Turkish Forum 09.09.2009 In Honor of the Memory of Professor Mahmut Esat Ozan |
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Prof. Ozan passed from this world today, Wednesday, September 9, 2009. Prof. Ozan was a great Turk, a great American and the finest example of a world citizen. The world will never again know such a man as him. He was scholarly in nearly every language man has invented. He was honored in life by Turks, French, Germans, Japanese and Americans of his chosen home. As and educator, he dissolved all prejudice and replaced it with knowledge and enlightenment. He served as translator during World War II when lives depended upon accurate communications among allies of different languages. He spent his life in the ensuing peace educating about the great culture and global impact of Turkey. America has few allies as strong and enlightened as the Republic of Turkey. America has had few men of his culture, spirit and knowledge. He is survived by His wife of 60 years, Ruhan; his children Deniz, Julide and Kyrinn. Also survived by his nephew, Erol, grand nephew, Kurt and his grandchildren, Gwendylan Ayse, Elizabeth, and Daniel. May he sit beside Ataturk in the afterlife. Thank you Baba for making my life more wonderful than I could have imagined.
Your son-in-law, Jim
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Turk davalarinin yilmaz savunucusu, taninmis Turkish Forum yazari, titiz arastirmaci, kalbi sevgi dolu egitmen, dunya gezgini, buyuk Turk, guzel dost, ve muhtesem insan Prof. Mahmut Esat Ozan ‘in olum haberini dayanilmaz bir uzuntu ile almis bulunmaktayim.
Prof. Mahmut Esat Ozan bedenen aramizdan ayrilmis olabilir, ama yazilari, fikirleri ve dusunceleri ile daima aramizda olacaktir. Yeri kalplerimizde, kafalarimizdadir.
Esine, cocuklarina, ailesine, tum sevenlerine ve Turkish Forum’daki dava arkadaslarina bassagligi, sabir ve gucluluk diliyorum.
En derin sevgi ve saygilarimla,
Ergün KIRLIKOVALI
Cok degerli dostum ve ve Agabeyim, Turkish Forum Editorial Board Chairman’i , Turkun ve Turkiyenin tanidigim en kuvvetli savunucusu Sayin prof. Dr. Mahmut Esat Ozan aramizdan bedenen ayrilmisdir.
Bu carsamba sabahi saat 9:00’da 9uncu ayin 9 uncu gunu 2009 senesinde 88 yasinda aramizdan ayrilan sayin hocamizin .. Anisinda Florida Turk Amerikan Dernegi tarafindan Fort laudurdale’deki Turk Evinde bayramin birinci gunu (20-Eylul) Toren yapacakdir.. toren saati Dernegin web sitesinde ( www.ftaa.org ) ilan edilecekdir.
Esi ve kizina taziyet bildirmek isteyenler icin tel no: (305) 821-9718, (305) 556-3423
Dernegin Adresi:
Florida Turkish American Association
3020 NE 32nd Avenue, Suite 123 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308
Tel: (561) 572-7788 Efax: (561)209-5954
Son arzusu uzerine: Sayin Prof. Dr. Mahmut Esat Ozan’in Kulleri Evansville Indiana’ da olan Aile mezarligina goturulecekdir.
Esi Ruhan hanimin , Cocuklarinin Dostlarinin ve Tum Turkish Forum Uyelerinin Basi sag olsun
Dr. Kayaalp Buyukataman
Baskan, Turkish Forum
Note: Prof Ozan Hakkinda Webde Arsivlenenler
http://www.google.com/search?q=Mahmut+Esat+Ozan&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
Mahmut Beyin Ev Adresi
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Mrs. Ruth Ozan
6946 Holly Road.
Miami Lakes Florida, 33014 USA
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Ev Telefonu: 1 305 821 9718
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Hanimin E-maili: Ruhanozan@aol.com
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Sayin M.E. Ozan Genclik Yillarinda Bob Hope ile birlikde Dokumanter yaparken
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Sayin Mahmut Esat Ozan Son Gunlerinde Saygi Deger Esi Ruht (Ruhan) Hanim Ile Birlikde.
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Mahmut Esat Ozan ve Kaya Buyukataman ve Esleri Floridada Dernek Uyeleri ile Sohbet Toplantisinda 23 Temmuz 2006
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The Turkish Forum
After a long and most brutal military occupation by the Imperialist Forces of the Kingdom of Greece, Izmir was finally liberated from the invaders on this day SEPTEMBER 9 , 1922
Izmir having been liberated from the military occupiers, it was now embracing its savior, the great Veteran (Gazi) Mustafa Kemal Pasha with great joy inspite of a savage and vengeful fire which had started in the Armenian quarter of the city of Izmir.
The next day, on Sunday, 10 September 1922, during noon, the great Veteran, having started from the small town of Kemalpasa, arrived at the Government Offices with magnificent majesty at 14:00 hours. Until the evening Atatürk quickly took care of problems of a city just saved from the enemy, and declared its freedom to the outside world by receiving foreign consulate missioners. Then he started for Karsiyaka in the car presented to him by the people of Izmir, with a squadron of cavalry lancers in the front and back, he had with him Rusen Esref Ünaydin, and his aides-de-camp Muzaffer Kilic and Salih Bozok.
Let’s listen to how Atatürk went from Izmir to the opposite side of the Bay to the section
called Karsiyaka, from Rusen Esref Ünaydin who was right next to him at the time (Missing Atatürk: pp. 160-168):
“A torrent of applause broke out around the car. We were entering Karsiyaka. What a greeting it was! Streets full of people did not care if they died under the feet of the cavalry lancers’ horses in the front and back of the car. Their cries frightened the horses and caused them to rear up. People happily laughing… But also women sobbing with happiness to the point where they would faint with excitement…Some women leaning out
from windows with shrieks crying out prayers for us. Women hanging out of their
windows and waving about their bodies like fluttering flags. Inspite of not having grasped
exactly what excitement of a victorious procession. Children who run towards the car
holding small Turkish flags and roses, not worrying about being crushed under the feet of the horses…”
This is how the Karsiyaka procession was. Turkey’s new destiny, its new logic, along with its victorious hero Gazi Mustafa Kemal, who kept his word and realized his country’s aim was becoming crystal clear in the eyes of its people with such a magnificent sight.”
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The above passage is from Yasar Aksoy’s book “KARSIYAKA.” The English rendition
is by Ms. Ilknur Dograr. The book was obtained through the courtesy of another “Izmirli”, and a good friend, Ismail Ayduk of Greenacres, Florida
meozan@aol.com
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————-About Prof. Ozan———————————
https://www.turkishnews.com/en/content/2008/10/28/about-prof-ozan/
Mahmut Esat Ozan
Turkish Forum Advisory Board member
Chairmen Editorial Board Turkish Forum
Country: United States of America
Anyone, who attended Galatasaray during the years of 1933 to l943 would remember Mahmut Abi as a little boy who loved movies, especially American movies, and who would very often sneak out of his dormitory at night and go to the 3rd floor balcony of the school conference room where the older boys would be watching films, hoping they would let him in to watch, too, and they usually did.
As time went on, he acquired as much information about America as he could. When he was in the 6th grade he prepared an American-style weekly magazine by hand, with even a cartoon and a crossword puzzle, and loaned it to be read among his classmates. He became an expert on American popular culture, especially on movies and songs. He became fluent in French and excelled in English. Owing to his association with the Jewish students in school he started to learn also another language,(Ladino) Spanish, and later on Portuguese. With a good mustache and correct hair cut, he earned the nickname of Donamec for the Hollywood actor Don Ameche, whom, everyone said, he resembled a lot at that time.
After graduation, he spent three years as Muallim Muavini, a sort of a Teacher’s Aide at the school, then started writing articles for “PERDE ve SAHNE” published by Bedia Muvahhit, the favorite actress of the Turkish theatre in those days. He also worked 5 days a week for the Motion Picture Censor Board as a simultaneous translator/interpreter for English and French movies. Turkey was neutral during those Second World War days, but there had to be censorship, not to offend any of the countries involved. And while it was wartime, there was also martial law. After completing his military school training in Ankara, Mahmut Abi was assigned to work at the office of the General in charge of the State government under martial law, as an interpreter/translator. He continued his services at the Censor Board, but wearing his 2n Lieutenant’s uniform to work. His abilities in the area of foreign languages would be a great help for him throughout his life. While attending the University of Istanbul in preparation for the banking career his mother wished for him, his heart and head were much more interested in Cinema magazines than banking. He began writing regular articles for several dailies and movie magazines. Yildiz was one of them. Several years later while in Hollywood he conducted and sent close to 50 interviews with big time stars and celebrities. But long before that, in 1943 he even published his own publication called SINEMAGAZIN, an enterprise which gave him, if not monetary success, a great deal of experience in journalism. He had one burning desire, and that was to get to the United States to study. He researched every bit of information available on American colleges and universities entrance requirements, tuitions, and cost of living, and wrote his book, AMERIKAYA DOGRU, a guide for students wishing to study in America.
Finally, in 1946, he received acceptance to the School of Journalism of the University of Indiana in Bloomington. This should have afforded him a happy student life, but, unfortunately, the money he had entrusted with a businessman relative placed his money in a stocks venture and lost it. Mahmut Abi in Indiana was being forced to return home. What saved him was the fact that he was the only Turkish student his professors and the members of women’s clubs had ever met, and by appearing before these groups, lecturing his audiences with color slide shows and explaining to them life in Turkey, he won several friends and a full scholarship to finish his degree in Journalism.
For a brief moment, during the summer before his senior year, the Hollywood bug bit him again, and he drove to California, landed a job as assistant manager of the Grauman’s Chinese theater, where he helped with the movie premieres and stars with their shoes and hands imprints cast in wet cement. He applied to Ben Bard’s school of acting not to become a movie actor, but to learn the art of making movies. His biggest fantasy was to make an epic saga on the Conquest of “Constantinople” and the Turkish Sultan Mehmet II. This moment in paradise, however, came to an end when the Immigration Dept. caught up with him. He was told he was illegally working on a student visa, and had to return to his university in Indiana to finish his studies. It was Kismet that by going back to Indiana that Fall he was going to meet and marry his Ruhan. That was 48 years ago this past February.
Mahmut Abi and Ruhan returned to Turkey in 1953. Being the very first Turk having received a degree in Journalism, he was offered the position to help establish the university’s Institute of Journalism. He was to set up operation, prepare curricula for the school and teach a couple of classes too, all for a grand total of T.L. 150 a month. The highest salary for a governmental minister in the capital was T.L.450, and the President of the University of Istanbul was paid T.L. 350 at the time. However, at the end he was told he could not get the job because the position he was offered was a government job and his wife was not a Turkish citizen. Knowing that today even the military officers have non-Turkish spouses, Mahmut Abi just smiles and does not even complain. any more. The next stop was Ankara. That job refusal previously in Istanbul landed him a much better and lucrative position at the U.S. Mutual Security Administration in the capital city of Turkey. He was hired on the spot as a Special Administrative Coordinator and Senior Interpreter. The MSA organization then was the precursor of the present A.I.D. He, as a specialist, was entrusted in preparing a wide variety of instructional pamphlets, the dubbing instructional films and guiding the American dignitaries on inspection tours of agricultural and energy producing projects of the programs. It was during one of those sessions when a Labor Law expert from the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, DC sought his help in trying to find a name for the Turkish labor unions. The meeting was in its 6th hour. Nobody knew what to name a hitherto non-existent labor organization. Howard Schindler, the American labor relations expert, was getting a bit edgy. His Turkish counterparts wanted to use the term Lonca ,which he scorned upon, because its translation meant Guild and/or Corporation but not Labor. Finally, Mahmut Abi suggested the French name for it “Syndicat.” Within a few minutes the word Sendika was accepted and everyone went home satisfied with a new name in the Turkish alphabet.
After the birth of their first child, Mahmut Abi changed course. Once more in the USA, and in Indiana, he returned to the University and completed his course work to teach Foreign Languages and Journalism, and began his career, teaching French, Spanish, Portuguese, Journalism, film making. He also trained scores of future Foreign Language teachers. He also initiated the very first Study Tours abroad in Florida Universities in the early 60’s. He Was among the few Floridians who founded FTAA, Florida Turkish-American Association for Cultural Exchange. He served as its second President for 5 years. Mahmut Abi is the author of a several pages long epic poem in French entitled: “Une page d’Histoire a Galatasaray” which will be published soon in France. His second epic poem called; “Si Pierre Loti Retournait Chez Sa Bien-Aimee,La Turquie was already put in a book form two years ago, in Nancy, France by the OLUSUM/GENESE literary magazine. The book also contains other interesting reading materials. Mahmut Esat Ozan retired as Professor Emeritus after 38 years of teaching. Although his dreams of producing a film on Ataturk, and the Conquest of Constantinople did not materialize, he made a good number of documentaries on a more personal scale. As for his journalistic drive, he found another theme that needed his attention and devotion. That theme is teaching the truth about his “Turkiye,” past and present to as many readers of the Turkish Times, English language newspaper, where he has been a columnist in the last 10 years, also local newspapers, and the Internet he can reach.
You can contact him at the following e-mail address:
mozan@webtv.net
Sema Karaoglu, Founder
Sons_of_Ataturk@yahoo.com
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