed away on October 4, 1988 at the age of 97 and is buried in Putnam cemetery in Connecticut.