Stroe Belloescu

Stroe S. Belloescu (March 20, 1838 – October 20, 1912) was a Romanian teacher, politician and philanthropist.

Biography

Born in Câmpina to the well-to-do shepherds Stroe and Stana Beloiu of the Braşov area, he graduated from Ghent University in 1863 with a degree in Engineering. He taught Mathematics for two years at what is now the Nicolae Bălcescu National College in Brăila, rising to director in that time. He moved on to Bârlad's Gheorghe Roșca Codreanu National College in 1868, remaining there until his retirement in 1898.^[1]

Belloescu was elected to the Chamber for Tutova County four times and to the Senate twice. An issue of interest to him was that of school textbooks, and in 1872, he authored the first Romanian-language high school arithmetic textbook, which went through four printings. He commanded a battalion during the Romanian War of Independence, becoming an officer of the Order of the Crown in 1882 for his deeds. In 1909, he was raised to grand cross of that order for his educational activities.^[1]

He established a private fund for the direct aid of the most promising pupils at his Bârlad school; this operated from 1906 to 1916; among the beneficiaries was Ştefan Procopiu. He donated the building for what is now Bârlad's Stroe Belloescu Library, as well as schools for the peasant children of Trestiana and Griviţa, and a church for the latter village. Also there, in the schoolyard, in 1912, he financed the first bust of Alexandru Ioan Cuza in Romania. The school in Pleşa was donated by him as well, and named after him.^[1]

Together with his coachman, he was suffocated to death during a robbery in his home. He left a widow, Raluca.^[1]

References

1. (Romanian) Ion Trif Pleşa, "Mari tâlhari din Bereşti" ("Great Thieves from Bereşti"), Viaţa liberă, 5 December 2009; accessed March 29, 2011