� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � ! " # $ # � % & ' ( ) � � � * + , * ) - � % " ) + �. / 0 1 2 3 4 5 . / 0 6 2 1 7 5 2 8 9 5 7 :Bilkent University lost its founder, Prof. Ýhsan Doðramacý, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Bilkent University,

on Thursday, February 25, at Hacettepe University Hospital where he was being treated. Hocabey will always be remembered for his contributions to health care and higher education.

We extend our condolences to his family, the Bilkent community, the nation and the international community.

Commemoration ceremonies will be held to pay tribute to Prof. Doðramacý

at the following locations and times: Saturday, February 27, at 9:30 a.m.

at Hacettepe University M Lecture Hall, at 1:30 p.m. the same day at the Bilkent

University Concert Hall, and Sunday, February 28, at 9:30 a.m. at the Council of Higher Education.

Funeral services will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2010, at

Kocatepe Mosque following the noon prayers

and burial will take place at the Doðramacýzade Ali Paþa Mosque.

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �Professor Ýhsan Doðramacý was born

95 years ago in Erbil, northern Iraq,which was then part of the OttomanEmpire. As the son of an influentialTurkmen family, his background wasintimately linked to the history andheritage of the Empire. His father, AliPasha Doðramacý, was mayor of Erbil,and his mother was the daughter of arepresentative in the Ottomanparliament.

In 1942 he would marry AyserSüleyman. Her family included a grandvizier of the Empire and a field marshalin the Ottoman Army. Her father,Hikmet Süleyman, served as primeminister of Iraq in the 1930s. Ayser andÝhsan Doðramacý would have threechildren, Þermin, Ali and Osman.

This family heritage always remainedcentral to Ýhsan Doðramacý's life.However, his career took him far fromErbil and from the traditional pursuitsof a wealthy landholder.

After completing Turkish primaryschool in Erbil, he graduated from thePreparatory School of the AmericanUniversity of Beirut and the Faculty ofMedicine of Ýstanbul University. Hetrained in pediatrics in Ankara, Turkey,under Professor Albert Eckstein, and inthe United States at HarvardUniversity and Washington Universityin St. Louis. He and his family thensettled in Ankara in 1947.

The young pediatrician rapidlyadvanced in the University of AnkaraFaculty of Medicine, becomingprofessor of pediatrics in 1955. Even inthose early years he was alreadyenvisioning the creation in Turkey ofnonprofit private institutions of higherlearning resembling those he had seenand worked at in the United States.

In 1955, in an impoverished area ofAnkara, he established the Institute ofChild Health attached to theUniversity of Ankara, and by 1961 theInstitute included Turkey's firstuniversity-level schools of nursing,nutrition and dietetics, physicaltherapy and rehabilitation, and medicaltechnology. He then proceeded toestablish the Hacettepe Faculty ofMedicine and Health Sciences, whichwas a second faculty of medicinewithin the University of Ankara, and aschool of dentistry.

Professor Doðramacý became rectorof the University of Ankara in 1963 for atwo-year term, followed by two years aspresident of the Board of Trustees ofMiddle East Technical University inAnkara. In 1967 the Hacettepe Facultyof Medicine and the other schoolsunder the Institute of Child Healthwere chartered as a new university,Hacettepe University, today one of theleading institutions of higher educationin Turkey. Professor Doðramacý servedas its rector until 1975. When his termfinished, he accepted an appointmentas visiting professor of pediatrics at theUniversity of Paris Descartes.

In 1980 the Turkish government

invited Professor Doðramacý to adviseon the drafting of a new law governinghigher education in the country. Hisrecommendations for restructuringTurkey’s higher education systemincluded establishing a Council ofHigher Education, with its presidentreporting directly to the president of theRepublic. He was appointed to head theCouncil and served 12 years, until 1992.

Subsequent to this restructuring,major advances took place withinTurkish higher education. In 1980 only6.3 percent of the university-agepopulation in Turkey was enrolled ininstitutions of higher learning. At thattime the rate in Western Europe was 32percent, in Greece and Bulgaria 22percent, and in neighboring Syria 14percent. In the following 25 years theratio in Turkeyincreased to 38.2percent. In termsof research asreflected in thenumber ofpublications inscientific journals,Turkey's rankingrose from 45th to18th among theworld's nationsduring the sametime period.

In 1982 anamendment toTurkey’sConstitutionallowed for thecreation ofnonprofitinstitutions ofhigher educationby foundations. In1984 ProfessorDoðramacý established the first ofthese, Bilkent University, and becamepresident of its Board of Trustees, aposition he continued to holdthroughout his lifetime. Eight yearslater the second and third foundationuniversities opened. Today, of the 139universities in Turkey, 94 wereestablished by the state and 45 byfoundations.

Professor Doðramacý wouldeventually establish a total of fivephilanthropic foundations in Turkey,which in turn gave rise to hospitals andeducational institutions, includingBilkent. Another of his foundations, theÝhsan Doðramacý Family HealthFoundation, was created for the benefitof the World Health Organization. Ithas been awarding a prize regularlysince 1983 to individuals who havegiven distinguished service in the fieldof family health.

Ýhsan Doðramacý was active in thefields of medicine and education notonly in Turkey, but internationally aswell throughout his long lifetime. Atrue citizen of the world, he was fluentin Arabic, English, French and Germanin addition to his native Turkish.

As early as 1946, while still a researchfellow in pediatrics at WashingtonUniversity in the United States, he hadthe historic opportunity to be asignatory to the Constitution of theWorld Health Organization. Followinghis return to Turkey, WHO asked himto visit and advise on the establishmentof new schools of medicine and healthsciences at the University ofSherbrooke in Quebec, Canada; at theUniversity of Brasilia, in the new capitalof Brazil in South America; and in Ife,Nigeria, and Yaoundé, Cameroon, inAfrica. He traveled to each of thoselocations and offered guidanceregarding the setup and development ofeducational health centers thatincluded medical schools and facilitiesfor training other health personnel.

He headed theTurkish delegationto the WorldHealth Assembly(WHO's decision-making body) forsix years andserved as chair ofthe EuropeanRegion countriesand as vicechairman of theAssembly in 1976.Over the years,ProfessorDoðramacý was amember of theWHO ExecutiveBoard and alsoserved on theorganization'sGlobal AdvisoryCommittee onMedical Research,Expert Advisory

Panel on Health Manpower,Consultative Group on Maternal andYoung Child Nutrition, and ProgrammeAdvisory Committee in Maternal andChild Health. WHO recognized hiscontributions by awarding him theLéon Bernard Foundation Prize in 1981and the Health-for-All Gold Medal in1997.

Professor Doðramacý was also activein UNICEF, serving on its ExecutiveBoard for several decades. He waselected chairman of the organization'sProgramme Committee for threeterms and chairman of the ExecutiveBoard for two. In 1995 UNICEFhonored him with the Maurice PateAward. In Turkey, he served aspresident of the National Committeefor UNICEF from 1958 to 2003, andafter that as honorary president.

In his own specialty, child health,Professor Doðramacý was chosen aspresident of the InternationalPediatric Association in 1968. Hewould lead the IPA for a quarter of acentury, in turn as president andexecutive director. From 1992 on, heheld the position of honorarypresident.

While serving as chairman of theExecutive Board of UNICEF,Professor Doðramacý became amember of the Advisory Board of theInternational Children's Center inParis, and he continued as a Boardmember from 1970 to 1984. When theICC in Paris was dissolved in 1999after 50 years of existence, he re-established it in Ankara, serving as itspresident from 1999 to 2006, andthereafter as honorary president.

He was author of a large number ofscientific articles, chapters and books,mostly dealing with medicine and thehealth sciences. Five books have beenwritten about his life andaccomplishments and published invarious countries, in seven languages.

Although Professor Doðramacý wasoffered the post of minister of foreignaffairs and also proposed as primeminister of Turkey, he declined onboth occasions in order to concentrateon his work in health and education.

Professor Doðramacý receivednumerous awards, medals anddecorations. He held honorarydoctorates from 26 universities in 14countries, including the UnitedStates, the United Kingdom, France,Finland, Italy, Japan and Egypt. Hewas a member of national academiesin Germany, France, India, the UnitedStates and Azerbaijan, and anhonorary member of 23 nationalpediatric societies across the globe.

The heads of state of Turkey,Azerbaijan, Iran, the DominicanRepublic, Finland, Poland, Estoniaand France honored him with thehighest decorations of their respectivenations. The parliament of Egypt andthe Grand National Assembly ofTurkey, as well as other governmentalagencies, also gave him their highestawards and medals. In 1998 theCouncil of Europe, at a ceremony inVienna, conferred on him its Prize forPeace, Justice and Tolerance.

Encompassing nearly a century,Ýhsan Doðramacý's life wascharacterized by a deep and enduringinterest in the needs of young people,whether children in the pediatricwards of hospitals or students inuniversities. His goals in these areaswere both national and global. Hiscommitment to improve health careand education in his homeland,Turkey, was always paralleled by abroader vision which rested on apragmatic and humanisticunderstanding of transnationalinterdependence. Although thecircumstances into which he was bornand the times in which he lived playeda part in the enormous success heachieved, his impact upon Turkey andthroughout the world derivedultimately from his focus on a set ofideas and ideals and a personalstrength of will that drove him everforward to achieve what he saw asnecessary and beneficial.

Future education reformerÝhsan Doðramacý in his

final year at ErbilElementary School

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As a student at theSchool of Medicine,Istanbul University(1936)

During his senioryear at the School ofMedicine, IstanbulUniversity (1938)

During hispediatrictraining atHarvardUniversity

Associate Professor Ýhsan Doðramacý (1949)

The citadel of Seljuk ruler Muzaffereddin Gökbörü’s capital Erbil in northernMesopotamia - Ýhsan Doðramacý was born in a house within the citadel

Ýhsan’s maternal grandfatherMehmet Ali Kýrdar, member ofthe Ottoman Parliament for Kirkuk

Ýhsan’s father Ali Paþa Doðramacý, while mayorof Erbil

Ýhsan’s mother Ýsmet Haným

Ýhsan Doðramacý was born in 1915 into a wealthy land-owning Ottoman family in the town of Erbil in northern Iraq. His father was mayor of Erbil,and later a member of the Senate in Iraq, representing the Erbil Turkmens. His mother was the daughter of an Ottoman Parliament member for Kirkuk.Together, the two families were related to a large number of families who had resided in the area for hundreds of years.

While Ýhsan was studying in Beirut, hisfather had become a senator, and thefamily had moved to Baghdad. WhenÝhsan rejoined them, he entered theBaghdad College of Medicine, a schoollargely run by British teachers upon thebasis of the Edinburgh Universitycurriculum. He studied there for threeyears, but was never able to feel at homein Baghdad. He had always wished to goto Turkey, and so in 1936 he left forÝstanbul, where he was accepted into theUniversity of Ýstanbul, School of Medicineand proceeded to apply himself single-mindedly to his studies. His colleaguesalready regarded him as different fromthemselves. Their aim was to work toward getting a degree and ajob, and they were content within those limits. But even at thatearly stage, Ýhsan Doðramacý was looking much farther ahead.

During his residency inpediatrics at Ankara NumuneHospital (1939) - his mentorProf. Eckstein is second fromthe left, with the young Dr. Doðramacý beside him

ProfessorÝhsanDoðramacý(1954)

Ýhsan while a student at thePreparatory School of theAmerican University ofBeirut (1930)

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �ÝhsanDoðramacýsigning theWorld HealthOrganizationConstitutionNew York, July1946

Prof.Doðramacýchairing asession of theWorld HealthAssembly(1966)

Prof.Doðramacýpresiding atthe WorldHealthAssembly

ÝhsanDoðramacý,Chairman ofthe WorldHealthAssembly

With thefoundingexecutivedirector ofUNICEFMaurice Pate,and his wifeÝhsan and Ayser’s wedding day,

April 16, 1942

Ýhsan and Ayser Doðramacý withtheir two oldest children Ali andÞermin

With JamesGrant,executivedirector ofUNICEF(1987)

ÝhsanDoðramacý,rector ofHacettepeUniversity

With RobertDebré,foundingdirector of theInternationalChildren'sCenter (ICC)

Representing Ankara University as its rector, at the meeting of European rectorsat Göttingen, Germany (1964)

Ýhsan and Ayser Doðramacýwith their three children Ali,Þermin and Osman

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Building where the Child HealthClinic and Institute started (1954)

Hacettepe Children's Hospital (1958)

Hacettepe Children's Hospital (1961)

View of Hacettepe (1961)

Land where Bilkent University was to be established (1981)

Bilkent University under construction in the 1980s

Ýhsan Doðramacý withPrime Minister TurgutÖzal and Rector MithatÇoruh during BilkentUniversity’s openingceremony (1986)

Ýhsan Doðramacýwith PresidentKenan Evrenduring BilkentUniversity’sopeningceremony (1986)

Hacettepe Children's Hospital emergency entrance (1961)

View of Hacettepe (2006)

In the 1940s, when Ýhsan Doðramacý wasstudying in the United States at HarvardUniversity and Washington University, hebecame acquainted with private, non-government organizations and universities.

Convinced that the private, not-for-profitmodel had great potential for application inhis own country as well, he in 1951 drafted aproposal for a children's medical center inAnkara, where he had settled and set up hismedical practice following his return fromthe US.

Prof. Doðramacý then established afoundation to support the proposed medicalcenter. In subsequent years he would go onto establish additional foundations tosupport new ventures and new initiatives inmedicine and education.

Meanwhile, he founded HacettepeMedical Center, Hacettepe Hospital andHacettepe Medical School. Following thatcame the creation of Hacettepe University in1967. Prof. Doðramacý later played aprincipal role in establishing otheruniversities, including those in Sivas andKayseri, as well as the medical faculty inErzurum.

All this time, the concept of “centers ofexcellence” served as a guiding idea for hisplans. Having founded centers of excellencein medicine, Ýhsan Doðramacý now began toexplore the possibility of establishing aprivate, nonprofit university. His goal was thecreation of a great university like those in theUnited States; Harvard, Columbia, Yale andothers of similar stature. He wanted this newuniversity to be the best in Turkey, andbeyond that, he wanted it to be one of thefifteen best universities in the world. Heenvisioned it as a beacon that would attractstudents and faculty members from all overthe world. He realized this dream with thefounding of Bilkent University in 1984.

Based on the script of the film“Bilkent, History of an Idea”

View of Bilkent University

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �Achievements

Established HacettepeInstitute of Child Health andChildren's Hospital (1958) Established first School ofPhysiotherapy andRehabilitation in Turkey(1961) Established first School ofNursing at university level inTurkey (1961) Established first School ofDietetics and Nutrition inTurkey (1962) Established the Hacettepe Faculty of Medicine andHealth Sciences, Ankara,introducing an integratedteaching system in medicine(1963)Contributed to establishmentof Atatürk University Facultyof Medicine in Erzurum,(1963)Established HacettepeUniversity in Ankara (1967) Contributed to establishmentof Karadeniz UniversityTrabzon Faculty of Medicinein Trabzon (1973)In his capacity as president ofthe Council of HigherEducation of Turkey,contributed to establishmentof Erciyes University inKayseri, OndokuzmayýsUniversity in Samsun,Cumhuriyet University inSivas, and Anadolu University in Eskiþehir (1981-1992)Established Bilkent Universityin Ankara, Turkey, the firstfoundation university in thecountry, with the intention ofmaking it a center ofexcellence (1984)

Honorary Doctoral Degrees fromUniversities Glasgow (Scotland), Nice (France), Nebraska (USA), Baghdad(Iraq), Guayaquil (Ecuador), Santo Domingo Autonomous(Dominican Republic), Ain Shams (Egypt), Helsinki (Finland), Soka(Japan), Baku State (Azerbaijan), Azerbaijan Medical (Azerbaijan),De Montfort (UK), Eastern Mediterranean (Turkish Republic ofNorthern Cyprus), Jamia Millia Islamia (India), Rome-La Sapienza(Italy), Case Western Reserve (USA), and eleven Turkish universitiesincluding Anadolu, Boðaziçi, Ýstanbul and Marmara Universities

Memberships inAcademies

Académie Nationale deMédecine (France)American Academy of PediatricsAzerbaijan National Academy ofScience and Arts Deutsche Akademie derNaturforscher Leopoldina(German National Academy ofSciences) National Academy of MedicalSciences (India, Honorary)Royal Aal al-Bayt Academy(Jordan)

Membership in Professional Societies and Educational Institutions All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (Honorary)Medical Society of WHO (Honorary)Royal College of Physicians, London (Fellow)Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, London (Honorary Founder Fellow) Société Médicale des Hôpitaux de Paris (Membre Correspondant)Honorary membership in the pediatric societies of Argentina, Australia, Austria, Britain, Bulgaria,Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, USA, and Uzbekistan.

Awards and Prizes

National Award for Distinguished Service (Scientific andTechnological Research Council of Turkey), 1978 Léon Bernard Foundation Prize (WHO), 1981 Christopherson Award (American Academy of Pediatrics), 1986 Maurice Pate Award (UNICEF), 1995 Soranos Award for Science and Friendship (Greece), 1995 “Peace, Justice and Tolerance” Prize (Council of Europe), 1998 (Theother two laureates were Franz Cardinal König and Simon Wiesenthal.) Health and Education Award for Merit (Turkey), 1999 Ministry of Foreign Affairs Distinguished Service Award (Turkey), 2000 Dr. Jushichiro Naito International Childcare Award (Japan), 2004 Turkish Grand National Assembly Honor Prize, 2007Lifetime Achievement Award of Excellence in Global Health (WorldFederation of Public Health Associations), 2009 Award of the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences, 2009

Decorations State Medal for Outstanding Merit (Turkey) Order of Haydar Aliyev (Azerbaijan) First Rank Order of Independence (Azerbaijan) Order of Homayoun First Class (Iran)Medal of the Egyptian People's AssemblyState Medal of Merit (Romania)Gran Cruz Placa de Plata de la Orden Heráldica de Cristóbal Colón(Dominican Republic) Gran Oficial, Orden del Mérito de Duarte, Sánchez y Mella(Dominican Republic) First Rank Commander of the Order of the Lion of FinlandFirst Rank Commander of the Order of Merit of Poland Order of the Cross of St. Mary’s Land (Estonia) Officier de la Légion d'Honneur (France) WHO Health-For-All Gold MedalSevda Cenap And Music Foundation Honor Award Gold MedalMedal of Appreciation, Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education andScientific ResearchMédaille de la Ville de Paris

Articles

Over 100 articles in professionalperiodicals, mainly onpediatrics, public health andmedical education

Books

Annenin Kitabý (Book forMothers). 1952. 15th ed.Ankara: Meteksan A.Þ., 2003.Prematüre Bebek Bakýmý(Premature Baby Care). Ankara: Örnek Matbaasý, 1954.Türkiye'de ve DünyadaYükseköðretim Yönetimi

(Governance in Higher Educationin Turkey and the World). Ankara:Meteksan A.Þ., 2007.

ProfessionalBackground andAcademic Positions

Doctor of Medicine, ÝstanbulUniversity (1938) Postgraduate training andfellowships in pediatrics: Ankara Numune Hospital (1940); Graduate School of Medicine,Harvard University / BostonChildren’s Hospital;(1945-1946), Research fellowin Pediatrics, WashingtonUniversity, St. Louis (1946-1947) Lecturer and AssociateProfessor of Pediatrics, AnkaraUniversity Faculty of Medicine(1947-1955) Professor of Pediatrics andDirector, Institute of ChildHealth, Ankara University(1955-1967) and HacettepeUniversity, Ankara (1967-1981) Rector of Ankara University(1963-1965) Chairman of Board ofTrustees, Middle EastTechnical University, Ankara(1965-1967) Rector of Hacettepe University,Ankara (1967-1975; in 1975elected Honorary Rector) Visiting Professor of Pediatrics,Paris Descartes University(Paris V) (1976-1977) President, National Council ofMedical and Health SciencesEducation (1974-1981) President, Council of HigherEducation of Turkey (1981-1992)Chairman of the Board ofTrustees and President, BilkentUniversity (1986-2010)

Philanthropic Foundations He Established Ýhsan Doðramacý Foundation, Ankara Ýhsan Doðramacý Education Foundation, Ankara Ýhsan Doðramacý Science and Research Foundation, Ankara Ýhsan Doðramacý Health Foundation, Ankara Ýhsan Doðramacý Family Health Foundation, Geneva Ýhsan Doðramacý Erbil Foundation, Ankara - Erbil

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Prof. Doðramacý with pediatric patients inSarajevo (1992)

Receiving anhonorarydoctorate atSokaUniversity inJapan

Receiving theWHO LéonBernardFoundationPrize

Receiving anhonorarydoctorate atJamia MilliaIslamia(NationalIslamicUniversity) inIndia

Prof. Ýhsan Doðramacý was awarded numerousdecorations, medals and honorary doctorates during hislifetime

Each year, The Bureau ofthe Turkish Grand NationalAssembly has theopportunity to award theNational Sovereignty HonorPrize to an individual whohas, through his or herdistinguished achievementsand success, significantlycontributed to thepromotion andrepresentation of Turkey onthe international stage.

In 2007, the Bureau votedunanimously to honor Prof.Doðramacý with the prize,citing his outstandingservice to Turkisheducation, including thefounding of Bilkent andHacettepe Universities, aswell as his academiccontributions in the field ofmedicine. He received theaward at a ceremony held onMay 30 of that year.

Receiving anhonorarydoctorate at theUniversity ofNice in France

Prof. Doðramacý beside a UNvehicle during the conflict in Bosnia(1992)

Receiving an honorary doctorateat the University of Rome-La Sapienza

Being presented with the Republic of TurkeyState Medal for Outstanding Merit byPresident Süleyman Demirel (1995)

He was celebrated as Mr. UNICEF for many decades

Beingpresented withthe UNICEFMaurice PateAward, 1995

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Haydar Aliyev, Late President ofAzerbaijan

PRIDE OF THE TURKISHWORLD

I had been told that ÝhsanDoðramacý spoke many languagesincluding Azerbaijani Turkish.Different dialects exist in differentregions of Azerbaijan such as Baku,Nakhichevan, Gence and Karabað. Irealised that Ýhsan Doðramacý knewall these dialects. I liked him verymuch and invited him to Baku. TheAzerbaijani people also like him verymuch and in a very short time werealised that Ýhsan Doðramacý was arare personality brought forth by theTurkish world. His only goal hasbeen to make every sacrifice for theprogress and education of his people.Ýhsan Doðramacý has always beengreatly admired in all internationalorganizations he has worked for andhas been elected as President by anumber of them. He has always helda very special place both in theinternational media and internationalconferences. On behalf of Turks, weare proud of him.

Those who have been educated inthe universities established byDoðramacý are like seeds planted in a

field. They will grow and theirreputation in knowledge and culturewill reach the sky.

From Haydar Aliyev's statement atthe unveiling of the Ýhsan Doðramacýstatue commissioned by him forBilkent University, June 2002.

Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

A CITIZEN OF THE WORLD

Professor Doðramacý, you havedevoted your entire life, and yourwhole family fortune, to the noblecauses of child health and highereducation.

You started with a two-roomoutpatient clinic in a slum area ofAnkara in 1954. It became the AnkaraUniversity Institute of Child Healthand the leading Children's Hospitalin the country, and today bears yourname.

It also became the nucleus of anew Faculty of Medicine and HealthSciences, which in 1966 wasdescribed by the Vice-Chancellor ofLondon University as a model of theeducational system that England wastrying to achieve!

Not content with that, you went onto found universities: first a publicone in the 1960s and then Bilkent,Turkey's first private university, inthe 1980s, when you presided over areform of the country's whole highereducation system.

You have never allowedbureaucratic obstruction todiscourage you, and you have neverlet yourself be tempted by materialrewards, or by offers of the highestpolitical posts.

But you have been a betterambassador for Turkey than anydiplomat. True to Atatürk's dictum,'Peace at Home, Peace in the World',you have not confined yourphilanthropy to your own country.

From 1960 onwards yourepresented Turkey on the ExecutiveBoard of UNICEF; and in 1992, withthe late Jim Grant, you donned a flakjacket to tour Sarajevo's ruinedhospitals and start a fund-raisingcampaign for the children of Bosnia.

Even your love of music has beenplaced at the service of worldfriendship and peace. You gave thiscountry its first internationalsymphony orchestra, and yours isthe inspiration behind the AnatolianMusic Festival.

In short, Professor Doðramacý,you are indeed a model citizen ofthe world, such as the UnitedNations would wish to find in everycountry.

Gavin C. Arneil, ProfessorEmeritus, University of Glasgow,Scotland

MEMORIES OF ÝHSANDOÐRAMACI

A very determined man, he makesfirm and usually immutabledecisions on which he acts promptlyand forcefully. Just as you cannotmake an omelette without breakingeggs, so some of his colleagues havebeen upset by some decisions. An oldsaying is that if you ride with a tiger,the ride will be rough at times andwe all knew that - but loved him justthe same!

On the other hand, he is kindnessitself when a colleague is in need.Every time my wife June and Iarrived at Istanbul airport we had VIPtreatment in transit and flew on inluxury. We called it his magic carpet!On one occasion when I was inIstanbul and due to fly home thefollowing morning, a member of theIPA Executive who was due to fly toAnkara two days later took ill. Ýhsanwas abroad, in Cairo I think. As Icould not stay, I contacted his officein Ankara and asked them to arrangefor someone to look after him inIstanbul. Next morning when I wentdown for breakfast, there was Ýhsanto fly the invalid to Ankara on his

'magic carpet'.The Congresses he arranged in

the newly freed Turkish-speakingformer Soviet Republics were awonderful experience for us. On oneflight there were not enough'business' seats, and he insisted on offering his business-class seat to a colleagueand thus flew economy.

Ayser is his rock. Quiet andunassuming, she is liable to begreatly underrated in her tranquilever welcoming way. "Just to knowher is to love her" is another linefrom Robert Burns, and epitomisesthe high regard we all feel for her.

The final word on him I leave topoet Robert Burns (yes, again!).Doðramacý has many ranks, Doctor,Professor, President, Chairman,Hoca Bey and so on. Burns wrote:"The rank is but the coin's stamp,the man's the gold, for all that!"

Ýhsan is a golden man, a twenty-four carat golden man.

Giuseppe Benagiano, FormerSecretary-General, InternationalFederation of Gynaecology andObstetrics

A REFORMER WITH AN IRONWILL

Ýhsan Doðramacý is 'a reformer',armed with the same iron will asMustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founderof modern Turkey and the greatestreformer that country has ever had.Whereas Atatürk had the dauntingtask of initiating the global reformthat made him the architect of thetransformation of the decayingOttoman Empire into a modernvigorous Republic, Doðramacý hadthe equally daunting task ofcontinuing and completing thereform initiated by the Father of allTurks, in the field of highereducation and, more specifically,medical education.

Arne Olav Brundtland, InauguralLaureate of the Ýhsan DoðramacýPrize for International Relationsfor Peace

TO HAVE THE RIGHT IDEA ATTHE RIGHT MOMENT

Ýhsan Doðramacý is a man of ideas - and a man of action. Turkeyneeds such people, and not onlyTurkey. One of the great challengesof the world is how to communicatemeaningfully between civilizations.Dr Doðramacý is in the forefrontthere as well. Reason, reflection,reasonableness, resolution: it is all inshort supply.

Many persons have good reason tobe thankful for the fact that Dr ÝhsanDoðramacý has used his position andhis means to really make adifference.

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �Mamdouh Gabr, EmeritusProfessor of Paediatrics, CairoUniversity, Egypt

REFLECTIONS ON THE UNIQUEPERSONALITY OF ÝHSANDOÐRAMACI

Professor Doðramacý enjoys acharismatic personality that is appealingto everyone. His wisdom and his abilityto convince others are among thereasons why he was able to buildfriendships all over the world. He isalways very keen to treat every issue inan impartial, clear and constructive way.

Professor Doðramacý is a great donor,willing to offer his time, knowledge andwealth for the benefit of mankind. Hedonated his personal wealth toestablish two universities: Hacettepeand Bilkent. Through his remarkablecapabilities and perseverance, BilkentUniversity became an internationallyrecognized institution ranking amongthe top universities worldwide. Itoffers hundreds of scholarships totalented students in all fields.

Talât S. Halman, Dean, Faculty ofHumanities and Letters, BilkentUniversity

THE PAEDIATRIC REPUBLICProfessor Ýhsan Doðramacý ranks as a

pioneer and a lifelong hero of ourcontemporary enlightenment about thegood life for children leading to enduringpeace and happiness throughout theworld. To that end, he has created a'Paediatric Republic'. Eventually, if hisgreat example is followed and his goodworks are continued, the world mightbecome a 'Children's Republic.'

Donald J. Johnston, Former Secretary-General, OECD

BIGGER THAN LIFEA remarkable Turk indeed! This is

almost the title of a biography of ÝhsanDoðramacý. One could just as easilyhave described him as 'a remarkableperson', 'a remarkable human being' oreven perhaps, 'Ýhsan Doðramacý: oneof a kind'.

Halfdan Mahler, Director-General Emeritus, World HealthOrganization

HUMAN ENERGYThe World Health Organisation is

in the business of human energy. Andhuman energy has many, many aspectsto it. I would just like to exemplify afew of these aspects through a friend,a colleague, a guru - that is Ýhsan.

I think a part of energy is certainlythe energy of knowledge, and Ýhsanhas proven that he is not a proponentof what a poet friend of mine oncesaid:"Experts have their expert funTelling one ex cathedraWhy nothing can be done."

There have always been manyexperts inside WHO telling you excathedra why nothing could be done.And yet, there have been others whohave had the courage - like you, Ýhsan -because I think that you have shown inyour life all the time, not why nothingshould be done but why somethingshould and must be done.

Sir Horace Phillips, Late FormerBritish Ambassador to Ankara

A REMARKABLE TURKHis Humanity

The many obstacles and setbacks inhis progress have tempered but notembittered him, and he has remainedhumane. Until Hacettepe Hospital wasopened he saw patients in hisconsulting rooms - not for money, butto stretch a hand out to help people.His generosity and sensitivity werewidely known, as testified to bycolleagues, who benefited from this,mostly on the occasion of the illness oftheir own children. He not only treatedthem free of charge but would ifnecessary pay the cost of theirtreatment abroad if this was required.

Tomris Türmen, Former SpecialAdvisor to the Director-General,World Health Organisation

AN ARCHITECT OF MIRACLESIt is a challenging task to attempt to

describe Ýhsan Doðramacý, anextraordinary individual who possessesa rare quality being both a dreamer anda doer.

I am one of those individuals whohave had the privilege of working withhim closely to witness his leadershipqualities in national and internationalscientific arenas, in the health and alsothe education sectors.

His charisma attracts, his convincingpower unites all groups and hewelcomes everybody to take part in achallenge, all with the objective ofimproving the health and well-being ofchildren, families and the society helives in. As the work expands, flourishesand the dream becomes a reality with alife of its own, Professor Doðramacýdisappears! He is already involved inanother big initiative leading to evenbigger teams, realising another big idea.I know of no one, except Mrs AyserDoðramacý, who can match hisgalloping speed with such elegance.

Compiled from the book Children inHis Heart, Youth on His Mind: Tributesto Ýhsan Doðramacý in Honour of HisSixty-Five Years of Service to ChildHealth and Education (2003)

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Abdullah Gül,President of the Turkish Republic

Professor Doðramacý is a uniqueperson who has devoted his entire

life and his family wealth to futuregenerations, and to the developmentof opportunities for the training andhigher education of youth.

Süleyman Demirel,9th President of the TurkishRepublic

My friends and I decided that thisyoung professor, a world-renownedphysician who was knowledgeableabout everything, spoke manylanguages, and knew the world,should be our prime minister. I senttwo of my physician friends to him topropose this. The next dayDoðramacý disappeared from Ankara.He couldn't accept such an offer andhe didn't, because his only wish wasfor the citizens of his country toenjoy better medical care and for thecountry's youth to receive a bettereducation. At that young age heturned down a nomination as primeminister, an offer that no one couldrefuse. I always have seen him as anational monument. He is a livingmonument.

Vecdi Gönül,Minister of National Defense

Hocabey is a man of firsts. Hocabey's most outstanding

trait is that he helps everyone. When helping people, politicalaffiliations, social class, position andstatus are unimportant to him.

Rahmi Koç, HonoraryChairman, Koç Holding

First of all, people trusted ÝhsanBey. They knew that he was anhonest, frank person. They knewthat he was serving the country.They would see him struggling tomake things happen.

Ýsmet Sezgin,Parliamentarian

Above and beyond the service hehas provided in science, education, andhigher education, Hoca is a faithfulfriend.

I don't think there will be another"Hocabey." There is an old expression,"He is from an extinct people." He iseven beyond that, because there hasbeen no such people. Such individualsare very rare. These are people thathistory and necessity have brought us;they are created for service, they cometo serve. A service that causes them togive away all their wealth andresources for the causes they believein. One can only honor them.

Prof. Dr. Halil Ýnalcýk,Bilkent University

I believe that by opening the wayfor such universities ÝhsanDoðramacý has performed a very

important service for Turkey'sdevelopment. Perhaps today Turkey'sastonishing growth and improvementare due to Bilkent, which led the wayas the first nonprofit privateuniversity.

Prof. Dr. Ýlker Baybars,Carnegie Mellon University

To be realistic, I couldn't haveimagined that this university wouldcome to this level in 20 years. ButHoca surely did. And he wasexperienced; he had alreadyfounded Hacettepe University. So itis about vision, about determinationand about values. Hoca is a personwho is well-off financially but whoknows that money isn't enough forsuccess.

Ýdil Biret, State Artist

Speaking a language so well, withsuch a beautiful accent, is anindication of a very good ear. If hehad played an instrument, I am surehe would have been a wonderfulvirtuoso.

Ayten Gökçer,State Artist

Hoca always initiates things. Bigreforms begin with Hoca. Otherclever universities take his ideas andapply them. But the initiator isalways Hoca. Doðramacý is a personwho whatever he does, does it bestin Turkey. He has done the best formusic. Today the Bilkent concerthall is one of the three leadingconcert halls in the world as far asacoustics are concerned. He broughtthe most skilled people here toachieve this.

Gülsin Onay,State Artist

After Atatürk, Ýhsan Doðramacý ispossibly the individual who has contributed the most to musicin our country.

Thankfully we have such apresence in Turkey, and what he has done has enriched us and given us a very different world.

Jane Schaller, ExecutiveDirector, International PediatricAssociation

I am so impressed to see what asingle man has done to change theworld around him.

Yüksel Söylemez,Retired Ambassador

In many countries, across fivecontinents, when Turkey ismentioned, it means ÝhsanDoðramacý.

I was born in a house situated in theErbil Castle and studied at the primaryschool there where the language ofinstruction was Turkish, the language ofthe town. In that period, I was also takingprivate English lessons. When theProvince of Mosul became a Britishmandate by the Lausanne Treaty,education in Turkish was banned. Forthis reason, my family sent me to BeirutInternational College1 for my middle andhigh school education. I used to expressmy longing for my home by reciting theverses known as "Longing for Erbil."2

Longing for Erbil

Go, friends, go to my birthplace:Hyacinths grow at Erbil Fortress,Right through Kunyan,3 a stream

flows,Along whose banks stand yellow roses.

I spent my early days at Erbil schoolsWhere my national feelings bloomed;Recalling those times I sigh and moan

now,In my heart, a nightingale from there

sings.4

The lone survivors are the tombstonesThe tears of desperate granniesAnd frowning faces of hopeless

grandpas...At that scorched place linger cold ashes.

Never lose hope, no need to grieve;If Erbil, now suppressed, would awakeAnd schools open to teach in their

mother tongueOne heart will be there for support.

Ýhsan declares that this is boundlesscare

Nor will this love's sorrow come to anend;4

He is bewildered when he looks in themirror:

Confronting him is a sad, mournfulface.

With the assistance of private lessons,I succeeded in completing mysecondary education in a shorter timethan was usual. My wish was to becomea medical doctor. In those years, Ibecame friends with Vahit, who was the

son of Salih Salim, a former Mayor(Þehremini) of Ýstanbul. I learned fromVahit that the best medical educationwas given in Vienna, and in Edinburghin Scotland. I took German lessons froma teacher who was a Brazilian citizen ofGerman origin. I also applied toEdinburgh University. I was informedthat the quota allocated for foreignstudents was full, and new registrationsfor foreigners would only be openedthree years later. They told me that theuniversity had an affiliate medical schoolin Baghdad, and that I could be acceptedinto the Edinburgh School of Medicinethree years later.

One had to be eighteen years old toapply to the Baghdad School ofMedicine. However, I was seventeen. Ispent that one year at the BeirutAmerican University School of LiberalArts. There, I studied the English andArabic languages, and took literaturecourses. The following year, in 1933, Iregistered at the Baghdad School ofMedicine. Three years later, I decided topursue my education at the ÝstanbulFaculty of Medicine instead of inEdinburgh.

In Ýstanbul, I was referred to Prof.Nurettin Berkol, Dean of the Faculty ofMedicine. When Prof. Berkol said thatthey did not recognize the BaghdadSchool of Medicine, I suggested that Istart from the first year. Prof. Berkol saidit would be a loss, but they couldexamine me and decide what level Iwould fit into, and proceed accordingly. Acommittee, with Prof. Akil MuhtarÖzden as the head, and on whichGerman professors also sat, examinedme in all aspects of medicine. I wasasked to evaluate tissue sections underthe microscope. I identified normal andcancerous cells. They asked me to wait.After a short while, the head of thecommittee, Prof. Özden, called me intohis office and informed me of theirdecision: "Son, you have completedmedical school. We will enroll you in thefifth class, which is the last year. Thenyou will work as an intern for a year." Atthe end of the fifth year's studies, I gotthe highest marks in all courses, and sostarted my internship at the head of theclass. Thus, I completed medical schoolin one year less than was normal.

In 1938, I started my specialization inpediatrics as assistant to Prof. AlbertEckstein at the Ankara Numune Hospital.

In the year 1940, when I was twenty-five, I began serving as a pediatrician atthe Child Welfare Society Hospital inBaghdad. This lasted four years. In thefollowing years, I continued my studiesand research in the specialized fields ofadvanced pediatrics at Harvard andWashington Universities in the USA. Inlate 1947, I was elected a member of theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics.Declining the offer of a universityteaching position in the USA, I settled inTurkey with my wife and two children.

The Ankara University Faculty ofMedicine had been opened a yearpreviously. Prof. Eckstein wanted me towork with him there as a teaching staffmember. In the following years, I was

able to establish an Institute of ChildHealth attached directly to the rectorateof Ankara University.

In the years 1961-1962 the Instituteestablished departments of nursing,medical technology, physiotherapy andrehabilitation, and dietetics and nutritionoffering the bachelor's degree in eacharea. The young staff I had sent toAmerica six years earlier for advancedtraining in medical specialties returnedto Turkey and joined the HacettepeChildren's Hospital established by theInstitute of Child Health. In 1963 asecond medical school was establishedwithin Ankara University, which wascalled the Hacettepe Faculty of Medicineand Health Sciences, and which used anentirely different system of education.

The original system of educationimplemented in this faculty arousedgreat interest at the international level.Many countries, with England andHolland at the forefront, wanted to studythe system on site and use it as a modelfor proposed developments in their owncountries. The following news itemappeared in the Dutch newspapersAlgemeen Dagblad and De Telegraaf:

“Jan Tinbergen went to Turkey as aconsultant on economics. Now, we areconsulting Ýhsan Doðramacý on education,and especially on medical education.”

In 1966, the British RoyalCommission chaired by Sir BrianWindeyer, Vice Chancellor of LondonUniversity, visited Hacettepe Faculty ofMedicine and Health Sciences to observethe new system. Following is a quotationfrom an article published in the January25, 1967 issue of Participant Journal:

“The members of the Royal MedicalEducation Commission have received anexcellent impression from what theyhave seen during their visit to theHacettepe Medical Center. It has beenconfirmed that there has been a greatand successful change in medicine,medical education, and hospitalmanagement in Turkey. Sir BrianWindeyer, Vice Chancellor of LondonUniversity, has told our reporters:

“‘The education system we are tryingto implement in England is being usedat Hacettepe Medical Center.’"

On the other hand, there were alsothose who could not stomach thesuccess of the Hacettepe Medicine andHealth Sciences Faculty. Ahmet EminYalman showed his reaction to theattacks made on this institution in hisbook Gördüklerim ve Geçirdiklerim,writing that he was "face to face with thebarbarians who made it their business todestroy that amazingly strong HacettepeOrganization."

Three months after the establishmentof the Hacettepe Faculty of Medicine,Ankara University elected me asuniversity rector. At the end of my twoyears as rector of Ankara University, Ithought the time had come to establish anew and dynamic university around theHacettepe Faculty of Medicine andHealth Sciences, dynamism being aquality lacking in the Ankara Universitysystem.

Indeed, Hacettepe University initiateda new system different from that in otheruniversities. During those years, boycottsand anarchy raged in the universities.Hacettepe was an exception to this. Assoon as the Hacettepe Special Act was inforce, the principle of inclusion ofstudents and junior instructors in theadministration was accepted.

After working as the rector ofHacettepe University for eight years, Idecided to go back to my profession,pediatrics. Thus, I accepted a visitingprofessorship at Paris V University.

Meanwhile, I was carrying out myduties as executive director of theInternational Pediatric Association. In1981 I gladly accepted an invitation toreturn to Turkey to oversee the reform ofhigher education. For six months I againinvestigated the regulations governingadvanced universities in variouscountries. The act I prepared wasaccepted by the government, and I wasappointed the President of the HigherEducation Council. There were peopleagainst the Higher Education CouncilAct, which went into force in 1981. Timeshowed that their doubts and misgivingswere groundless.

Upon my proposal, two articles relatedto higher education were added to the1982 Constitution, making possible theestablishment of nonprofit privateuniversities by foundations. In 1984,Bilkent University was established by thethree foundations that I had set up.Bilkent University thus became the firstnonprofit private university in Turkeyand enrolled its first students in 1986.Many scientists and statesmen who havefollowed the development of bothHacettepe University and BilkentUniversity have conveyed their admiration.

From 1992 onward, new privateuniversities started being set up:Baþkent University in Ankara, and Koç,Sabancý, and other universities inÝstanbul and other Turkish cities. Thenew system of higher education resultedin a boost in the numbers enrolled andin the quality of higher education. Thus,whereas in 1980 only 6.3% of the 4million young people of tertiaryeducation age in Turkey were attending auniversity or other school of highereducation, in 2006, 33% of the 6 millionyoung people in Turkey are able toattend a university. The total number ofuniversities, 24 of which are privateuniversities has reached 775. In the sameperiod, the country's international scientificresearch ranking rose from 44th to 19th6.

1 Then known as the Preparatory School of theAmerican University of Beirut2 Translated from the original "Erbil Hasreti"by Prof. Talât S. Halman3 Kunyan was a large Doðramacý family farmwith vineyards, gardens, streams, and water-powered mills.4 Adapted from the poem titled "Fly, Birds" byRýza Tevfik ("The Philosopher"), who lived inBeirut and was among the lecturers at ÝhsanDoðramacý's school at that time.5 As of February 2010 YÖK lists 45 foundationand 94 state universities, for a total of 139.6 Philadelphia, USA, Institute for ScientificInformation

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �Adapted from Bütün Dünya 2000, April 2006 (Original in Turkish)

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �Take an eraser in your hand and, starting with

Hacettepe University, erase the Faculty ofMedicine and all of the following: the Faculty ofDentistry, the Faculty of Pharmacology, and theSchool of Nursing. Then continue on to theother faculties located in the center of Ankaraand on the Beytepe campus. Erase them all.

Afterwards, erase the universities that wereestablished in the 1970s from east to west across Turkey -universities that began with little morethan a desk and a chair, but where today brilliantyoung people are being educated in sparklingbuildings.

Then, without leaving a trace, erase BilkentUniversity - a world-class university that wasestablished only after long years of a legal battleto have the Constitutional Court officiallyacknowledge its existence. And do not hesitate toerase the other foundation universities, includingSabancý, Koç, Baþkent, Yeditepe, Fatih, Bilim,and Bilgi, and scores of others. Be sure to erasethe thousands of students and parents, and theacademic and administrative staff associated with all these universities - not to mention thefully equipped hospitals at some. Finally, do notforget to erase the Turkish-medium schools innorthern Iraq.

Then, consider the hundreds of thousands ofTurkish children who have been able to receivehealth care from doctors equipped with the mostup-to-date medical knowledge; who have been fortunate enough to enjoy the satisfaction ofreceiving an excellent education; and to whom we have entrusted the future of our country - consider, and say this about them:

"She wasn't able to be treated or cured"; "He wasn't able to receive an education"; "Hedied before reaching the age of one."

In other words, imagine that in the 1950s, a pediatrician named Ýhsan Doðramacý hadnever appeared. Imagine that he had not made all these reforms in health and education areality by struggling with all his might - a struggle which, unfortunately, most members ofthe younger generations are not aware of.

And then - return to today and take a look at the tiny children attached to monitors inhospitals, and gaze into the eyes of the anxious parents waiting by their beds. Then look atthe bright young people who sit in the classrooms of schools and universities throughoutTurkey, their eyes focused on a different type of monitor, and at the proud and hopefulparents, waiting at home for their arrival…and, with the eraser still in your hand, askyourself, "Would it ever have been possible?" or, "What if it had never happened?"

DDS, PhD Yalçýn Ergir

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � ! � � � � " # � � # $ � � $ � %� � � � � � � # � � & � $ � �� � ' � � � � � � ' � $ � � � # � � ( � ) � � & � ' * + � � , � $ - � . �& � � ! � � � / $ � 0 � � "� � $ ' � � 1 � � � �2 1 � & 3 � 4 5 " 4 6 6 7 8When he left Iraq in 1944, Ýhsan

Doðramacý’s father made three requests: to kiss the ground when he set foot in Turkey, if he had a son, to name him Ali; and to build amosque in his name.

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �

Commemoration ceremonies will be held to pay tribute to Prof. Doðramacý

at the following locations and times: Saturday, February 27, at 9:30 a.m.

at Hacettepe University M Lecture Hall, at 1:30 p.m.the same day at the Bilkent University Concert Hall,

and Sunday, February 28, at 9:30 a.m. at the Council of Higher Education.

Funeral services will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2010, at Kocatepe Mosque

following the noon prayers and burial will take place at the Doðramacýzade Ali Paþa Mosque.

Yayýn Yönetmeni: Hande Seçkin OnatYayýn Yönetmeni Yardýmcýsý: Nil BeroYayýn Kurulu: Kürþat Aydoðan, Reyyan Ayfer,Mehmet Baray, Ümit Berkman, Nil Bero, HandeSeçkin Onat, Kamer RodopluEditör: Diane GrabowskiYazýþma Adresi: Bilkent Üniversitesi Ýletiþim Birimi 06800 Bilkent AnkaraBasýldýðý Yer: Meteksan A.Þ.Bilkent Üniversitesi Adýna Sahibi: Ali Doðramacý

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