​Richard Wailionis was born in NYC in 1935. He and his family moved to CT at the onset of WWII. He graduated from St Michael Grammar school in Derby, CT in 1949 having the greatest admiration for the Sisters of Nazareth, his teachers. They set his path for his life to come.

He attended the local high school and went on to study engineering and related disciplines receiving a BS, MA and PhD. At one point he was a US Marine Reservist prior to an active enrollment in the US Army where he trained with the US Navy at Indian Head MD specializing in explosives and bomb disposal.

He has an extensive background in manufacturing and was an adjunct
professor at Fairfield, Sacred Heart and Teikyo Post Universities in CT from 1985 to 2000. Also within his career path he formed and led three big bands from 1953 to 2012.

He now resides in Summerfield, FL with his wife Carolyn at his side in all of his adventures, and is musically active with a band from Orland, FL.

Linda was born in Russia in 1956, until  the age of six she was brought up by her grandmother Polina. On September 1, 1962, she was sent to an orphanage. Through  the sixth grade, she studied in the city of Kurtamysh, in the Kurgan region of Russia.  After that  she was  transferred to the city of Kurgan,to  a special boarding school. There she finished sixth and seventh grade. In 1970 she moved to the Caucasus ,with her grandmother Pauline. In 1972 she graduated from high school. Finally, she was freed from the control of the orphanage and she moved from her family as far as possible. In the city of Engels, Saratov region, she graduated from a chemical school, after which she entered the Polytechnic Institute and graduated from it.

In 1975 she got married, and in 1978 gave birth to a son, followed by in 1984 giving birth to a daughter.

 In 1990 she opened the first private (Capitalist) store in the Communist country. That fact would bring on  big family problems as her husband and her entire family were committed  communists. They could not understand her  capitalist bend in any way. For four years, she fought to keep her family together. And at the same time she managed her private store which brought great stress in the  family environment. Forced to make a big decision in 1994 she broke up with her husband. Her political views in no way coincided with the political views of Russia and  in 1995 she decided to leave for America.
 
This book is the story of her life both in Russia and in America.