Gorky, Russia; First Man in: Memoirs from Being the First American Allowed Inside Russia's Closed Exile City - Paperback

by Donn G. Ziebell Ph. D. (Author)

Russians needed internal visas to travel outside their place of residence. It was rare for foreigners to get such travel permission. After 30 years of corporate employment the author made an improbable career change. His new boss and two VP's were black-listed by the KGB and could not enter Russia. The author was asked to write a business seminar proposal for Russia to see if he could open a door and get in. One of the three Russians who received the proposal got approval nine months later by Moscow's Ministry of Education and the KGB . Surprisingly the seminars were designated to be held in Gorky, an exile city for political prisoners and closed to foreigners.The Russian Embassy in Washington D.C. and the officials in Moscow would not issue a travel visa to Gorky. So the author took the chance to be driven 250 miles to Gorky without a visa. The Russians in the city had never seen an American before. The seminar was attended by 60 top industrial personnel, including some suspected to be KGB. The author describes seminar incidents which reveal the thinking and unexpected responses by the Russians. He was taken to meet with many different people and visited many sites during his stay. The memoir is filled with events, pictures and entertaining cross-cultural experiences. From his time inside Russia, readers follow the many twists, turns and surprises the author encountered which entertain and hold reader's attention. Gorky was not opened to foreigners until the year after all these events took place.

Author Biography

About the Author: Donn Ziebell's pursuit in doctoral studies with The Union Institute University, Cincinnati, Ohio, intersected simultaneously with his receiving of the approvals from Moscow's Russian Ministry of Education and the KGB to present business seminars in Russia. Delivering his first in a series of lectures in August 1990, the seminar program proceeded with his sending a number of US instructors with specific disciplines into Russia to lecture on their business areas of expertise. Their trip reports provided original research for writing a cross-cultural experiential doctoral dissertation to receive his Ph.D. degree. Previously, his B.S in Metallurgical Engineering from the U. of Missouri, Rolla, and a MBA degree With Distinction from the U. of New Haven, West Haven, Connecticut, expedited his earlier career in manufacturing and consulting roles within Fortune 500 Corporations for thirty years, including five years in his own manufacturing consulting firm, Ziebell Associates, Inc. His boyhood Midwest family-life values included art, letter writing, camping vacations and story-telling. He started oil painting during college semester breaks. His paintings create visual stories further expanded by their titles and can be viewed on YurArt.com. Years later he wrote a series of short stories about a fictional character that attracted a following within a community of people. They affirmed his writing as greatly entertaining and they eagerly anticipated reading the next story in the series. This response gave affirmation to his enjoyment of writing. Donn G. Ziebell, Ph.D., has authored three non-fiction published books of memoirs. My Letters to a Prisoner - I had not met contains a selection from 117 letters written to a prisoner about a spectrum of personal experiences. Conceal Carry; Pause, provides his inside findings about training as he learns about being an armed citizen for self-defense. It is a great introductory book about a license to carrying a concealed gun in public. His third memoir, Gorky, Russia; First man in, briefly covers his corporate employments that lead to an improbable career change to an organization focused on Russia. As the first American seen in Gorky by Russians, the book has events, pictures and interesting cross-cultural experiences. Readers follow the many twists, turns and surprises the author encountered which entertain and hold reader's attention. It all happened a year before foreigners were permitted into Gorky.