3 GENERATIONS MET IN İZMİR
Prof. Dr. Eleanor A. Congdon whose mother and grandmother were teachers in American Girls High School for many years attended the conference as a speaker from the USA. Prof. Dr. Congdon said, “I feel like turning back home, I am very happy and excited.”
Eleanor Congdon told the lives of her grandmother and mother in American College and said that she felt home in İzmir that she came for the first time. Prof. Dr. Congdon stated that she was grown up by eating Turkish food at home and said, “We were eating yoghurt at home. In those days, people did not even know what yoghurt was. My mother was cooking Turkish food. Now I am eating Turkish food in here and I know how they taste. The streets I walk on are familiar to me. There are paintings of İzmir, which they painted on the walls of my mother's, my grandmother's home. I dreamed of İzmir for years by looking at those paintings. I feel like I am back home now. I did not feel disappointed. I am very happy. My mother was very excited too when she heard that I was coming to İzmir. İzmir changed the destiny of our family.”
Prof. Dr. Congdon told that she was raised by the stories about İzmir and Mediterranean saying, “I was very much impressed by the stories that my grandmother and mother told about İzmir and this region. That is why I decided to study history at the university. I am specialized on Mediterranean Maritime History during doctoral education. There are not much conferences organized on this subject. It is very important for me to attend such a conference being organized at İzmir University of Economics.”
She came during The Great Fire of İzmir
The life of Elsa Feichtinger, who came to İzmir during the Great Fire in 1922 from Austria to work as a gardener, changed when she met the founder of American College Olive Green. Olive Green realized that Elsa Feichtinger was a successful and hardworking person and invited her to American College to be an English teacher. Feichtinger meets James Calvin Keene who was also a teacher in American College in 1934. And they got married in the garden of American College with Turkish traditions and went to America.
Her daughter’s name is Olive too
Elsa Keene names her daughter that was born in 1935 after the founder of American College Olive Lenore. American College has an important role in Keene’s life. Keene comes to İzmir alone to be a teacher when she was 21. Olive Lenore Keene becomes an English and Biology teacher in American College during 1956-1959, and she works in archaeological excavations voluntarily. The talent of Olive Lenore Keene, who paints the pictures of these historical artifacts, attracts the attention of the excavation director Prof. Dr. George Hannfman. He encourages Olive to take art education in America. Olive Lenore Keene studies art history in Harvard and she becomes one of the first few women that get doctoral degree there.
