Abstract
Of course, I have known for a long time that one has to call him by his full name, Alexandr Pavlovich, yet for me and a great many other people he remains Alik—despite the fact that I have never heard of anyone having ever questioned his scientific or moral authority. The following text is not a portrait or even a biography of A.P. Rasnitsyn, but merely what I have managed to put together from my recollections in defiance of my dementia. I am stuck in the country and cannot check basic facts about Alik, so, if I have forgotten or mixed up something, please forgive me.