In the first part of the paper, the author presents the general background (political, social and cultural conditions) of the period when the pedagogical institutes were created. Among them was the pedagogical institute in Suceava (1963), inside which a year later (1964) appeared the History - Geography Section. The paper focuses on the main aspects that define the contributions of the first professors in ordinary, Laurian Someşan and Nicolae Popp: their high reputation as geographers known from the inter-war period; their activity at Suceava institute; to what extent they managed to have disciples; their organizing abilities; the way in which they were perceived by their colleagues and students as didactic and ethical examples.