Special Issues - turkofamerica.com

Prominent Turkish Historian Kemal Karpat Dies at Age 96

Internationally acclaimed Turkish historian Kemal Karpat died on Feb. 20 in the United States aged 96. Karpat, an expert on the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkish history, was an emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He had celebrated his 96th birthday on Feb. 15. Professor Karpat taught in Department of History of University of Wisconsin-Madison for 36 years, from 1967 until his retirement in 2003. His research pioneered the study of late Ottoman history, and focused on the rise of ethnic nationalism and Islamic political discourse. He leaves a rich legacy as one of the leading Ottoman historians of his generation. He also will be remembered for his contributions to the study of Ottoman History in higher education. During his time at UW-Madison, Karpat served as director of the Center for Turkish Studies, and contributed funds to its endowment. Karpat also endowed a professorship in Ottoman and Turkish History, which is currently held by Professor Daniel Stolz.

July 1, 2019
Published in Academicians
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Katharine Branning receives her award from Umran Beba, Vice President of Pepsi Co.

The Most Well Written Story of Turkish Tea

How did you meet Turkish people and Turkish tea first? Did you know anything about them before then?
Before coming to Turkey I had little knowledge about the country, its people or customs. I of course knew the basics: that it was a Muslim country located in the Middle East; that the Ottomans ruled there; that it was famous for baths and strong coffee, but that was about it. I had learned, however, much about its art in my university classes. I remember being fascinated as a child by the image of the camel on the pack of Camel cigarettes my father smoked and always asked to play with the pack. I think the first words I ever learned to read were “Turkish Tobacco” which was written in bold on the pack! But I knew nothing about the tea culture: I assumed that all Turks drank Turkish coffee!

July 1, 2019
Published in Culture & Art
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Jim Sparks at Friends of Turkey Award Ceremony at Harvard Club of New York.

Jim Sparks, The Largest North American Representative of Turkish Borates

American Borate Company (ABC) is a privately held corporation headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia and the Company has marketed borates from Turkey since 1981. ABC has become the largest North American representative of Turkish borates. Jim Sparks, President of American Borate Company has been traveling to Turkey since 1983 for the borate business initially working with Eti Bank, which is now Eti Maden. Jim purchased an air dunnage bag manufacturing operation in city of Amasya. This operation currently employees over 200 people. Since becoming involved in Turkey, his companies have purchased Turkish produced product worth more than 2 billion dollars.

July 1, 2019
Published in Businessman
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“Living in Turkey has been a wonderful chapter of my life, there's no reason that it would be any different for anyone else who is reading this.”

Jeff Helps Bilkent’s Cyberpark Firms to Open U.S. Market

Jeff Engell, lead consultant of the Bilkent Cyberpark Accelerator Program (CAP), Turkey's first fully international accelerator, which was recognized globally by the International Association of Science Parks (IASP) and a recipient of the Inspiring Solutions Award. Engell became involved with Bilkent’s CAP, which has as one of its goals to connect its companies to strategic partners and customers in the U.S.Bilkent Cyberpark is Turkey’s first private Science and Technology Park (STP) established in 2002 by Bilkent University. The cyberpark is large, with about 240 high-tech companies, eight research centers and more than 3,300 R&D personnel. Innosphere, Colorado based company which supports highly motivated entrepreneurs working on innovations, reached out to Bilkent Cyberpark in Ankara, Turkey in a partnership that could potentially bring Turkish startups – and economic activity -- into Colorado. The idea was developed by Jeff Engell, a former Fort Collins resident who moved to Turkey and saw an opportunity to create a Colorado-Turkey connection. Engell answered TURKOFAMERICA’s questions.

July 1, 2019
Published in Technology
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George Schieber with Mehmet L. Kirdar, President of Turkish Philanthropy Funds at the Friends of Turkey Gala in Harvard Club of New York.

George Schieber Keeps Her Wife Legacy Alive Through A Scholarship

Sena Eken Schieber was a pioneering international civil servant and a role model for many women. After graduating from Robert College in Istanbul and receiving her PhD from Pittsburgh University, she worked at the IMF rising to the rank of Assistant Director, the highest for a Turkish employee in the history of the institution. She died on June 3^rd, 2014 in Washington, DC. Her husband, George Schieber established Sena Eken Schieber Economics Award in 2015 with Turkish Philanthropy Funds. His late wife, Sena Eken Schieber’s legacy will now live with the empowerment of talented women from Turkey.

July 1, 2019
Published in Associations
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As the Republican co-chair, Whitfield founded the Turkey Caucus in 2001 along with his Democratic counterpart, former Congressman Robert Wexler of Florida

Ed Whitfield: A Strong Voice of Turkish-Americans on Capital Hill

Wayne Edward Whitfield is an American politician who served as the U.S. Representative of Kentucky's 1st congressional district from January 1995, until his resignation in September 2016. As co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on U.S.-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans, he was an ardent supporter of the U.S.-Turkey relationship and a voice on Capitol Hill for Turkish Americans. As the Republican co-chair, Whitfield founded the Turkey Caucus in 2001 along with his Democratic counterpart, former Congressman Robert Wexler of Florida. Their original objective was to have 25 members in the Caucus. The growth of the Caucus, however, exceeded expectations. At the time of Whitfield’s retirement from Congress, Caucus membership was 155, with 43 of the 50 states and all six territories represented. Congressman Whitfield talked to TURKOFAMERICA.

July 1, 2019
Published in Politicians
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Demetra with his husband businessman Mustafa Mustafaoglu.

A Cultural Diplomat: Demetra George

Demetra George (Mustafoğlu), Honorary PhD: one of the most celebrated musical ambassadors of the United States. Soprano Demetra George has graced opera stages and concert halls, including Carnegie Hall as well as U.S. Embassies across Europe. A two-time Grammy List nominee for her cd “Demetra George Sings Love Arias” she has sung for four U.S. Presidents, and performed with over 700 symphony orchestras and boasts a repertoire of more than 20 opera and operetta roles and 18 in musical theater.

July 1, 2019
Published in Culture & Art
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Brian Rose with Reyhan Ozgur, Deputy Consul General of Republic of Turkey in New York.

Bridging Cultures Through Archaeology: Exploring Ancient Turkey for 40 Years

Charles Brian Rose is an American archaeologist, classical scholar, and author. He is the James B. Pritchard Professor of Archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania in the Classical Studies Department and the Graduate Group in the Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World. After graduating from Haverford in 1978, Rose pursued his Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology at Columbia University. Concentrating on the Roman Imperial period, his interests expanded to include the eastern Mediterranean, where he took part in New York University’s excavation at Aphrodisias, Turkey, and the uncovering there of a large and extremely well-preserved early 1st century AD sanctuary dedicated to the Imperial Cult (the cult of the emperors). His thesis, completed in 1987 and published in 1997 by Cambridge University Press, examined the sculpture, coins, and inscriptions associated with the Imperial Cult throughout the Mediterranean world during the period demarked by the life of Julius Caesar (100–44 BC) through to the suicide of Nero in AD 68.

July 1, 2019
Published in Academicians
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Brian Rose

Her first trip to Turkey was the summer of 1980 to meet and care for her father in law Dr. Cevat Demil. Since than she is an advocate of Turkey.

Bonnie Joy Kaslan Serves 35 Years for Turkey as an Advocate, Educator, and Facilitator

Serving as the San Francisco Bay Area’s Honorary Consul General for the Republic of Turkey for 35 years, Bonnie Joy Kaslan was a loyal advocate and frequent visitor to Turkey. She considers Turkey her second home and she is proud to have served for over 35 years as an advocate, educator and facilitator between the peoples of Turkey and the United States. Although officially retired she continues to give presentations regarding Turkey and the subjects she holds dear.

July 1, 2019
Published in Women
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Rising Star Chef Ana Sortun: How Turkish Cuisine Has Changed Her Cooking Career

Turkey’s cuisine is recognized as being one of the most sophisticated in the world and it wasn’t well represented in the Boston area at the time Chef Ana Sortun decided to open Oleana in 2001. With a degree from La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris, the Seattle-born Ana Sortun opened Moncef Medeb’s Aigo Bistro in Concord, Massachusetts, in the early 1990s. Stints at 8 Holyoke and Casablanca in Harvard Square, Cambridge soon followed.

July 1, 2019
Published in Culture & Art
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Amide Turan who was a political science student dreaming of being a diplomat, all of a sudden found herself at Calandra’s that she, later on, became passionately attached to and felt like in a family environment.

Turks Who Make A Living at Calandra’s

When she first stepped in Calandra’s which is still the largest bakery in New York, New Jersey and, Pennsylvania states today, she was a 23-year-old student. She was going to school, on the other hand working at the bakery in the early hours of the morning. Amide Turan who was a political science student dreaming of being a diplomat, all of a sudden found herself at Calandra’s that she, later on, became passionately attached to and felt like in a family environment. She has been working at the same company for 20 years now. Calandra’s was founded in one of New Jersey’s poorest places in 1962 by 28-year-old Luciano Calandra and his wife Ortenza who immigrated from Sicily in 1957.

July 1, 2019
Published in Professionals
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Prof McCarthy: “History Books Do Often Treat Turks Unfairly”

Justin A. McCarthy is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar of the Ottoman Empire, modern Turkey and the Middle East. He has published eleven books, most recently The Armenian Rebellion at Van (2006). In 1996 University of Louisville recognized him with the Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity. He holds an honorary doctorate from Boğaziçi University, Turkey, and is a board member of the Institute of Turkish Studies and the Center for Eurasian Studies (AVIM). McCarthy served in the Peace Corps in Turkey in 1969, where he taught at Middle East Technical University and Ankara University.

July 1, 2019
Published in Academicians
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In 2005, she started seeing the Turkish darbuka players on youtube and hearing the music.

Raquy Danziger: Powerful Female Percussionists

Raquy Danziger is a celebrated performer, teacher and composer known for her expertise on the darbuka, the Middle-Eastern goblet drum. Raquy has performed and taught around the globe from the great concert halls of Egypt to remote towns in Siberia, spreading love and excitement for darbuka drumming. Her unique and systematic approach has helped elevate this ancient drum to be a shining solo instrument fit for a concert hall. Raquy specializes in the split hand technique, which is a fast and elaborate drumming style. She also plays the mystical twelve- string King Kemenche Tarhu, a rare and exotic bowed instrument.

July 1, 2019
Published in Music
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Exclusive Breakfast Event: How to Live, Work or Study in the U.S.

Fragomen Partners Parisa Karaahmet and Freddi Weintraub invite you to join exclusive event to learn more about EB-5 and other opportunities to live, work and study in the United States. Guest speaker, Barbaros Karaahmet, Partner and Co-Chair of Herrick, Feinstein's Turkish Practice Group will also lead a discussion on the current climate for investment in the U.S. Learn about the EB-5 green card and the E-2 nonimmigrant investor options.

June 29, 2019
Published in Companies
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