Born in distant Sakhalin into a large family of nine children, she faced deprivation from an early age and understood what responsibility meant.
“I remember sitting with my mother on the shore of the ocean, surrounded by incredible beauty, while a white boat floated on the waves. This memory still lives in my heart,” shares the birthday girl.
However, in 1938, her father, who was the chairman of the collective farm, was declared an enemy of the people and repressed along with the family. They were sent to a timber industry enterprise in the Irkutsk region. “We found ourselves in an abandoned place, surrounded by taiga and mountains, and lived in wooden barracks behind a high fence. This is where we grew up,” recounts Alla Timofeevna.
After finishing school, young people built a narrow-gauge railway and helped the adults. Alla, having completed her seven years of education, got a job in a cafeteria, which she recalls fondly, comparing it to the atmosphere of the film "The Girls".
In 1953, she graduated from a trade school in Novosibirsk and received the position of store manager in the newly constructed Angarsk. “I remember my first working day: waking up at five in the morning, in winter — lighting the stove, then opening the store for the workers who came for bread and other products. After six months, I was entrusted with opening a new retail outlet,” she says. She got married in 1958 and, together with her husband, a native of Chui region, moved to the Kyrgyz SSR, to the village of Kosh-Tegirmen, which later became part of Kara-Balta.
Her husband got a job at a mining and processing plant, and her professional journey in the new city began not without difficulties. Despite her experience and active participation in the Komsomol, she found it hard to find a suitable job. Eventually, she got a position in the labor supply department of the mining and processing plant. “I had to get up at four in the morning to reach the base, as there were no buses going there,” she recalls.
Alla worked in the labor supply system until her retirement, balancing work responsibilities with caring for her family. She and her husband started their life in a tiny room, and with the help of colleagues, they managed to acquire everything necessary.
To support the family, they kept a small farm, cultivated a garden, and built a shed. “Friends invited me to dance, but I preferred to do household chores — I wanted everything to be well in the family,” she says.
Among the significant places in her life is the Lenin Culture House in Kara-Balta. Here, more than half a century ago, she joined the People’s Ensemble and has not parted with it since. “I loved to sing since childhood. A song for me is strength, spirit, inspiration, and a desire to live,” says Rudenko.
The ensemble "Veteran" has won various festivals and competitions multiple times, and Alla Rudenko has been a respected member of the group and a mentor for the youth for many years.
In 1980, she experienced a tragic loss — her husband passed away at 48 due to an oncological disease related to working with radioactive materials. Despite this bitterness, she raised two sons and now delights in her three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. “When I see my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, I am filled with pride and joy,” says Alla Timofeevna.
At 90, she leads an active lifestyle: every morning she does exercises, participates in a choir twice a week, and walks around the city. When asked about strict diets, she just laughs: “Well, yes, not eating meat and bread, not drinking wine with friends — yeah, right.” She considers it important to live in harmony with loved ones, avoid conflicts, and “make way for the young.”
