The paper is a dedication to the 100th anniversary of academician Boris Lazarenko, the first Director of the Institute of Applied Physics and once the Vice President of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova. Briefly reviewed is the “river of life” and milestone achievements of B.R. Lazarenko who working jointly with his wife Natalia developed the electrical discharge method that became the basis of electrical discharge machining well known today and used not only in industrial applications but also in dentistry and in jewelry. The period of life and work in Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, is one of the core topics.