TACAM

th
30 Anniversary
TACAM Timeline
„ Turks coming to America
„ 1958 Turkish Minister of
Foreign Affairs
„ Turkish Crescent Association
„ TACCM is created in 1972
„ New Name TACAM, 1976
„ TACAM Building, 1981
„ Future of TACAM
Turks Coming to America
„ Around WWI,
thousands of Turkish
men immigrated to
Metro Detroit
„ Auto Industry
„ Single & Old Fashion
„ Slowly Died Off

Suleyman Halil – Born 1886 in Erzurum

Moved to America in 1910 to work for Ford Motor Company
Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs

„ Fatin Rustu Zorlu visit in 1958

„ Key Speaker at the Detroit Economic Club
„ Visited the local Turkish community in Michigan
Two Turkish Associations
„ Detroit (Greek town area)
„ Small group lead by Nuri bey
„ Organized as a club
„ Turkish Crescent Association
„ Dearborn (building)
„ Organized as an association
„ Religious
Turkish Crescent Association
„ Roughly 100 members in late 1950s
„ President Malik bey, VP Mehmet Ali
„ Needed a new young generation
„ Nami Hazneci was VP in 1959
„ Only 15 members in 1969
„ Sold the Building in 1969 to Dearborn
„ Donated $15,000 to Turkish Kizilay
 What Next?

„ No Turkish association
„ Many new young Turks in Metro Detroit
The Roots of TACAM
„ Many families had social events and kept
their Turkish culture intact

„ However, a few saw a vision to keep the

Turkish culture in the future of Michigan
Visionaries of TACAM
Celal Colak
Nami Hazneci
Naci Karca
Baha Onder
Nedret Tavlan
Serap Gurol
Organizing TACCM
„ 1971 Cumhuriyet Bayrami
„ Restaurant in Ann Arbor
„ More than 100 Turks attended the event
„ Profits from the event were used towards
„ Milton Silverstein, lawyer
„ First Meeting at Naci Karca’s house
Turkish American Cultural
Center of Michigan
May 12, 1972
Articles of Incorporation was
filed with Michigan

„ Celal Colak „ Naci Karca

„ Serap Gurol „ Nedret Tavlan
„ Nami Hazneci „ Adnan Varol
First Executive Board of Directors

„ Nedret Tavlan – President

„ Yildiz Hazneci – Vice President
„ Serap Gurol – Treasurer
„ Ayse Colak – Secretary
 TACAM
„ 1976, the official name of the association
was changed to:
Turkish American Cultural Association of Michigan
TACAM
Newsletter
The Role and Events of TACAM
„ TACAM was an association with no building so
many of the meetings were done at private
homes and offices

„ The parties were done at homes and a few at

banquet halls
TACAM Events for All
Turks and Americans
TACAM Picnics
TACAM Kid’s Club
Cultural Events within Michigan
International Institute in Detroit
Mayor Coleman A. Young
Ambassador Sukru Elekdag
1980 Visit
TACAM Building
„ TACAM needs a place to grow and
establish its roots, 1980
„ A Building Committee was established
„ First Meeting May 13, 1981
„ Donations to purchase a building
„ $17,000 by June, 1981 (1 month)
„ $39,000 by February 1982
 Building Committee
Kemal Goknar – President

Co-Chairmen
Hami Hazneci – Eti Gursel – Selcuk Ozil

Planning Fund Raising

Baha Onder Ayse Colak

Technical Search
Nasut Uzman Evelyn Sonbay
28847 Beck Road, Wixom, MI

„ $112,000 – Purchased for $90,000

„ Closing Day: Dec, 12, 1981
„ Beginning of a New TACAM!
Open House
„ March 28, 1982
„ More than 100
Families attended the
Open House
„ More than 80 families
donated on average
$500
„ The Cultural Center
belongs to everyone,
whether $1 or $1000
The Foundation Grows
Children’s Club
Picnic Celebrations
Friends & Family
Dancing
Special Events
TACAM Helps the Community
Earthquake Collection
 Adapazari School

TACAM Collected over $100,000

 Presidents of TACAM

Nedret Tavlan Gulseren Ovacik

1972-1976 1976-1978
Kamil Sonbay Kemal Goknar
1978-1980 1980-1983
Fikret Dengiz Kemal Goknar
1983-1986 1986-1987
 Erol Ucer Ahmet Bayar
1987-1988 1988-1989
Evelyn Sonbay Attila Yaprak
1989-1990 1990-1991
Faik Gurocak Bulent Gencel
1991-1993 1993-1994
Celal Colak Cengiz Arici
1994-1995 1995-1996
Ersin Bayraktar Yavuz Goktas
1996-1997 1997-1998
Nurten Ural Mine Tasci
1998-2000 2000-2002
Sibel Koyluoglu Birol Halacoglu
2002-2003 2003-2004
Canan Ozaktay Leyla Ahmed
2004-2005 2005-2006
Mehtap Aksoy
2006-2007 2007-2008
 TACAM
TACAM is more than an organization about cultural
identity and preservation; it’s about a warm, inviting
place for new friends to meet, a place for old friends
to share stories, and most importantly a place where
all members have an equal voice, the voice of the
Turkish American community in Michigan. Like an
extended member of the family, over the past thirty
years, TACAM has become an integral part of so
many lives.
The Face of TACAM’s Future

Thank You!