Valerija-Veronika Bungardaitė

Valerija-Veronika Bungardaitė (1926–2012) was born in Alytus into a working-class family. In 1938–1944, she studied at Alytus Gymnasium, and from 1946–1950, at the Vilnius Pedagogical Institute. While still a student, in 1949–1950, she worked as a secretary in the Office of the Council of Ministers. In 1950, she taught German at Vilnius Juozas Tallat-Kelpša Music School. From 1951 to 1960, she worked as an assistant in the Department of German Language at the Pedagogical Institute. In 1960–1961, she served as a senior research fellow at the Institute for School Research but resigned due to deteriorating health. In 1952, she began working at the Vilnius Art School. From 1961 onwards, she did not work due to health issues. In 1967, she applied for and was appointed as a senior laboratory assistant at the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Research of the Faculty of Medicine at Vilnius Vincas Kapsukas State University. In 1970, she requested to be transferred to the Department of German Language at the Faculty of Philology as a lecturer, and this request was also approved. In 1973, she submitted a request to resign without specifying the reasons and was dismissed. The monograph Alma Mater Vilnensis: Vilniaus universiteto istorijos bruožai (Alma Mater Vilnensis: Features of the History of Vilnius University) states that Valerija-Veronika Bungardaitė was dismissed due to her religious beliefs and her ties with members of the clergy.