History of ASA

The Atatürk Society of America (ASA) was born out of the admiration of Hüdai Yavalar, a successful businessman from Washingtion D.C., for the founder of the Turkish Republic, M. Kemal Atatürk. Hüdai’s intention in establishing a civil society institution for the study and dissemination of knowledge about Atatürk was to make a contribution to the development of worldwide peace and prosperity. Accordingly, ASA was conceived to keep Atatürk’s thoughts, ideals, and successes active and not to not allow attempts to bury them in history’s annals. It is ASA’s hope that Atatürk’s legacy of rational governance, individual freedoms -in particular women’s more prominent standing in society-, and global peace by way of educational and economic development of all nations will be a model for the international community.

To this end, Hüdai and Mirat Yavalar with the participation of ASA’s first President of its Board of Directors Orhan Tarhan and a few other like-minded friends registered the Society in Washington D.C. in 1995. The succeeding Presidents were Metin Camcigil, Timur Edib, and Dr. Bülent Atalay.

Since its inception, the Society organized at least two events annually. The events consist of panel discussions, lectures, commemorative events, and publications. It occasionally made donations to primary education schools in rural areas and to projects that similarly support such schools in need. By virtue of the Society’s objective of promoting individual freedoms, education and human development in general (Atatürk’s principles), the Society established an association relationship with the United Nations in 2017.