@WilliamGrowsTomatoes mentioned Vavilov in a post, and Vavilov is basically my favourite historical person. This also relates to a question by @MadisonUndergrove asked about how to persist in the face of peer pressure and this is central to my feeling of connection to other people who have done this work, but it will not speak to everyone.
This is a very intense podcast about preservation of Vavilov’s legacy through the siege of Leningrad. It always reduces me to tears; John Green is a good storyteller though I think not a gardener. Start at 11m30s if you want to skip tetris and the ad.
Content has description of deaths from war and starvation, be gentle with yourself.
You really know the measure of a person when they are willing to make tremendous sacrifices, sometimes even giving up their life, in order to save strangers.
A bit off topic but I knew a fellow that was, not at Leningrad but at the siege of Stalingrad. He was with a German panzer division and just barely got away with his life although missing a couple of fingers and toes. He and my uncle who was with an American tank division in France were good friends. They met here in Indiana, after the war. They were both very skilled in the art of alcohol consumption and in remaining completely coherent while doing so.
If war stories was a competition the German won hands down. He said the Russians beat them with a weapon the Germans couldn’t match. It was an anesthetic, antiseptic, antifreeze and fuel, they called it Vodka.