RC QUARTERLY FALL / WINTER 2011 ISSUE 41 RC QUARTERLY FALL / WINTER 2011 ISSUE 41 40Years On Looking Back at the Historic Coed Merger I RC Graduates in Art, Literature and Turkey’s New Parliament I Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro for a Cause I Commemorating Nicholas Artamonoff I Meeting Gorillas in Uganda 3Gs 420x280.ai 1 17.11.2011 21:07 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K From the Bosphorus Chronicle of 1971 From the Bosphorus Chronicle of 1971 3Gs 420x280.ai 1 17.11.2011 21:07 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K About the RCQ atching the boys and girls milling about the College today, it is hard to imagine that it was not always so. Up until 1971, boys attended Robert Academy in Bebek, Alumni Journal published periodically by the RC Alumni at what is today Boğaziçi University, while girls attended & Development Office for 10.000 members of the RC the American College for Girls, on this campus. In 1971, community: graduates, students, faculty, administration, due to legal changes, the higher education institution, RC parents and friends. Yüksek, was nationalized and became Boğaziçi University -- this meant the boys were forced to find another home. A Özel Amerikan Robert Lisesi frantic summer of construction and moving ensued and in Kuruçeşme Caddesi 87 Arnavutköy, İstanbul September, the Arnavutköy College campus officially became Tel: (0212) 359 22 22/289 coed. e-mail: [email protected] www.robcol.k12.tr In this issue, we look back at that momentous transformation - one that has been so successful that today, we rarely Editor-in-Chief remember it. There is a rich sense of continuity and shared Leyla Aktay, RC 72 tradition that connects all graduates all the way back to the school's founding in 1863. Editors Pelin Turgut, RC 92 We were delighted to hear back from many of you after our Çiğdem Yaz›c›oğlu Inspiration issue this summer. Please continue to keep us Mehveş Dramur, RC 96 abreast of the news in your life. Banu Savaş Lisa Johnson Wishing you a happy and healthy 2012 ! Editorial Board The RC Quarterly Team Deniz Alphan, RC 67 Nuri Çolakoğlu, RC 62 RC NEWS Sedat Ergin, RC 75 4 Annual Giving Campaign 2011-12 Kicks Off Nükhet Sirman, RC 72 Elçin Yahşi, RC 79 6 Class of RC 11 Graduates Pelin Seyhan, RC 03 8 DC Alumni Gathering The Jane Page English Writing Contest Advertising Manager Students Exhibit at the W Hotel Çiğdem Yaz›c›oğlu 9 RCAAA 22nd Young Alumni Dinner Tel: (0212) 359 22 89 RCAAA Event in Boston [email protected] 10 Celebrating Republic Day with Timur Selçuk 11 Debate Team Wins EurOpen Championship 2011 Design & Production 12 Building a Lasting Peace: RC Hosts Greek, Topprint Turkish and Cypriot Youth for Special Workshop Esentepe Mah. Atom Sok. Kanyon Apt. 20/1 Şişli, İstanbul (0212) 264 33 11 • www.topprint.com.tr CIP Printing 13 Students Uncover the Past at Barcın Höyük APA UNIPRINT Bas›m San. ve Tic. A.Ş. 14 A Community Involvement Project (CIP) Had›mköy Mahallesi 434 Sokak No:6 Opens Up New Frontiers for the Children of Artvin 34555 Arnavutköy, İstanbul Tel : (0212) 798 28 40 • www.apa.com.tr RC IN NEW YORK 16 RC in New York Graduates Climb to the Top Basım Yeri ve Tarihi (of Kilimanjaro) İstanbul, Aralık 2011 Yayın Türü Süreli Yayın Periyodu 4 Ayl›k GRADUATES IN THE NEWS 18 Nature Calls for Artist Tomur Atagök ACG 59 Nilüfer Kuyaş RC 73 Publishes Second Novel 20 Nuri Çolakoğlu RA 62 Launches New Health Channel Getting to Know Gündüz Vassaf RA 64 21 A Beard for a Cause: İbrahim Betil RA 64 Calls for Speeder Justice New Book by Historian Cemal Kafadar RC 73 22 There’s a Man in the Kitchen Orhan Pamuk RA 70 on the Art of Writing 23 Nursuna Memecan RC 75 Chosen Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly Council of Europe MEMORIES Şule Kut RC 75 Named Head of Okan University 40 Tradition and Pride 24 İsmail Ertürk RC 77 Explores the Discreet Charm of Meta-finance ESSAY Two RC Graduates Sworn in as First-time 42 Through the Lens: Nicholas V. Artamonoff and his Deputies 25 Years at Robert College 25 The Magic of Tall Ships 44 Your Business in the Age of Social Media 26 Cem Akaş RC 86 Pens Children’s Book about Bumba 45 Future Istanbul: Planning out the Poor? the Giraffe Bloomberg’s Yalman Onaran RC 87 Warns of Zombie RC REACHES OUT Banks 46 7.2 Magnitude Compassion 27 Design A La Turca An Exhibition of Turkish Culture, with a Creative Approach REUNION Refika Birgül’s RC 98 Cookbook at the New York MoMA 48 2011 HOMECOMING 50 Houston Reunion COVER STORY 51 RC, ACG 56 and 57 Reunion 28 Girl Met Boy ACG 59 Reunion 52 ACG 61 After Half a Century RCAA 53 RC 71 40th Reunion 31 The Robert College Alumni Association (RKMD) 54 RC 86 25 Years After 56 RC 96 15th Reunion ONES TO WATCH 32 Meet Buket Coşkuner RC 06 Journalist and Award- ALUMNI PROFILE winning Jazz Vocalist 58 Engin Inel Holmstrom ACG 51 33 Young Designer Makes a Mark with Designs for Better Living 60 ALUMNI NEWS AROUND THE WORLD FACULTY & FRIENDS NEWS 34 A Close Encounter with Gentle Mountain Giants 64 Adil İzci 64 Tanşu Aksoy VENUES WE RUN 66 Ann Julier Walko 38 Galeri Manâ 39 Former Imperial Ottoman Bank Finds Second Life as SALT Galata 67 OBITUARIES Your feedback on the RCQ matters! Did you enjoy this issue? Write to us at: [email protected] 4 RC NEWS Annual Giving Campaign 2011-12 Kicks Off Suna Gürçay, class agent for ACG 53 accepting congratulations for her award. he Annual Giving Campaign 2011-12 was The guest speaker for the evening, and second places for level of giving and launched in high spirits on Monday, Erkut Yücaoğlu RC ENG 69, Chairman level of participation respectively. Let’s October 17 with a cocktail and dinner at of the High Advisory Council of TÜSİAD, see if the competition will continue this Bizim Tepe. Despite the stormy weather, gave an insightful talk about the current year or if new classes will rise to the top! the turnout was good and class agents global economic situation. He noted that enjoyed catching up with their fellow Robert College is unique in that it teaches alumni. students to be leaders while developing them into citizens of the world - two High honor donors also attended, and qualities that are assets in challenging for the first time a student from The economic times. He added that the pace Bosphorus Chronicle, editor Özdemir of life is changing very quickly and RC Vayisoğlu, Lise 12, was present during the always needs to be up to date. evening to cover the story. Feyyaz Berker launched this year’s Headmaster John Chandler opened campaign with a generous donation of the evening talking about how strong 50,000TL. the Robert College spirit is. “You can remove yourself physically from the Following the speech, Headmaster school,” Chandler said, “but once you’ve Chandler and Erkut Yücaoğlu gave out experienced the Spirit it becomes a awards to the class agents of classes part of you.” He add that he’s been in who were the most successful in terms Turkey for 14 years, and he never felt as of level of giving and amount of giving. connected to any place as he has to RC. The competition between RC 76 and RC The guest speaker of the evening was 91 continued this year as they shared first Erkut Yücaoğlu RC ENG 69 5 RC NEWS Ahmet Alp, class agent for RC 91, accepts a congratulatory hug from From L to R: Trustee and prize winning class agent Nedim Ölçer RC 76, Oya Başak, ACG 55. Gür Yalman, prize winning class agent Zümrüt Alp Yalman RC 89 and Engin Ölçer RC 75. Headmaster John Chandler recognizes Haluk Kilimci’s (RC 50, standing on far left) invaluable gifts to Robert College throughout the years. From L to R: Trustee Sedat Ergin RC 75, Cem Kozlu RA 65 and Trustee Üstün Ergüder RC 57 catch up over cocktails. Şeyma Bilimer Arsel ACG 60 was one of the prize winning class agents. 6 RC NEWS Class of RC 11 Graduates The Class of '11 set sail from the College on June 27th in a graduation ceremony held on Konak Terrace. This year’s graduation speeches were given by former Trustee Dr. Eric Widmer, retiring English Department Head Phillip Esposito and student speakers Murat Ünür and Deniz Çam. fter Headmaster John Chandler’s from Thoreau and Einstein, he underlined She emphasized the importance of the presentation, former Trustee Dr. Eric the importance of time, nature and the family spirit RC gives its students. She Widmer took the stage. Widmer’s beautiful things in life which cannot be underlined the school’s role in every speech was on the Hamlin Legacy, bought with money. He recommended student’s character and she voiced her how his great-grandfather Cyrus that his students learn to separate the gratitude with these words; “None of us Hamlin, the founder of Robert non-essential things from the truly is the same person who came here the College, still spoke to the RC family essential ones. His quotation from first day. But we all added so much to our on the 200th anniversary of his birth. Einstein and his final remark will be personalities! If it weren’t for this school, Widmer talked about the story of Hamlin, remembered by those listening: “Our if it weren’t for our teachers and our how he became an independent American task is to free ourselves from this prison friends, if we weren’t “Robert’li”, what educator who dreamt of founding a by widening our circle of comparison to would have become of us?” private, non-sectarian college miles embrace all living creatures and the whole away from the United States and how he of nature in its beauty.