N.F. Bugai. "Life is too wonderful, and time is fleeting..."

I first saw Nikolai Bugai at an international conference in Kalmykia. He was smiling and cheerful, and he was so friendly that I didn't notice how I got to talking to him. Years went by. From time to time I received information about new publications in my specialty, including Russian history, sometimes handed them to me from N.F. Bugai.