The good and modest engineer Ioan Bujoiu

The figure of Engineer Bujoiu is finally beginning to take shape for me. He had been the head of the most important batch of “Sumanelor Negre” after General Aldea’s. He was now in charge of the technical side of Baia Sprie, which he had managed years before when it was his property. Engineer Bujoiu was undoubtedly the greatest personality in the entire colony. The fact that he had to be in constant contact with the civilian management of the mine and the colony’s administration made him responsible for the underproduction in the face of increasing demands. These were engineer Bujoiu’s great difficulties. He was helped by the imprisoned mine engineers. (…)

Apart from them, engineer Bujoiu had to answer to the colony management for production. (…) We were all in trouble with them, but especially with Engineer Bujoiu, who would have given anything to go to prison to get rid of all the inconveniences. (…)

It can be said that engineer Bujoiu was the most annoying man in the colony, as he had to face daily attacks from the administration and the civil management of the mine. For these reasons, he was rarely seen in the colony’s courtyard chatting with the inmates, and had to drown his sorrows alone when he had time to do so.

Engineer Bujoiu had never been a politician, but he knew how to act with all his might when he realised that the fate of the country was at stake. He joined the ”Black Sumans” organisation and became one of its prominent leaders. Later, he was painfully aware that this organisation was filled with Security Service agents who kept him alive as long as they needed to know as much as possible about him. (…)

The gentleness, kindness, courtesy and profession of the engineer gave no hint of the determination and firmness of which he was capable when the destiny of the country demanded that all its sons rise as one to defend it. Not having been educated for such a purpose, not having a nature born for struggle, especially subversive struggle, he did not shrink from doing it with all his soul and all his strength.

Engineer Bujoiu, a miner by profession, was entrusted by the administration with the management of the mine. He carried out his mission with great success, managing to protect the inmates by means of various technical tricks that only he knew, in order to increase production when it was minimal. In Baia Sprie, he was constantly harassed by the administration and his life was as hard as it could be. But he found a kind word for every prisoner and a piece of advice when asked. The former minister, Ion Bujoiu, was a man of exemplary modesty and was loved by all the prisoners. Puiu Caleia, who was in the same batch with him, had nothing but praise for the engineer Bujoiu, whom he knew from his time in prison. He died in Aiud, as we learned a year ago.

May God forgive this excellent comrade and great Romanian.

(Ion Pantazi – I went through hell, Constant Publishing House, Sibiu, 1992, 2nd edition, pp. 96-97, 270)