The article examines the main stages of primary school teacher training in the higher education system of the Mari El Republic on the eve of the 95th anniversary of pedagogical education. The aim of the study is to identify and generally characterize the main areas of research and pedagogical activity of teachers of the primary school faculty of the Mari El State Pedagogical Institute named after N.K. Krupskaya from 1957 to 2000. The main research methods are theoretical analysis, biographical method, bibliographic method, comparative historical analysis, and interviews. Research results, discussion. The historical events of this period are described, reflecting the need to open the faculty and the first steps of its development from the perspective of the formation of the administrative apparatus of the dean's office and heads of departments as an important positive factor in creating a close-knit, efficient team, sensitively responsive to the challenges in the field of education of both primary and higher education. The paper presents key milestones in the biographies and key dates in the professional careers of teachers who made a significant contribution to the development of the faculty. Considerable attention is given to the description of scientific achievements, which were actively developed in the initial stage thanks to collaboration with leading Moscow universities. The main research areas and the level of published works are outlined, and the theoretical foundations of pedagogy were often verified by practice in schools with a national component, which provided a significant impetus to the development of ethnopedagogy. The process of creating the faculty's material and methodological environment is examined: the organization of specialized classrooms, the equipment of a school-type classroom, and the publication of original textbooks and teaching aids for students and schoolchildren in the republic. The mentoring activities of the faculty, focused on the spiritual, moral, and aesthetic development of future teachers, are highlighted. Of particular interest in the article are excerpts from the memoirs of colleagues and graduates about the unique teaching abilities and personal qualities of the faculty.