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Today's Zaman , Turkey
Sept 19 2010
'Vahram Çerçyan designed Atatürk's official signature'
Last month, an objection came in from America in regards to a news
story carried in Turkish newspapers about the signature of Atatürk
having been designed by Sabiha Gökçen.
Dikran Çerçyan, the 90-year-old son of legendary teacher Hagop Vahram
Cerçyan, notes that it was in fact his father -- who in his time
taught many important people in Turkey -- who designed Atatürk's
signature, and what's more, many people have known this fact for
years. Çerçyan insists the story carried in Turkish newspapers was
wrong, that his father designed five different styles of signature for
Atatürk and that one of them was chosen and used by Atatürk until the
time of his death. Çerçyan goes on to note that one of the business
cards designed by his father for Atatürk is still on display at the
Atatürk Museum in Şişli.
He says his father designed the signature on a night in March and that
during the first hours of the project, he even watched his father at
work. Recalls Çerçyan: ''I don't remember the exact day, it was
probably the evening of the day when the Surname Law had been passed,
and there was a policeman, a civil servant and a parliamentary worker
who came to our door. My mother opened the door, and when she saw the
policeman, she thought something had happened at school. My father
worked through the night all the way until the morning on that
signature. I watched him the first hours he worked. He used up many,
many pieces of paper, trying different signatures, but he wasn't
pleased by any of them. I was just a 13-year-old child, and after a
while, I got bored and walked away. When I woke up in the morning,
some officials came by our home and took the sample signature with
them. For years and years, Atatürk used my father's design as his
signature, and we were so proud of this. My father even received a
letter of thanks from Atatürk on this subject."
The original request for Vahram Çerçyan to come up with an official
signature to be used by Atatürk came from some MPs. Çerçyan notes that
he doesn't understand why such baseless allegations are being made
about the actual origins of the signature but says there are those in
Turkey who are uncomfortable that it was an Armenian citizen who
designed it. Çerçyan says he received phone calls from many Turkish
friends living in Turkey when the incorrect story about the signature
emerged and that the friends all urged him to object to the story.
Says Çerçyan, "I just laugh at what has been said." He also notes his
father never received any payment for the signature and that he
definitely wouldn't have accepted any if it had been offered.
Among the 25,000 students taught over a 55-year-teaching career by
Çerçyan, there were some very important names, mostly linked later
with the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Some of Çerçyan's
students included former Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit and Foreign
Ministers Selim Sarper and Turgut Menemencioğlu. Dikran Çerçyan
explains that his father also prepared many books for Turkey to help
the new Turkish alphabet spread over the nation after the alphabet
revolution and that he always told his students: "Write well. Legible
writing will give you at least a 50 percent chance of being
successful."
Çerçyan notes that his father was always very proud of Turkey.
Insisting that there is really no difference between Turks and
Armenians, Çerçyan says: "There never was any problem between these
two peoples. These days here in New York, my best friends are Turks.
When I get together with my Armenian friends, we all speak Turkish. I
was born in 1919 in New York, but when I die, I wish to be buried in
İstanbul."
19 September 2010, Sunday
MEHMET DEMİRCİ NEW YORK
From: A. Papazian
Sept 19 2010
'Vahram Çerçyan designed Atatürk's official signature'
Last month, an objection came in from America in regards to a news
story carried in Turkish newspapers about the signature of Atatürk
having been designed by Sabiha Gökçen.
Dikran Çerçyan, the 90-year-old son of legendary teacher Hagop Vahram
Cerçyan, notes that it was in fact his father -- who in his time
taught many important people in Turkey -- who designed Atatürk's
signature, and what's more, many people have known this fact for
years. Çerçyan insists the story carried in Turkish newspapers was
wrong, that his father designed five different styles of signature for
Atatürk and that one of them was chosen and used by Atatürk until the
time of his death. Çerçyan goes on to note that one of the business
cards designed by his father for Atatürk is still on display at the
Atatürk Museum in Şişli.
He says his father designed the signature on a night in March and that
during the first hours of the project, he even watched his father at
work. Recalls Çerçyan: ''I don't remember the exact day, it was
probably the evening of the day when the Surname Law had been passed,
and there was a policeman, a civil servant and a parliamentary worker
who came to our door. My mother opened the door, and when she saw the
policeman, she thought something had happened at school. My father
worked through the night all the way until the morning on that
signature. I watched him the first hours he worked. He used up many,
many pieces of paper, trying different signatures, but he wasn't
pleased by any of them. I was just a 13-year-old child, and after a
while, I got bored and walked away. When I woke up in the morning,
some officials came by our home and took the sample signature with
them. For years and years, Atatürk used my father's design as his
signature, and we were so proud of this. My father even received a
letter of thanks from Atatürk on this subject."
The original request for Vahram Çerçyan to come up with an official
signature to be used by Atatürk came from some MPs. Çerçyan notes that
he doesn't understand why such baseless allegations are being made
about the actual origins of the signature but says there are those in
Turkey who are uncomfortable that it was an Armenian citizen who
designed it. Çerçyan says he received phone calls from many Turkish
friends living in Turkey when the incorrect story about the signature
emerged and that the friends all urged him to object to the story.
Says Çerçyan, "I just laugh at what has been said." He also notes his
father never received any payment for the signature and that he
definitely wouldn't have accepted any if it had been offered.
Among the 25,000 students taught over a 55-year-teaching career by
Çerçyan, there were some very important names, mostly linked later
with the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Some of Çerçyan's
students included former Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit and Foreign
Ministers Selim Sarper and Turgut Menemencioğlu. Dikran Çerçyan
explains that his father also prepared many books for Turkey to help
the new Turkish alphabet spread over the nation after the alphabet
revolution and that he always told his students: "Write well. Legible
writing will give you at least a 50 percent chance of being
successful."
Çerçyan notes that his father was always very proud of Turkey.
Insisting that there is really no difference between Turks and
Armenians, Çerçyan says: "There never was any problem between these
two peoples. These days here in New York, my best friends are Turks.
When I get together with my Armenian friends, we all speak Turkish. I
was born in 1919 in New York, but when I die, I wish to be buried in
İstanbul."
19 September 2010, Sunday
MEHMET DEMİRCİ NEW YORK
From: A. Papazian