Women's Portraits

Danute Vailionytė-Vailionė

Danute Vailionytė is a historian, who worked as a teacher, lecturer in Kaunas for many years. She gained the fame at 62-years old, when she took the initiative to restore pre-war Lithuanian organization of highly educated women like teachers, doctors, engineers and so on, the Kaunas department. Organization was closed during the Soviet time. Danute Vailionytė was born in 1927, Kaunas. Her father was well known at that time professor, mommy - accountant. Family had two daughters. D. Vailionytė-Vailionė is married and has two daughters and four grandchildren.

Danutė as the happiest period o her life calls the time, when she was attending Kaunas girl’s gymnasium “Aušra”. “The war was going, - said Danute Vailionytė, - we were freezing  in the unheated gymnasium, were hungry,  secrtely darned our socks, but the time was special - more than ever we had big dreams and a hope, believing that the war will end one day and our dreams will come true. The most important values of my life ​​like charity and compassion, I am keeping till now, has been formed at that time by the teachers of girls gymnasium “Aušra”.  

Choosing the profession her mother had the largest impact. She said: "Danute, you have a talent for writing." A girl wanted to study the art history, but there wasn’t such a course in Kaunas University, so she chose the history. "Implementing the life goals there is no such a thing like a lack of conditions, - says Vailionytė. – Everyone creates conditions by oneself, there is nobody to blame. If one didn’t achieve one’s own objectives, it means that one didn’t care enough about them. When I was young I attended a drama studio, I was talented.  Already I played in a theater, participating in the mass scenes. But I quit the theater, because I wanted to study the history. I went to Vilnius, finished the studies of history and became a teacher.  I never regretted about my choice. "

About the second period of her life - marriage, family, career - Danutė has only positive memories.  Her husband was the founder of the silk factory in Kaunas and has worked in senior positions in it. Their marriage took place in 1955. From 40 to 60 years old, she did everything to make her home nice place to live for her and her children. Danutė loves beauty. Her home is fool of nice pictures of the best Lithuanian artists. Also she worked and traveled extensively at this period.

When Lithuania regained its independence in 1990 Danutė as a historian, found more abilities to explore Lithuania's past. She is especially interested in-between two wars (1918-1940) period. Lithuanian women’s, graduates from universities, alliance existed in Lithuania before the war. Danutė, when she was still a child, found organization’s magazines at her parent’s library and liked to read, there were interesting stories about women. When Lithuania regained its independence, was soon discovered an archive in Vilnius.

When Danutė Vailionytė was 62 years old, she has taken a new business - to restore Lithuanian Association of University Women Kaunas branch. Lithuanian Association of University Women, led by Danute Vailionytė, made four important researches about  women, held open lectures for the society and wrote the books: D. Kargaudienė’s "Lithuanian goddesses and gods”,  A. Butkuvienė’s " The famous Lithuanian women” and V. Jurėnienė’s  "Lithuanian women's public activities nineteenth-century end and - XX century at the beginning".

Danutė was the first who drew the attention of Lithuanian society to the discrimination against women according the family names of women.  The suffix -ytė, -aitė, -ute, for example, maiden family name Rutkutė, demonstrates that this is unmarried woman.  Sufix – ienė, for example, Budrienė, that this is a married woman. Vailionytė showed, on the basis of authority of linguist Yablonsky, that Lithuanian family names of women must be without suffixes. She participated in many debates in the press and TV.  She won, and now women of the country are thankful because they are able to have shorter family names without suffixes.

D. Vailionytė received a special award from the previous President of Lithuanian Republic Algirdas Brazauskas, as an author of many important articles on issues for women. Danutė Vailionytė is satisfied about her life style , even not  all dreams come true. She has many plans for the future, at present she has finished the book about her father, "Commemoration of Botanist Liudas Vailionis”, it will be published soon. Then she wants to write two books on the interwar period. One of them will be on Honorata Ivanauskienė - the famous pre-war professor’s academician’s Tadas Ivanauskas wife and inspirer.

Danute Vailionytė’s goal is to do a good and beautiful in life. Now she is busy reading, collecting materials for her next book, writing, attending concerts of classical music, she likes TV and as a historian is always interested in the latest political news. New media she much appreciates, but  has no time for computers and internet, even does her writings in old-fashioned way  - by hand.

She lives in the present. But the past is important for her also. She is trying not to think about death. However, thoughts often are talking her to the people who passed away, especially to those to whom she has been close.  Danutė is talking sometimes with her dear died people, especially those, who loved her, and she believes, that she receives a great help from them  during the difficult moments.

Danutės opinion about the future of society is that it depends on our own. Who we are, and how we look at everything. It is important to be satisfied with what you have and what you achieve. Do not blame others.  She speaks about the importance of humanitarian sciences, which develop the more sensitive world view, and that the love and compassion are the most important of all.

Vitalija Norvilienė