OCTOBER 2007
WMF on the Web

WMF in the News

The Guardian: Court Battle for Tara Hill

NPR: WMF President on Maya sites with slideshow
Save the Date!

Join the Board of Trustees of the World Monuments Fund for the annual Paul Mellon Lecture on British Heritage. 

 

The lecture will be presented by Sir Tom Shebbeare, KCVO, Director of Charities to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales on Monday evening, November 19, 2007 in New York City.

 

Admission to the lecture and reception is by invitation only.  Invitations are free for WMF members and will be forthcoming. 

 

See this month's e-news for a special offer for new and renewing members or visit our website to join now.

Slideshow: WMF in Turkey
Red Church 
 
WMF began working in Turkey in the late 1980s at the ancient Greco-Roman city of Aphrodisias (above) in southwestern Asia Minor. Since then, WMF has supported conservation projects at a wide range of sites around the country. Visit the slideshow to see WMF's sites in Turkey.
Greetings!
Bonnie BurnhamWhen the World Monuments Fund presented its very first Hadrian Award twenty years ago, I could not have anticipated the impact it would have upon the preservation community. Each year, the Hadrian Award extends WMF's highest honor to an international leader who has advanced the understanding, appreciation, and preservation of the world's shared cultural heritage.
 

We are honored to present the 2007 Hadrian Award this month to Rahmi M. Koç, his sister Semahat Arsel, and the Koç family for their leadership in preserving Turkey's heritage. I can think of no better way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Hadrian Award than by honoring this remarkable family's long legacy of philanthropy and their unwavering commitment to protecting Turkish culture. 

 

I invite you to read on for more about the Koç family and WMF's work at sites across Turkey. I hope you will join me on October 19th in New York City at the Pierre Hotel when we present the Hadrian Award to this exceptional family.

 

Sincerely,

Bonnie Burnham

President

Hadrian Awardee: The Koç Family

The Koç family's extraordinary legacy in the Republic of Turkey began more than 80 years ago with the work of patriarch Vehbi Koç. An entrepreneur, businessman, and humanitarian, Koç established a corporate and philanthropic empire that supported the growth and democratization of the country.

 

Today, his children and grandchildren-son Rahmi M. Koç, and daughters Semahat Arsel, Sevgi Gönül (now deceased), and Suna Kiraç, along with Rahmi M. Koç's three sons, Mustafa, Ömer, and Ali-have successfully built upon this legacy. Under Rahmi Koç's leadership, the Koç Group of companies has grown into the country's most important conglomerate. Today, under the chairmanship of Mustafa Koç, it is Turkey's largest private employer with 93,000 employees.

 

The Koç family's commercial success can be described as a series of firsts. They built the first lightbulb factory in Turkey, the first local manufacturing plants for cars and trucks, and launched the country's first line of household appliances. Along with their business achievements has come a tremendous sense of obligation to the country, its people, and its cultural heritage.

 

Read more about the Koç family...

In Focus: Meryem Ana, Turkey

Just months after the announcement of its inclusion on the 2008 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites, plans are already underway to help save Turkey's Meryem Ana (Church of the Mother of God). 

 
In March 2008, the World Monuments Fund will send a technical mission, supported by the Kress Foundation European Preservation Program, to assess structural and interior conditions of the eleventh-century church.  The team will develop recommendations for stabilizing the site and will work with local stewards to develop a preservation plan for Meryem Ana.  Read more about the history of Meryem Ana.
WMF Welcomes New Staff
Lisa AckermanThe World Monuments Fund is delighted to welcome two new members to our senior staff: Lisa Ackerman, our new Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and Christine Squires, our new Vice President of Development.
 

Prior to joining WMF, Lisa (right) was Executive Vice President of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, where she served under WMF Chairman Emerita, Marilyn Perry, for 25 years.  Her background and experience at the Kress Foundation and her personal charitable work span both administration and program in the non-profit arts field. She holds an MBA from New York University and has recently completed work for a master's degree in historic preservation at the Pratt Institute. Her extensive philanthropic work and personal interests include serving on the boards of the New York Preservation Archive, Historic House Trust of New York City, and working in the Education Department at the Museum of Modern Art.  Lisa has had a lifelong interest in the fine arts and the performing arts, especially contemporary dance.


Christine SquiresChristine (left) comes to WMF after ten years with the US Fund for UNICEF, most recently as the Vice President of Marketing.  While there, she advanced through a variety of management-level positions in marketing and development. Christine was also a member of UNICEF's global marketing and fund-raising strategic planning team. Prior to the US Fund for UNICEF, Christine worked in the publishing industry as a promotions and marketing specialist, and had gained several years experience in retail management for both the May Corporation and Bergdorf Goodman.  Christine has traveled extensively through her work and personally, and brings with her a passion for WMF's mission of preserving the world's historic sites.

Membership at WMF
October is membership month at the World Monuments Fund and we invite you to take advantage of a very special offer.  Become a member or renew your existing membership by October 31st and receive a free gift subscription to ICON for a friend. 
 
As a member, you'lll receive your own annual subscription to ICON, too, along with invitations to special events and our membership travel program, discounts on WMF publications, and much more.
 
To join online, visit our website at www.wmf.org/membership, print and mail a membership form (pdf), or call Ragan Rhyne, Membership Manager, at 646-424-9594, ext. 247.
WMF Selected for the 2008 Combined Federal Campaign
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Are you a federal employee?  If so, you may be eligible to contribute to WMF through the Combined Federal Campaign.  WMF is proud to be among a select few international cultural organizations eligible to receive these contributions from federal employees.  Visit the Combined Federal Campaign website for more information.

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