Neguţ, Sil iu
A icle
Vic o Tu escu o he pe ec elegance o man and spi i
Am i ea u Economic
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
The Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Neguţ, Sil iu (2024) : Vic o Tu escu o he pe ec elegance o man and spi i ,
Am i ea u Economic, ISSN 2247-9104, The Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies, Bucha es ,
Vol. 26, Iss. 65, pp. 381-391,
h ps://doi.o g/10.24818/EA/2024/65/381
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/281827
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Vol. 26 • No. 65• Feb ua y 2024 381
Vic o Tu escu o he Pe ec Elegance
o Man and Spi i
Sil iu Neguţ
Uni e si y o Economic S udies, Bucha es , Romania
Please quo e his a icle as ollows:
Neguţ, S., 2023. Vic o Tu escu o he Pe ec Elegance o Man and Spi i . Am i ea u
Economic, 26(65), pp. 381-391.
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.24818/EA/2024/65/381
In he 1950s and 1960s, he Depa men o Economic
Geog aphy a he Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic
S udies (BUES, in Romanian known as “ASE”) was pa o
he Facul y o Comme ce (now he Facul y o Business and
Tou ism). Also, a e 2011, he geog aphy collec i e
became pa o he newly es ablished Depa men o
Tou ism and Geog aphy. Gi en he es eem in which
geog aphy was ega ded in ASE, o a long ime, un il
2013, i was an admission discipline, ei he compulso y o
op ional. Fo example, in 1963, he e we e e en wo exams
– w i en and o al – o he Geog aphy o he People's
Republic o Romania. Be ween 1941 and 1968, he mos
p ominen pe sonali y o geog aphy augh a ASE was
P o esso Vic o Tu escu. Be ween 1951 and 1956 he was
abusi ely emo ed om uni e si y eaching and a one
poin a es ed. Be o e his uni e si y ca ee , he augh
geog aphy a he seconda y school le el. Since 1958, he
has been he au ho o Geog aphy o he RPR / RSR /
Romania ex books o he inal g ades o gene al school
and high school, espec i ely, mos o en in collabo a ion wi h Claudiu Giu căneanu and
Gheo ghe Ghica. Fo a leas 40 yea s, s uden s ha e lea n he geog aphy o he coun y
om successi e edi ions o hese books. The obse a ion is ha he a ibu ion o he
ex books would ha e been done di ec ly, possibly as mo al epa a ion o he h ee
au ho s, colleagues a he o me Comme cial Academy, who had also p e iously su e ed
ob ious p o essional es ic ions. P o esso Vic o Tu escu has been awa ded he
Romanian Academy P izes wice, unde di e en poli ical egimes: o A egion o li ing
ci cula ion: Poa a Tâ gului-F umos (published in 1940), he “Geo ge Vâlsan” P ize, and
o Na u al elie modelling and accele a ed e osion (published in 1966), he “Gheo ghe
Mun eanu-Mu goci” P ize. In 1992, a e he new change o poli ical egime, he will be
elec ed as academician. The Ins i u e o Geog aphy and he Facul y o Geog aphy o he
Uni e si y o Bucha es , h ough V. U ucu and, espec i ely, by M. Ielenicz, M. G igo e,
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Vic o Tu escu o he Pe ec Elegance o Man and Spi i
382 Am i ea u Economic
D. Băl eanu, F. G ecu and I. Nicolae, will dedica e o P o esso Vic o Tu escu wo ibu e
olumes, in 2000 and 2008. (Nicolae Lupu)
Vic o Tu escu was an ou s anding pe sonali y o Romanian geog aphy. He es ablished
himsel wi h b illiance as a uni e si y p o esso in wo p es igious ins i u ions o highe
educa ion: he Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies ( o me ly he Academy o Highe
Comme cial and Indus ial S udies, hen he Ins i u e o Economic Sciences “V.I. Lenin”)
and he Uni e si y o Bucha es , as well as an excellen esea che , mainly a he Ins i u e o
Geog aphy o he Romanian Academy. He was honou ed wi h he i le o Academician.
P o esso Vic o Tu escu was bo n on 19 No embe 1908, in a amily o in ellec uals, in
he ci y o Bo oșani, whe e he a ended seconda y and high school. As o his uni e si y
s udies, he a ended he Facul y o Sciences o he “Alexand u Ioan Cuza” Uni e si y o
Iași, and a e a i s a emp o become a physician, as his mo he wan ed, he became a
g adua e in Geog aphy and Law, bu quickly u ned o he i s ield, o which he was
na u ally inclined. He ascended o hea en on 11 Ma ch 2000.
I did no ha e he oppo uni y o be a s uden o P o esso Vic o Tu escu, as I g adua ed in
he yea (1968) in which he was ans e ed om he Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic
S udies o he Facul y o Geog aphy o he Uni e si y o Bucha es . Bu once I became a
p o esso a ASE, whe e he g ea geog aphe o icia ed o almos h ee decades, I had he
oppo uni y o lea n many beau i ul hings abou him, hanks o mee ings and discussions
wi h many eache s o pe sonali ies om he inancial-banking, comme cial, business, e c.,
I was he e o e able o ealise how app ecia ed and lo ed P o esso Vic o Tu escu was –
eloquen epo s abou his special way o gi ing lec u es, o he cul u e he showed, o his
physical and mo al in eg i y, o his ex emely de e en ial way o add essing, o e e y hing
ha made him a no mal bu uly special man. Fu he mo e, o ex ao dina y poli eness, no
e en he younges , e en s uden s, we e add essed as “ u” (“you”), bu as “dumnea oas ă”
(“you ”) o , mo e equen ly, as “ma a”. I no as a s uden , I la e go o know he p o esso
e y well, i s as an edi o , hen hanks o o he ci cums ances, ha ing he chance and, a
he same ime, he honou o being one o he people e y close o His Excellency, in he
las pa o his li e, and hanks, pe haps, o “geog aphical p oximi y”, li ing e y close o
him, on Nicolae Ti ulescu S ee .
Wo king wi h he p o esso . Once I became a edac o a he Romanian Encyclopaedic
Publishing House (Edi u a Enciclopedică Română), I me him in he geog aphy edi o ial
o ice, whe e he came o b ing he a icles ha had been commissioned o he Small
Encyclopaedic Dic iona y, in ac a la ge wo k, despi e he i le, and o wha would
e en ually be called he Encyclopaedic Dic iona y (7 olumes).
I was simply s unned when I saw his inc edibly beau i ul, a is ic w i ing. I liked he
p o esso e y much: he was always elegan (sui and ie obliga o y, e en in he wa m
season), bu no os en a ious, he spoke ex ao dina ily beau i ully, wi h an e en and clea
p onuncia ion, he was – and i didn' jus seem o me – ex emely de e en ial o my ellow
geog aphe s, abou he same age as me, add essing hemsel es, as I said be o e, as
“dumnea oas ă” (“you ”) o “ma a”.
Then I p oposed him as a con ibu o o he monog aph Romania, eques ed by he
p es igious Wes Ge man publishing house Schauble – we we e in he “age o openness”,
Am i ea u Economic ecommends
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Vol. 26 • No. 65• Feb ua y 2024 383
bu un o una ely i did no las long. P o esso Vic o Tu escu was e y pleased wi h he
p oposal; he could ha dly belie e ha i was possible o publish a book w i en in
communis Romania o Wes Ge many. He had a… Ge man punc uali y: he i s o b ing
he a icle, impeccable in o m and con en . Du ing ou collabo a ion, he in i ed me o his
home se e al imes and I s ill emembe he add ess: Jean Texie no. 19, in Flo easca
neighbou hood, opposi e he ska ing ink. I was an old illa, beau i ul and elegan , he li ed
on he g ound loo . La e i s uck me ha he mo ed “ o he block”, buying an apa men
on Nicolae Ti ulescu S ee , p obably li ing in ha illa by en ing i .
P o . Vic o Tu escu wi h a g oup o young geog aphe s (1972), om le o igh :
Sil iu Neguț, Ion Nicolae (cu en uni e si y p o esso s), Gab iel Ma ei and
Cons an in Romanciuc (edi o s a Encyclopaedic Publishing House) and Nicolae Pa el
(emig a ed o he USA)
The book abou Romania, o Ge many, al hough i was eady, e en ansla ed in o
Ge man, was ne e published, since a e he Ceaușescu isi o China and No h Ko ea
e e y hing ook a di e en u n, especially since Elena Ceaușescu, inspi ed by he model o
Mao's wi e, who, among o he hings, led he “cul u al e olu ion”, came o he o e on o
poli ical leade ship.
Bu he collabo a ion wi h he p o esso did no s op he e. A his eques , I i s accep ed o
be his edac o o a book, e en hough i was no pa o my du ies, namely Ag icul u e a
he Edge o D yness, an occasion ha allowed me o ein o ce my p e ious con ic ions
abou his quali ies as a man and as an au ho . Bu he momen ha simply connec ed ou
ela ionship o e e was an ex emely impo an , ele an publishing p ojec : he capi al
wo k o he g ea es Romanian geog aphe , Simion Mehedinți, also one o he mos
ep esen a i e in he wo ld – Te a. In oduc ion o Geog aphy as a Science – which was
epublished. A Sisyphean wo k! Mo e han hal a cen u y had passed since he publica ion
o he wo k (in 1930), a pe iod in which he wo ld had expe ienced adical poli ical,
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Vic o Tu escu o he Pe ec Elegance o Man and Spi i
384 Am i ea u Economic
scien i ic, and o he e en s and changes. P o esso Tu escu has p oduced an excep ional
c i ical edi ion, wi h a oyal espec o he scien i ic con ibu ion o his g ea p edecesso
and wi h an inc edible c i ical appa a us, designed no o “des oy” he wo k in ques ion, as
we ha e seen in some cases, bu o explain i in he pe spec i e o such ale mode n imes.
In ac , he has succeeded in u he accen ua ing he me i s o he g ea Mehedinți and no
in diminishing hem, as some o his ellow coun ymen ha e done.
The s o y elle Vic o Tu escu. Du ing he mee ings, a i s mo e spo adic and hen
egula , I liked o challenge P o esso Tu escu o ell s o ies, as he was cha ming. This
happened especially in his apa men on Ti ulescu S ee , whe e I used o go wi h Dan
Băl eanu, bu no in equen ly, nei he alone. When we a i ed, ei he wi h Dan o alone,
M s. Liliana would o e us/me a swee and a glass o cold wa e and some imes she would
ask us i we/I would like a ea o a co ee. On hose occasions, I lea n , ea lie han many
o he s, some o he s o ies he old in his wo wo ks: The Tu escus (Neamul Tu eș ilo ) and
Family Po ai s (Po e e de amilie). In ac , when he i s one was published in 1999, I
played a ce ain ole: oge he wi h P o esso Flo ina B an, I asked he husband, none o he
han Paul B an, he ec o o he ASE, a wonde ul man, o ha e i pho ocopied in he
ins i u ion's p in ing house. I was an ideal solu ion, gi ing he wo k a special cha m, hanks
o he p o esso 's excep ional w i ing. His Excellency was also deligh ed wi h he chosen
solu ion. The p e ious yea we had o ganised a celeb a ion o his 90 h bi hday a he ASE
ec o 's o ice. I was a pa icula ly cold day, so when he p o esso appea ed, we we e all
speechless: he was wea ing a ligh o e coa and his amilia small b immed ha on his head,
gi ing us ano he spo smanship lesson, i he e was one. I
go back o wha he p o esso said. He had, among o he
hings, an ex ao dina y gi o s o y elling, whe he i
conce ned e en s om his childhood and adolescence,
especially, o om la e . The modula ions o his oice we e
accompanied by acial exp essions, depending on he
subjec , unny o , on he con a y, sad o some imes e en
agic. He did no ic imise himsel and he a ely named
di ec ly a pe son who had hu him. The eache also had
an “elephan 's memo y”, as hey say: e en a 90 yea s o
age he would ecoun de ails, de ails, desc ip ions o he
a mosphe e, desc ip ions o people ( hei physical and
in ellec ual cha ac e is ics, quali ies and aul s, e c.), and in
he end, in almos all cases, he would ha e a com o ing
wo d o a meaning ul smile.
I emembe now, as i I had hea d him yes e day, ha Dan
Bal eanu, he closes and mos app ecia ed man by he
p o esso in he las pa o his li e, was also p esen – he
s o y o Pa ia ch Theoc is , a poo boy om a la ge amily
on he neighbou ing es a e o Tu escu amily who, as a
small child, “ an away” o he monas e y, om whe e he
was “ eco e ed” and b ough home, being subjec ed o he
necessa y “co ec ions”, he eache in e ening wi h he
iendly neighbou wi h he a gumen ha pe haps his was
he child's inclina ion and des iny, which was pe ec ly ue
in ime! No o men ion he s o ies abou his amily,
Homage by acad. Vic o
Tu escu o he ounde
o Romanian uni e si y
geog aphy, Simion
Mehedinți, also
a complemen o his
undamen al wo k Te a.
In oduc ion o
Geog aphy as a Science
(1930)
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Vol. 26 • No. 65• Feb ua y 2024 385
whe he pa en s, b o he s, sis e s, o he ela i es, o abou his wo child en, As id and
Mi cea, o abou his g andchild en...
I can also ell wha he did no ha e. He did no en y hose who, in o de o p epa e hei
own pedes al o a u u e s a ue, disman led hei ances o s o con empo a ies. A elling
example was he eedi ion o he undamen al Romanian geog aphical wo k: Te a.
In oduc ion o Geog aphy as a Science by Simion Mehedinți (1994). Mo e han i e
decades had passed since i s publica ion, and he publishe p oposed o e-edi i , bu he e
we e discussions, on he one hand, whe he his was app op ia e and, on he o he hand,
who should be he “edi o ”. The choice o P o esso Vic o Tu escu was indeed a happy
one, he edi ion he edi ed being a ue model o eedi ion o e ime, no diminishing om
i s alue and, mo eo e , h ough he oo no es, cons an ly ein o cing he ex ao dina y
hough and mode ni y o he g ea o wa d. In addi ion, he has added a signi ican olume:
Simion Mehedinți. Li e and wo k as an au ho .
Music lo e . I emembe e en now he p o esso 's s o ies abou his passion o music, and
his was be o e he had w i en his memoi s. An ex ao dina y con inuous ligh in o he
ield, om he pipe 's box (wi h he pa o who, a a signal, “would d aw ou a no e wi h a
cu ed beak, which he o e ed o anyone who deposi ed a small coin”) o he mili a y band
(“which enchan ed me”) and inally o an o ches a (“which seemed o me o be some hing
else al oge he ”). This is how he ela es, in e ospec , ha i s o ches a audi ion, a he
age o only h ee and a hal , when he accompanied his mo he o a celeb a ion a he high
school whe e his a he was p incipal: “The imp ession made on me by hose ocal and
ins umen al songs was di ine; I seemed o ise in o a wo ld o angels and loa ed ligh ly in
he ai like dandelion lakes. I was unable o exp ess wi h he poo ocabula y o my age
wha I was eeling, bu my mo he old me ha I was pulling he hand and I was eady o
c y. I ne e o go o a long ime ha wonde ul ha mony o sounds, which ans igu ed
me.” Bu he p o esso was no only a keen music lo e ; he ook lessons and played he
iolin himsel , and was qui e alen ed, acco ding o he es imony o some con empo a ies.
He kep ha iolin wi h sanc i y, which I saw a his house in Jean Texie and a his
apa men on Ti ulescu S ee .
An inc edible li e and des iny. The g ea po ai is . P o esso Vic o Tu escu had a
mo e han an in e es ing li e and des iny, which he did no ake no ice o , only a an old age
gi ing us some elemen s, and no in public. Wha a pi y! Who would ha e guessed ha his
a he small, well connec ed, poli e and de e en ial gen leman, who was equal o himsel ,
was descended om one o he oldes amilies o Molda ian boya s (he called hem
“boie nași”), ha one o his g ea -g andmo he s was he second wi e o he ule Cons an in
Can emi , a he o he amous schola Dimi ie Can emi , ha some o his ances o s held
impo an digni ies and o he posi ions, especially p o esso s (including uni e si y
p o esso s), MPs, gene als, e c.
His o iginal name, on his a he 's line, was Dolhici, om his g ea -g and a he Vlad
Dolhici, om whom he name o he illage whe e on May 1, 1406 i was men ioned ha
he had his esidence, namely he illage o Dolheș i. A he end o he 16 h cen u y and he
beginning o he 17 h cen u y, his descendan s spli in o h ee b anches, one, he basic one,
emaining in Dolheș i, being men ioned in documen s om he end o he 17 h cen u y
unde he name o Tu escu, bea ing he men ion “g ea -g andchild en o old Vlad Dolhici”,
he i s , men ioned in documen s, being he s a os Mihu, whose daugh e became he
second wi e o he men ioned Cons an in Can emi .
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Vic o Tu escu o he Pe ec Elegance o Man and Spi i
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On his mo he 's side, he was also descended om an old amily who came om Buco ina
a e he egion came unde Aus ian ule and ounded he illage o Dumb ă eni, whose
name comes om he ac ha he i s houses we e buil in an oak o es g o e. Tha
ances o was called Ma ei Huzdup, and his g andson, Gheo ghe Filip (Filip Huzdup's son),
would become he p o esso 's g ea g and a he , wi h he nickname o Old Dad (“Ta a
Bă ân”). The la e 's son Niculai, a p ies , was in e es ed in social issues and laid he
ounda ions o coope a ion in Romania, oge he wi h he g ea economis Ion Răducanu,
u u e ec o o he Comme cial Academy ( oday ASE).
The p o esso was, among many o he hings, an ex ao dina ily delica e po ai is . He e,
as a i s example, is he image o his g ea -g and a he :
“Du ing he holidays spen in Dumb ă eni, I me many ela i es o my mo he 's amily.
Among he mos ep esen a i e was my g and a he 's a he , whom e e yone called Old
Dad. His name was Gheo ghe Filip and he was a man o small heigh , e y li ely e en
when he was old, wi h a handsome ace, uddy in he cheeks, wi h a mous ache à la S ephen
he G ea . He was o chee ul na u e, a good s o y elle , wi h a humo ous speech”. Good
s o y elle ! This is who he p o esso inhe i ed, who was also, as I said, an excellen
s o y elle . Re u ning, le us see a new sample o he p o esso 's gi o obse a ion and
s o y elling: “Wha also imp essed me as a child was he ce emonial ha ook place when
Old Dad came o see my g and a he («Bunelu»), his son. My g and a he would kiss his
hand because he was his a he and, in u n, Old Dad would kiss his son's hand because he
was a p ies . This sign o mu ual espec , his wo ship o ancien cus oms, was e y mo ing
o me”. Bu le us also see he po ai o his mo he , whom he pa icula ly app ecia ed and
lo ed, simply ado ed. I unde s ood him pe ec ly because I oo had such eelings o my
mo he : “The i s image ha eme ged, b igh in he blackness o memo y and linge ing in
ou lines I ha e ne e o go en, was o my mo he leaning o e my li le bed wi h ed s ing
ne ing on he sides and pic u es o angels and beau i ully colou ed oys on he boa ds a
ei he end. Some nigh s, I could ha dly be pe suaded o lea e my oys on he ca pe o be
placed in he c ib, bu e y quickly my eyelids would close and I would all asleep
d eaming ha I was s ill playing, bu wi h special oys, some imes an as ic, as a as he
an asy o he limi ed ho izon o images o my ea ly childhood (...) My mo he used o
mo e my c ib in o he middle o he oom so she could keep a close eye on my sleep, wi h
i s childlike anxie ies. He gen le igu e ben o e my blinking and he ca esses passed
unbidden in my d eam. I was con inced a he ime ha she was he mos beau i ul mo he
in he wo ld, he gen les and swee es .”
And ano he delica e and mo ing scene. The p o esso ells us ha when he was abou h ee
and a hal yea s old, he accompanied his a he o he old house (i was a hund ed yea s old
a he ime!) and i s ga den, which he in ended o eno a e. The child b oke away om his
a he and, a e passing h ough a small ga e in he neglec ed ga den, walked “along a pa h
o e g own wi h kno weed”, seeing i s , o his g ea su p ise, “a lone ed ulip” and hen...
Bu le us lea e i o he wonde ul s o y elle : “I s ood s ill o a ew momen s, as i
bewi ched, o om unde a bush a spiky hedgehog appea ed, mo ing wi h small s eps. I
had no idea wha his could be: only om a book wi h colou ul d awings did I unde s and
ha i could be a hedgehog... I was disco e ing na u e wi h my own senses. I was o e come
wi h exci emen and s unned. A e a while, which seemed a long ime o me, he hedgehog
un u led again and ook o quickly, losing i sel in he all g ass.” “Small s eps”, “quick”...
how wonde ul!
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Vol. 26 • No. 65• Feb ua y 2024 387
When, a e a long sea ch, his a he ound him and said “I ha e been looking e e ywhe e
o you. Wha ha e you been doing in hese weeds?”, he child's esponse was as onishing:
“I was in a s o y!”
The way o geog aphy. Al hough he p o esso has been a ac ed o na u e since he was a
child, choosing geog aphy was no easy o na u al. His mo he , whom he lo ed and
espec ed eno mously, wan ed him o become a physician. And he ook he exam a he
Facul y o Medicine (one o he ew acul ies whe e he e was such a es ), succeeded, bu
e y quickly ound ha he could no accommoda e himsel o he ield (dea h, smells, e c.)
and had o d op ou . He applied o “Geog aphy and Na u al Sciences”, o which he al eady
el a ce ain a ac ion (I will come back o his), bu a he sugges ion o an uncle (Jean, his
a he 's elde b o he ), he also s udied law (which was o o e him a su e chance o ea ning
an income, as he a o emen ioned ela i e had been pes e ing him), g adua ing wi h an
excellen deg ee in bo h (in 1930). Bu he chose he pa h o geog aphy and he did well,
because he became one o he g ea es and mos ep esen a i e Romanian geog aphe s.
Some o his p o esso s, including Gheo ghe Năs ase and Ion Simionescu, he la e a g ea
scien i ic pe sonali y (he was also p esiden o he Romanian Academy) and, abo e all, one
o he mos alen ed popula ise s o na u e, con ibu ed o he consolida ion o his decision.
He ook his doc o a e a he age o only 28, in 1936, wi h his hesis on Dealul Ma e –
Hâ lău. Obse a ions on he e olu ion o elie and human se lemen s (published in he
ollowing yea ). Bu in ac , e e y hing had s a ed a he age o 14, when he ook pa in a
school ip o he Buco ina Moun ains.
This is wha Vic o Tu escu as a pupil w o e in his no ebook: “In he mo ning, in he b igh
sunligh , when I saw he moun ains o he i s ime, i seemed o me like some hing
wonde ul, like a ai y- ale d eam. The moun ains looked like cu ains o da kly colou ed
i ees, closing o he ho izon in close p oximi y. The i e s and e en he small s eams
lowed wi h hei clea wa e s, leaping o e he boulde s; he owe ing sp uces seemed o
me o come om he legend o he Nibelungs, hey we e di e en om ou deciduous
o es s pie ced by he a ows o he sun's ays... And I began o w i e and d aw in my
pupil's no ebook, o ge ing he pupils who h ew s ones in o he wa e o played wi h he
ball”.
P o esso a he Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies (ASE). Among he many
geog aphe s who ha e augh , o e he yea s, in his p es igious ins i u ion o highe
educa ion was he uni e si y p o esso Vic o Tu escu, who wo ked a he beginning (1941-
1946) a he same ime as ano he g ea geog aphe and p o esso , Nicolae Al. Rădulescu
(1905-1989).
Vic o Tu escu en e ed highe educa ion coming om high school – almos a ule a ha
ime in Romania – be o e being a eache a a adi ional high school in B aso (“D .
Meșo ă”) be ween 1935 and 1938 (in e up ed in 1936, when he was ans e ed o he
“Vemiamin” Theological Semina y in Iași, in o de o p epa e and de end his doc o al
hesis a he enowned uni e si y in he ci y), hen ollowed a schola ship a So bonne
(1938-1939), whe e, newly ma ied, he also ook his wi e, emaining wi h a pleasan image
o he es o his li e: “The s ay in Pa is was se ene, a beau i ul yea o my li e; I was
looking a e my s udies, Liliana was looking a e F ench language cou ses”.
He was hen a p o esso a he Highe No mal School in Bucha es (now he “I.L.
Ca agiale” Na ional College), wi h pos g adua e ank. A he Academy o High
AE
Vic o Tu escu o he Pe ec Elegance o Man and Spi i
388 Am i ea u Economic
Comme cial and Indus ial S udies (A.I.S.C.I.) he was appoin ed subs i u e associa ed
p o esso in 1941, and when N.Al. Rădulescu le o he Uni e si y o Bucha es , whe e he
became a ull p o esso by compe i i e examina ion and, a he same ime, head o he
Geog aphy Depa men a A.I.S.C.I. (1946).
Howe e , he p o esso began his academic ca ee in a bad pe iod, du ing he Second Wo ld
Wa , and in he one ha ollowed, no less bad, which mean he so ie isa ion o Romania,
wi h majo in e e ence in highe educa ion in gene al and in he economic one in pa icula .
His academic ca ee , o which he had de o ed himsel wi h all his passion and skill, being
“ he igh man in he igh place”, was, howe e , b u ally cu sho o i e yea s (1951-
1956), when he was o ced o wo k as a designe a he Ins i u e o Fo es y Resea ch and
Managemen in Bucha es /Ins i u ul de Ce ce ă i și Amenajă i Sil ice Bucu eș i (1952-1955)
and, un o una ely, o nine mon hs (No embe 1955-July 1956), he was a es ed and sen o
p ison. He was eleased and e u ned o his depa men in he ASE ( hen called he “Ins i u e
o Economic Sciences and Planning V.I. Lenin”), whe e he emained un il 1968, when he
mo ed o he Facul y o Geology and Geog aphy (Geog aphy sec ion) o he Uni e si y o
Bucha es , a he ini ia i e (and insis ence, as he p o esso old me in a discussion) o he
g ea ma hema ician Gheo ghe Mihoc, hen ec o o he amous uni e si y (who insis ed on
he idea o es o ing he g ea ness o geog aphy in his highe educa ion ins i u ion).
Un o una ely, he would only each o i e yea s, and in he au umn o 1973, he was simply
emo ed om his p o esso ship, qui e unna u ally, a e he s a o he academic yea . In
ac , i was poli ical in e e ence: a younge gen leman (I.P.), a ela i e o Ceaușescu's
poli ical igu ehead Manea Mănescu, needed a acan eaching pos o ad ance, and ano he
p o esso had his eye on one o he mos signi ican o ices in he acul y.
I ha e unwi ingly been a di ec wi ness o his machina ion. On ha ea ly Oc obe day, I
had an appoin men wi h he p o esso in his o ice. When I go he e, a he acul y, on he
hi d loo , on he igh , in he las o ice on he le , I ound ha he o ice was closed,
which su p ised me: I knew ha no only me, bu also he p o esso , was ex emely
punc ual. I jumped ou a me ha in he co ido in on o he desk was a la ge, massi e
desk (an old-s yle desk), which I ecognised as he p o esso 's. As I sa he e in o al
bewilde men , I was app oached by a young, bu ly assis an whom I knew, al hough he had
no been my “semina ian”, M.I., who said o me, in his us a ed s yle ha I would become
accus omed o la e , when we became good iends, ha “you’ e si ing he e o no hing,
Tu escu has been dismissed, you wai o him o no hing. F om now on, you wo ship
someone else and chances a e ha he is one o you s!” (I unde s ood ha , by he way, he
was om my na i e egion, bu his eac ion was o ally di e en ).
By adi ion, since i s ounda ion in 1913, he Academy o Economic S udies has augh
subjec s g ouped unde he name o Economic Geog aphy. Thus, P o esso Vic o Tu escu
ga e se e al cou ses in he pe iod immedia ely ollowing he G ea Wo ld Wa , all o
which we e published ex books (and, in ac , li hog aphed a i s ).
a) Geog aphy o Romania and neighbou ing coun ies, augh in he academic yea 1942-
1943;
b) Geog aphy o Eu ope and Asia, augh in he academic yea 1943-1944;
