Sümer Pek RC 53

Prof. Dr. Sümer Belbez Pek passed away in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on May 24, 2026. Born in Ankara, Türkiye, in 1933, Pek earned his MD and PhD degrees from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich before relocating to the United States in 1960. He spent much of his distinguished career at the University of Michigan Medical School, where he ultimately became Professor Emeritus. A physician-scientist and endocrinologist, Pek devoted his career to advancing the understanding and treatment of diabetes and endocrine disorders. His research on insulin secretion, pancreatic islet biology, and hormone regulation contributed significantly to the field and was published extensively in leading medical journals. His scientific achievements were recognized with numerous honors, including awards from TÜBİTAK and the Nokta Science Award. Beyond his research, he was a respected educator, mentor, and academic leader whose intellectual rigor, integrity, and dedication to medicine and science earned him the admiration of colleagues and students alike. He also remained deeply connected to the Turkish community, serving as a founding member of the Turkish American Cultural Association of Michigan and maintaining close ties with Türkiye throughout his life. Pek will be remembered for his kindness, humility, scholarship, and enduring contributions to medicine, science, and education. His legacy lives on through the many students, colleagues, patients, and loved ones whose lives he touched.

Cem Kozlu RA 65 Makes His Fiction Debut

After authoring a number of non-fiction books, Cem Kozlu has finally written his first novel, Sandima Tableti  (The Sandima Tablet, Remzi Kitabevi). Kozlu says that he wanted to try his hand at fiction because he hoped to entertain his readers while also exploring some of his ideas about history:

“I write because writing requires reading and research, and those activities satisfy my curiosity. But above all, I write because I enjoy it. I enjoy playing with syllables, words, sentences, paragraphs, and sections. You plan them, move them around, cut things out, and then add others until you feel you have done your best.”

To avoid young readers in the RC community, Kozlu recommends his book  Liderin Takım Çantası  (The Toolkit of a Leader, Remzi Kitabevi), which aims to share practical approaches to self-management and leadership with young people, as well as Sandima Tableti, which he describes as entertaining summer reading.

Kozlu remembers his years at RC fondly:

“My writing career started at our newspaper,  The Bosphorus. I also acquired my first official title there as president of the Model Airplane Club, which we establish thanks to the encouraging and empowering approach of the late RA principal, Cornelius Bull. The friendships forged over eight memorable years have endured and flourished throughout a lifetime, becoming the most important and lasting legacy of my years at Robert Academy.”

 

Ayşe Kulin ACG 61 Writes a Literary Biography of Atatürk

Ayşe Kulin’s latest work,  Aylardan Kasım, Günlerden Perşembe  (The Month is November, the Day is Thursday, Everest Yayınları), takes a deeply personal approach to Türkiye’s founding leader. A piece of biographical fiction, the book attempts to shift the focus away from the well-known public persona of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to explore his private, inner world. Kulin blends her empathetic prose with historical research to create a multi-faceted portrayal: “I combined the love of Atatürk in my heart with the knowledge I accumulated through reading so many sources about him. I wanted my readers to encounter the inner life of a man who has been a friend, lover, husband, divorcee, and ultimately, a sick and lonely man—not just Atatürk the Good Soldier and Founding Father.”

This nuanced perspective on leadership and humanity reflects Kulin’s own intellectual foundation. Addressing the RC graduating class in 2012, she had fondly recalled the core values she gained from her alma mater: “We blended the selfconfidence of the West with the inner discipline of the East, and we gained insight. A self-confidence that doesn’t overwhelm others, an awareness devoid of arrogance!” It is precisely this balanced insight and lack of arrogance that Kulin now brings to her literary portrait of Atatürk, seeing beyond the myth to honor the man.