İhsan Doğramacı's 98th Birthday Commemorated April 3: Bilkent Day
Photograph by Aydın Ramazanoğlu
April 3, the birthday of Bilkent's founder, Prof. İhsan Doğramacı, has come to be known on campus as Bilkent Day. This year, the 98th anniversary of Prof. Doğramacı's birth, commemorative events were as always held at the university in honor of the occasion.
A highlight of the day was the celebration organized by the School of Applied Technology and Management at Le Piment Rouge Restaurant. A banquet was prepared and served by students of the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, who were extremely happy to contribute to the event by preparing the dishes and serving their guests. These included the Doğramacı family and members of the university administration. Chef Elif Denizci created a special menu for the occasion, and students under her supervision prepared the food. The service was superbly handled by students under the supervision of Service Instructor Ali Ünal.
The celebration at Le Piment Rouge marked the continuation of a tradition begun during Prof. İhsan Doğramacı's lifetime, when students of the school prepared and served a special birthday meal for him. This year's event included a photo presentation depicting some of those earlier celebrations. In addition, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Ali Doğramacı, Rector Abdullah Atalar and Kamer Rodoplu, director of SATM, addressed the guests. Prof. Doğramacı thanked all the students for their efforts and remarked on the significance of the date, stating, "Bilkent Day will continue to be celebrated each April since, as the birthday of our beloved founder, it is a day of joy for the Bilkent community."
Another highlight came in the evening, when a special commemorative concert by the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra took place at the Bilkent Concert Hall. Işın Metin conducted the performance, which featured soloist Shlomo Mintz on violin. The program consisted of Respighi's "Fontane di Roma," Mendelssohn's Concerto for Violin in E minor and the Mussorgsky-Ravel "Pictures at an Exhibition."