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Judging by recent statements by Serbian officials, the initiative to move the remains of Mihajlo Pupin (1854-1935) from America to our country seems to be gathering momentum. This is how Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić expressed his willingness to take this issue seriously. After the recent ceremony in Pranjani, which marked the 76th anniversary of Operation “Halliard”, Vučić said in response to a journalist’s question that there is no decision on the transfer of the great scientist’s remains, but that it would be a great thing.
“That would be something important to us, I hope that the American friends will get together.” But, let’s see the details, so let’s make a decision on that, “Vučić said.
Some of those details were announced in June by Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic. Later, in the meeting attended by US Ambassador Anthony Godfrey, he explained that Pupin’s wish was to rest in Serbia and that is why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has long considered the possibility of moving his remains from New York. Dacic explained that Pupin’s heirs should consent to that.
Pupin, by the way, does not have direct living descendants, but some of the “secondary” heirs have already accepted the transfer through the media. In addition, given that the great scientist was buried in the Bronx Cemetery in New York in the United States, where he spent most of his life, it is clear that permission from the American side would be needed to transfer the body to Serbia. For now, the place where Pupin would be buried in the homeland is also unknown. Unofficially, two options were mentioned: the Callejón de los Grandes and the plateau in front of the Temple of San Sava. This second location seems all the more logical if we take into account the statement of prof. Dr. Radmila Milentijevic. This university professor and philanthropist who lives in the United States is one of the promoters of the transfer of Pupin’s remains, telling “Politika” in April that Patriarch Irinej also supported his initiative.
Apart from immeasurable merits in telegraphy, telephony, electrical engineering, and other scientific fields, Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin was one of the founders and long-time president of the Alliance of the Serbian People in America, and in 1924 he also received the Pulitzer Prize for his autobiographical work. “From the pastures to the scientist”. From 1912 to 1920, he also served as the honorary consul of Serbia in the United States. Among his undeniable diplomatic merits, which Dacic also referred to in his speech, are Pupin’s influence and friendship with US President Woodrow Wilson, who helped familiarize the American public with the suffering of Serbs in World War I. and the display of the Serbian flag at the White House in 1918. in support of our people and their heroism.
Among other things, Pupin was a professor at Columbia University, winner of numerous scientific awards and medals, a member of several academies of science, and an honorary doctorate from 18 universities.
A grave without a cross
On the idea of starting the transfer of the remains of Mihajlo Pupin to Serbia, prof. Dr. Radmila Milentijević encouraged the find she found while writing the biography of the great scientist. Namely, according to her, Pupin’s daughter Varvara stated in a letter to Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović that her father told her during his lifetime that he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes transferred to Serbia.
Pupin, however, was not cremated, but rather buried in a resting place in the Bronx. His grave is difficult to find because the cemetery has grown significantly in the meantime, and the place where he rests is not particularly marked, but there is only a low, rounded headstone, without a cross, with the name engraved and the dates of birth and death. Next to him is the same landmark, where Pupin’s wife Sarah Katarina Jackson is buried.
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