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THE LATE FEZA ALTINOGLU
Country: United States of America
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The late Feza Altinoglu of Phoenix, Arizona was one of those power engines in her Turkish American
community. She continually struggled to pass her cultural heritage to the new generations, to our
children. She was a beacon of Turkish American community in her quiet but caring and determined style.
She had not only served on the board of the Turkish American Association of Arizona (TAAZ) for several
years, but also served as the president of the association since 1999, when she spearheaded major efforts
to arrange fundraising activities, including a telethon, following the devastating earthquake in Turkey.
She was a role model for all Turkish Americans, young and old, in civic responsibility and in
volunteerism (such as being an organizer for the MS Walk), all the while carrying major responsibilies at
home and at work. Feza was a section leader with Global Information Technology unit of American Express,
transferred to Arizona in 1996 with her family from Australia to implement a major imitative she had
formulated at American Express in Australia. Her two sons, 13 and 19 as well as her husband Ilker have
also been tireless contributions to TAAZ.
Feza, unfortunately passed away after a traffic accident in March2002. The Turkish American community is
devastated by her loss. The pouring of sympathy and grief from old and young is immense. With her quiet
but determined style of leadership, she was certainly an epitome of modern Turkish woman, highly educated,
with strong cultural values, with strong skills in community building, all the while carrying those
around her forward, in thinking and in deed.
Feza Altinoglu was a true Daughter of Ataturk with her selflessness, commitment and passion for
everything she believed in and worked on.
http://www.feza.info
Written by Prof. Filiz Ozel of Arizona State University
Asst. Prof Esma Gel of Arizona State University also contributed to this article.
Sema Karaoglu
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