Dr. Ayten Berkalp, who visited our University to examine, sign and interview the “Encyclopedia of the Unforgettable of Veleybol” written by Gülnür Özfer Özfer and donated to our library, was welcomed with great interest by the students. Our Rector Prof. Dr. İlkay Salihoğlu, President of Fenerbahce Businessmen Association Mr. Burçin Aliusta and Mrs. İlkay Erşaşmaz Turanlı, who donated the encyclopedia to our university library, and other officials and students were also present at the signing ceremony held in the Grand Library Exhibition Hall.
WHO IS DR AYTEN BERKALP?
Dr Ayten Salih Berkalp was born in 1934 in Magosa. She completed primary school in Limassol, secondary school at Nicosia Victoria Tali Girls’ School, high school at Istanbul Çamlıca Girls’ High School and university at Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in 1960. Ayten Salih was the first Turkish Cypriot athlete to take part in the Turkish National Volleyball Team. She founded the Fenerbahçe Sports Club’s Volleyball Girls’ Team in 1954 with her friends and served as captain in volleyball, basketball, athletics and rowing competitions for six years, winning almost all championships. From 1958 onwards, she was selected for the national team in volleyball and played successful matches as captain against Czech, Hungarian, Romanian and Bulgarian teams. As the founder of Fenerbahçe Girls Basketball Team, she broke the Turkish personal scoring record by scoring 25 points in basketball. As captain of the Fenerbahçe rowing team, her team became champion. She took part in the founding of the Fenerbahçe athletics team and won first place. Ayten Salih graduated from university in 1960 and worked as a physician in the Republic of Cyprus, which became independent on 16 December 1960, and served as undersecretary of the TRNC Ministry of Health after the Cyprus Peace Operation. He retired in 1991 and served in the Public Service Commission between 1995 and 2004. In 2015, he received the ‘Letter of Congratulation’ award in the ‘Sportive Fair Play Career Branch’ at the “2015 Turkey Fair Play Awards” organised by the National Olympic Committee of Turkey.