HYANNIS – Former Executive Director of the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum John Allen reflected on the life and work of Sergei Khrushchev, who recently passed away in Rhode Island at the age of 84.

Sergei was the son of the late premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, who led the nation during a part of the Cold War. Sergei Khrushchev was a rocket scientist in the U.S.S.R. who also lectured at Brown University about the Cold War.

Allen looked upon past encounters with Khrushchev fondly, as he had spoken at multiple events across the area in recent years. He described the chance to learn from Khrushchev as “special.”

“It was great to have had the chance to tie in, certainly, a history of JFK with his dad and the Cape Cod connection,” Allen said, “where we could hear live from someone who was there.”

Khrushchev enjoyed engaging with local audiences, Allen explained while recalling stories of their interactions, as he brought unique perspectives to the area with his presentations.

“Sergei was quite interested in getting people to learn a little bit more about the history of his dad and JFK,” Allen said.

Specifically, Allen praised Khrushchev for highlighting the human factor of those events and bringing history alive.