Testimonials

Interesting reading is an article by Chris Churchill, published in Kennebec Journal on August 21, 2005 - "The Child Who Led Them."

Many of you have your own memories of Samantha and the legacy she left in your hearts. If you would like to share your thoughts, please send your letters to SamanthaSmith.info Some are published below.

This website is a tribute to my childhood hero.

Samantha's story started for me in 1985. I was born and raised in the former USSR. I think I was too young to understand the significance of her visit in 1983, but I vividly remember standing in front of my b/w TV set and hearing the news of the plane crash 2 years later. It truly shook me up, life all of a sudden seemed so fragile. I looked for articles and pictures of her in all the newspapers and magazines my family and my friends subscribed to.

I was 10 years old. Samantha was the first American I knew. Because of her I thought Americans to be nice people. Her brave spirit, contagious energy and her bright smile stayed in my heart every day. I think that the mere fact that the girl like that lived, helped me a lot when I was growing up.

When I was 12 I decided to make a book out of all the newspaper clippings I collected. I took apart an old textbook and experimented with it until I thought I figured out a way to bind a book. I sewed the notebooks together and bound my first (and last) book myself. . .

Now I have kids of my own. A couple of years ago that scrapbook found its way back to my new home in America. I leafed through old pages of articles covered with yellowing glue and saw that smiling face again. I thought I should share her story with you.

- Lena Nelson, webmaster, www.SamanthaSmith.info

NEW!!! I followed Samantha's odyssey very carefully since I made my first trip to the Soviet Union in 1982 shortly before Samantha wrote her letter. I was amazed that such a young person would take on such an imposing nation.

In 1986, I returned to the USSR with my ten year old daughter, Jill, and her friend, Abby. I tried to see the country through their eyes about as old as those of Samantha.

My tribute to this courageous girl came in the form of a play Samantha's Stars which I hope will be produced in at least two theaters in 2008, the 25th anniversary year of Samantha's journey.

You can learn about Samantha's Stars by traveling to www.samanthasstars.com

The play ends with three tributes to Samantha. They are all fictitious yet I would never have written them had I not thought that they were true about her. So let the tributes of my characters from Samantha's Stars be mine as well.

From Nick Danilov, a journalist who followed Samantha:

"I met Samantha shortly before her visit to the Soviet Union two years ago. I was a reporter for the New York Times and at the time I was very cynical about her trip as I know some of you were. To tell you the truth I didn’t believe that she wrote the letter which caused Yuri Andropov to invite her. Now I know that only Sam could have written that letter.

Who is to say what her trip will mean to the world? It is for us to say by the way that we live. If we can live like Sam lived with a cheerfulness never cast down, with a courage that somehow conquered all her fears, and with a smile that could light up a room or a whole country, then I believe that we will be all right.

Thank you, Sam. I bring you many big hugs and kisses, our brave, little American girl."

From Everett, an old Mainer and friend of Samantha:

"Now from an old Mainer who is proud to say that he minded Sam’s cats while she was in Russia. The Smith family was like my own. Arthur was like a son to me and Sam was like a granddaughter. Jane, my soul is weeping with you.

I want to read a poem for the people like me that stayed at home in Maine while Samantha was doing all that she could for us. It’s a poem by the English poet and novelist Thomas Hardy.

'A star looks down at me

And says: “Here I and you

Stand, each in our own degree;

What do you mean to do?'

You done good, Sam, you done real good!"

From Anatoli Dobrynin, the Russian Ambassador:

"I bring the condolences of the people of the republics of the Soviet Union. Not only from Moscow and the Crimea and Leningrad where Samantha visited but from every small village where people saw Samantha on television and read about her in the newspapers. They fell in love with this girl from Maine and because they did, they love you all the more, dear American people. I hope that in the years to come we will learn to love each other even more.

For me, my heart is breaking. I give to my dear Samantha the same tribute Feodor Tiutchev gave to our most beloved poet Alexander Pushkin- “Like first love, the heart of Russia will not forget you.” Samantha, Russia will not forget you!'"

And I will never forget you, Samantha!

Greg Marshall

West Lebanon, NH

Please visit the US Embassy in Moscow website to read a tribute by Samantha's classmate, Yvette Irène Saint-André, 'I Remember Samantha Smith: Goodwill Ambassador.'

My tribute to Samantha, a great person, a great American:

Dear Samantha,

It has been only some days since I discovered your story on the web, a great invention of your great country. And your country is great because of people like you. People that can see foreign people like humans, and love and respect them.

Samantha, you were too good for this world. You are a symbol of internationalism, of humanity, of humility. No other person has achieved so much in their short life like You. Humanity will always cherish your memory. At least humane humanity.

I shall always remember your warm perfect smile on the book "A Journey to the Soviet Union". And your concise short phrases that caused empires to tremble. Rest assured, Samantha, you make us adults look like the real children here.

Kyriacos Ktenas

Brussels (Nationality: Cypriot)

For some reason, maybe because of the condition of our world today, Samantha Smith came to my mind.

What an incredible young lady she was! What a loss it was for all of Earth's population when she died.

I was already an adult with daughters of my own when I saw her on the Tonight Show, and I remember when she starred on television. I was saddened to learn how she died in 1985.

The world could really use her today. If she is capable of watching over us through whatever means possible, I hope she is questioning the highest power. She could make a difference then; who knows, maybe she can do it now!

Wendy Goeckner

Bourbonnais, IL, USA

A family in Kazakhstan (part of the Soviet Union during Samantha's visit) are reminded daily of the brave little girl from America.

Erbulat Berkaliev and his young family were keen observers of Samantha Smith's visit to the Soviet Union in 1983. Every evening they would huddle around their black & white TV to get the updates of her activities. His 2 young daughters were also active at school writing essays about the trip Samantha was making.

In August of 1985 the Berkalievs were devastated to hear the sad news of the death of Samantha & her father. They took part in a service of remembrance in their small Kazakh village. Almost everyone in their town attended, such was the affection they had for this little American girl.

A few months after the tragic news had reached the Soviet nation, Erbulat's wife, Ulmeken found that she was pregnant. Both of them there was no doubt as to what they would call the baby if it was a girl, yes, you guessed it.... Samantha!

And that is exactly what they did when on the 2nd of November 1986 they were delivered of a third daughter who they duly named Samantha.

I met the Berkaliev family when Samantha was 19 years old and it was wonderful to see how much the memory of Samantha Smith was still with the family. Samantha is herself a young student at University in Astana, the Kazakhstan capital and her aim in life is to be a diplomat. This year she will go on secondment to the United Nations in New York as part of her course in International Relations.

Samantha wrote to me a few months ago after her father, Erbulat and I had met. Here is her own story.

My name is Samantha Berkaliev and I am currently living in Astana, Kazakhstan where I am studying at the Eurasian National University under L.N.Gumilev, in the international relations department where I am in the second year of my studies.

I am interesting in these subjects for a future profession, because I am very fond of history. I like foreign language (I speak English and although not as good as a native speaker, I hope that when I came back from the US I will be speaking English fluently. I really believe in this.) Some month ago I began studying French and now I want to begin studying Japanese. One week ago, when we began our new semester our teachers asked us to choose the country of our specialization. I chose USA!!! And now I'll be studying American politics, economics and education.

I'm very glad that my father named me after Samantha Smith. He told me that I should always emulate her. Samantha Smith was from US, and I want to know more about this country, that's why I plan to visit the US this summer. I really wish to continue in her way. I want to be as she was and I believe I will be as she was!!!!!

One of my great dreams is to visit Samantha's birth place. Maybe this summer my dream will come true.

When I meet new people they definitely ask me why I have such an interesting & beautiful name. I always tell them of the history of my name. Nowadays some of my friends are still surprised at my father's decision to call me Samantha. I can tell you one thing - I'm very glad & happy that I have such a wonderful, beautiful & historical name.

Best regards

Samantha Berkaliev

Astana

Kazakhstan

When a young life is taken, one often wonders how that person would have turned out as an adult. People like Samantha Berkaliev who have strived to emulate the actions of this brave young soul are a testament to the power of hope and desire of the young people in our ever-turbulent world to do good for others. Thank the lord for such children.

Regards,

Dave Hutton

(currently working in Aksai, Kazakhstan)

I am only a couple of years older that Samantha would be today, and now have children of my own - My daughter is the age I was when I watched Samantha change the world.

At our school we still did the "Duck and cover" air-raid siren drills. We were told that if we see huge flashes of light to get under our desks and cover our faces with a jacket or clothing. Many years later, to my horror, I learned that the reason they wanted us school children to cover our faces is that after a nuclear attack, identifying bodies - especially children - would he a high priority and that if our faces were covered when we died they would not be as damaged and so bodies could be identified easier.

I remember the day Samantha died. It was a warm summer day in New York. I had spent the day lazing about with friends in the sunshine while on summer break from school. Later we saw people crying. We asked what had happened. "Samantha Smith is dead" we were told. We went into shock. People were gathered together in the streets, weeping openly. Lit candles and teddy bears were left about with notes that said "We love you Samantha" and all the radio stations did a minute of silence in her honor. It was perhaps the saddest I had ever been up until that point. My hero had fallen.

I remember being angry at a man on TV who called her "Soviet propaganda" everyone yelled "who cares! at least she got us talking and that is a step in the right direction." I remember how disappointed I was that no government official from the United States showed up at her funeral. I thought - If that is our attitude toward our peace makers - we are in dire straights to be sure.

In 83 when she visited the Soviet Union I watched her on TV, every story they showed (she was on almost every hour) It would shape my world views for the rest of my life. Up to that point we were taught how "evil" the soviet union was and that they only wanted to "Take control of the world" Samantha showed that friends were to be found there, friends just like us...Kids and there was another thing she brought back with her, from her trip that was more valuable than any gift. She brought back hope. To this day, when I see Samantha's face, that's what I think of... hope.

Samantha is, and always will be a hero to me and I have told her story to my children. I explained that just one of our trident submarines carries more destructive power that all the wars in history combined, it boggled her mind. She asked "How many are out there?": I replied "Does it matter? We are all up to are waist in gasoline, it doesn't matter if you have 3 matches or ten... the result is the same."

- Todd Wildrick

My name is Samson Lee, I am 16 years old now. I have great interest in Soviet and Cold War history, but it was a shame to me for not knowing who is Samantha Smith before. I know now what a great effort she had put in to reduce the tension of having a nuclear war between the USSR and the United States. I was born after that event had taken place, but if I knew this earlier, I would have thought Samantha as an idol to me, I think her spirit and the courage she had on voicing out her expectation for peace to one of the world greatest leaders are valuable as a reference for people around my age. I realized teenagers nowadays lack a spirit of Samantha's and they have less concern about war and peace, to create a better world for every single living thing on the planet and to protect what god had given us. I think Samantha should now be recognized as the symbol for peace, she should be given an honor from the world, so that the new generation nowadays can remember her, her effort and to learn from her.

- Samson Lee, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia