Sayas
- U Ba Toke (GBNF) was a proud Great Grandfather.
- Daw Khin Saw Tint (GBNF) was a proud Great Grandmother.
Alumni
- Bo Lwin Swe (EE61) is a proud Great Grandfather.
- Zau Lai (EP69) is also a Proud Great Grandfather.
Author: Hla Min (Lifelong Learner)
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Great Grandparents
U Ba Toke Daw Khin Saw Tint Bo Lwin Swe Zau Lai -
Paying Respect
ဆရာ ဆရာမတွေ ရော
ကျောင်းသား ကျောင်းသူ ဟောင်း တွေ ရော
အို — နာ — သေ တွေ မနည်း တော့
ကိုမြင့်နိုင် ဥမ္မာခင် တို့ ဘေး က လည်းမလွတ်သေး
Reunion နဲ့ ပူဇော်ပွဲ လုပ်ဘို့ က ခက်ခဲ
တ နာရီ လောက် တောင် သက်သက်သာသာ မထိုင်နိုင်
နာရေး မှာ ကုသိုလ် ပြုတာ ထက်
ကပ် ဆိုး မှာ ကူ တာ က ပို အကျိုး ရှိ
ဘဏ် မှာ ကိုယ့်ငွေ တောင် ပြန်ထုတ် ဘို့ ခက်ခဲ ချိန်
ဆရာ ဆရာမ တွေ အိမ် ကို သွား ပြီး
ပူဇော် ကြ တာကို
သာဓု (သုံးကြိမ် မက)
ခေါ်လိုက်ပါတယ်။
အလှူ ရှင် ၊ လုပ်အားပေး အား လုံး
ကျန်းမာ ချမ်းသာ လန်းဖြာ ကြပါစေ။
ကောင်း တဲ့ ဆန္ဒ ဆုတောင်း များ အမြန်ဆုံးပြည့် ကြပါစေ။//
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Aung Zaw
- Hosted several UCC gatherings at his house.
- Provided delicacies cooked by Ma Kyawt.
- One special gathering was to pay respect to Dr. Chit Swe (Founder of UCC) and Dr. Freddie Ba Hli (Advisor and Board Member of UCC) in 2006
UCC Gathering in 2006
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Associations
- R.U. Society of Electrical Engineering Students
- BSCE
- Association of Engineers in Burma after the Second World War
- RITAA
- Swel Daw Yeik Foundation (SDYF)
- Burmese American Professional Society (BAPS)
- RIT Alumni International
- NorCal RITAA
- Burmese American Society for Engineers and Scientists (BASES)
- Myanmar Engineering Society (MES)
- RIT Buddhist Association
- Theravada Buddhist Society of America (TBSA)
- Tathagata Meditation Center (TMC)
R.U. Society of Electrical Engineering Students
Executive Committee (1960 – 61)
Burmese Society of Civil Engineers
Working Committee (Founded 1959)
Association of Engineers in Burma after the Second World War
The account was retold by Saya U Tin U and recorded by Saya U Ba Than.
- Re-instituted about 1955-56
- President : Sayagyi U Ba Hli, Dean of Engineering, University of Rangoon
- Honorary Secretary : Saya U Soon Sein (Professor, Mining)
- Honorary Treasurer : Saya U Tin U (Part time Lecturer, Civil)
RITAA
Overview
During the Adhamma Era, many associations (especially student and alumni organizations) were not allowed.
With the dawning of the Pwint Linn Era, RIT-YIT-YTU Alumni Association was allowed to register, but many alumni were not aware of the association and its objectives. Only a few (mostly members of the “80000 YaThay”) actively participated in the formative events. There was virtually no fund to operate.
Then, things started to click.
- Space for the Alumni Association was provided by YTU
- Donations — large and small — were received (mostly for the YTU Library Modernization Project which is a requirement for the Accreditation)
- Membership (Life membership for K60000) grew.
- Saya’s Corner was established.
- Staff and Volunteers helped with the regular and ad hoc projects
- Young alumni came forward to help with the leadership
Post AGM
RITAA (formally known as RIT-YIT-YTU RIT Alumni Association) has conducted the AGM (Annual General Meeting). The Interim Committee headed by U Tin Latt (M85) is to be congratulated for the work being done.
The AGM elected U Myo Aye (M94) as President for the term 2018 – 2020.
Swel Daw Yeik Foundation
SDYF provides Annual Medical Check up for eligible sayas and sayamas.
SDYF also provides some financial assistance to eligible sayas and sayamas.
When a Saya or Sayama passes away, SDYF offers 2 Lakh Kyats to the bereaved family.
SDYF offers 4 Lakh Kyats to eligible sayas and sayamas
- for Hospitalization
- for frequent medical check ups
- for severe loss of mobility
SDYF also considers case-by-case for sayas and sayamas needing financial assistance for health care.
U Khin Maung Tun is the President and major donor of SDYF.
Burmese American Professional Society (BAPS)
With the approval of Sayagyi U Aung Khin, BEA (mostly RIT alumni) and BASTS (younger engineers and scientists) merged to become BAPS.
Saya U Nyo Win (M65), Benny Tan (M70) and Maurice Chee (M75) served as President of BAPS.
U Aung Myint (Henry Lim) served as Chief Editor of BAPS Newsletter.
Saya U Thein Aung (Met72) was Burmese Language Editor.
They would volunteers as Editor of the commemorative issue of “RIT Alumni International Newsletter” for SPZP-2000.
I served as Contributor for BAPS Newsletter and as Chief Editor of RIT Alumni International Newsletter.
RIT Alumni International
The Association was formed by members of the San Francisco Bay Area Group led by Saya Allen Htay (C58) with the main objective to host the First RIT Grand Reunion and Saya Pu Zaw Pwe in 2000.
There are several posts about SPZPs.
NorCal RITAA
The Association was formed to revive the RIT-related activities in Northern California.
- Scholarship for eligible children of Alumni attending a US University
- Scholarship for eligible students attending YTU
- Training Component of the YTU Library Modernization Project
- Additional donation for the YTU Library Modernization Project
Past Presidents : Saya U Maung Maung (George, ChE66), U Kaung Kaung Oo (Gordon, M83)
President : U Aung Myint Oo (EC84)
Past Chair of BOD : Stan Liou (M67)
Chair of BOD : Saya U Myat Htoo (C68)
Burmese American Society for Engineers and Scientists (BASES)
The Association was founded by Saya U Tin Htut (M60), U Tin Htway (M59) and U Tun Tin (David).
It is based in Southern California.
Past Presidents : Saya U Tin Htut, U Tin Htway, U Tun Tin, Saya Dr. Tin Win (M62), Saya Dr. Chris Lee (M59), U Khin Maung Lay (T68), U Thura Thant Zin (M76)
President : U Tin Nwe (Milton Sein, C68)
Myanmar Engineering Society (MES)
Myanmar Engineering Society is a Non-Profit Organization. It is not an Alumni Association, but several sayas and alumni served as EC members.
Past Presidents : Dr. Sein Myint, Saya U Nyi Hla Nge, U Than Myint, U Han Zaw, U Win Khine
RIT Buddhist Association
Some sayas served as Patrons of the RIT Buddhist Association. Some alumni served as EC members.
- Saya Dr. Thein Hlyne
- Saya U Sein Maung (EE63)
- Saya U Lin (M66)
- Saya U Tin Shwe (EP66, GBNF)
- Saya U Soe Myint (Min83)
- U Kyi Twe (A70)
- U Myint Soe (M79)
- U Sein Win (C80)
- U Maung Maung Lay
The Association’s activities include
- Kathein robe offering
- Library of Buddhist books
- Ovada of sayas and sayamas
Books
The RIT Buddhist Association published two books for SPZP-2012.
- Collection of the Ovada (Exhortations) of the sayas and sayamas [mostly Professor and/or Head of Departments or their representatives] given at the “Arcariya Pu Zaw Pwes” at RIT/YIT.
- History and the activities of the RIT Buddhist Association. Contributors include Saya Dr. Thein Hlyne, Saya U Sein Maung, Saya U Linn. Saya U Soe Myint, and several EC members (notably U Maung Maung Lay and spouse).
Theravada Buddhist Society of America (TBSA)
TBSA was formed to support the Dhammananda Vihara and its activities.
During a Dhamma Duta mission in 1979, Mahasi Sayadawgyi agreed to leave two sayadaws to carry out the missionary work in the US.
Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa’s life and accomplishments have been recorded in the
- Dhammananda Newsletters
- TBSA website
- Commemorative book (“Maw Gun Win Sar Saung”)
- DVDs about Sayadaw’s “Last Journey” and his lifelong achievements (including the first Rectorship of IMBTU).
TBSA hosts several events every year.
- Htamane Pwe and Ovada Patimauk Ceremony
- Myanmar New Year (Thingyan Festival)
- Full Moon Day of May (Thrice Blessed Day)
- Waso robe offering
- Thadinkyut Festival
- Tazaungdaing Festival
- Monthly weekend retrea
- Long term retreats
- Summer Dhamma Camp for youths
Tathagata Meditation Center (TMC)
I was a volunteer Translator/Interpreter for Meditation Retreats at Tathagata Meditation Center (TMC).
TMC provided several books as Dhamma Dana. -
Cartoon Myo Myint
U Myo Myint (M73)
He designs covers for the RIT Annual Magazines and the commemorative Swel Daw Yeik Magazines.
He is an expert in “Pon Tu” (Portrait) and “Oil Paintings”.
He also draws cartoons.
The cartoons remind me of the following :
- Three female friends who were known as Half Size, Full Size and Double Size
- Several “Pho So Chin” and “Mike Khe” in the USA, Australia, Singapore and Myanmar
- Some classmates and schoolmates who excel in extra curricular activities so much that they bade farewell to RIT before graduation
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Cartoon Myo Myint
U Myo Myint (M73)
U Myo Myint (M73) has designed covers for the RIT Annual Magazines and the commemorative Swel Daw Yeik Magazines. He is an expert in “Pon Tu” (Portrait) and “Oil Paintings”.
U Myint Pe (M72) has posted cartoons by U Myo Myint.
The cartoons remind me of the following :
- Three female friends who were known as Half Size, Full Size and Double Size
- Several “Pho So Chin” and “Mike Khe” in the USA, Australia, Singapore and Myanmar
- Some classmates and schoolmates who excel in extra curricular activities so much that they bade farewell to RIT before graduation
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Name (2)
Video Broadcast on November 5, 2020
Overview
Zartar name
Naming ceremony
Naming practices
D or DOW : Day of week
associated with Letters
associated with a numberOne word names
Aung
Ba
Cho
Khin
Nu
Thant
…Two word names
D repeated
Aung Aung
Aye Aung
Khin Khin
Khin Kyi
…D, D+1
Aung Gyi
Aung Khin
Khin Sein
Kyaw Zaw
…Miscellaneous
Sons of U Paing
Myo Paing
Soe Paing
Win Paing
Kyaw PaingStylish for a period
Start with BA
Start with ZAW
…Three word names
Start with D
Aye Aye Khin
Aye Aye Kyi
Ba Yin Aung
Ba Yin Lay
Bo Bo Han
Kyi Kyi Htay
Tin Tin Aye
Tin Tin Win
…D-1, D, D+1
Htun Aung Kyaw / Tun Aung Gyaw
Aung Kyaw Zaw
…*****
Longer Names
Thane Oke Kyaw Myint
Khin Maung Thet Cho Oo
…Old Passports
Did not mention that the following are prefixes
Maung
Ko
U
Ma
Daw
Ashin
…Caused problems to some Myanmar
Miscellaneous
Confusion of some names
Khin Maung Zaw
called burma his colleagues as Khin ZawSome changed spelling
Khin : Kin
Khine, Khaing : Kai
Thein : Thane
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RUBC Members
RUBC Members Old and Current
The Rangoon University Boat Club (RUBC) was founded by Law Professor Sir Arthur Eggar in 1923.
Details can be found in
- Autobiography of Sir Arthur Eggar
- Commemorative Issues (e.g. 90th Anniversary of the founding of RUBC)
- YUBC Facebook pages
I attended the Annual Regatta for 2019 with my brother U Sein Htoon (Captain, ARAE Champion in 1960) and my brother-in-law U Myo Myint (RUBC Gold in 1962).
Program
The Regatta had a program for
- current male members
- current female members
- old members (with specified age groups)
- mixed for current members
- mixed for current and old members
- current vs old members
Races include
- single sculls
- double sculls
- 4- (coxless fours)
- 8+ (coxed eights)
Attendees
- U Tin U (Most senior Past Captain)
- Bohmu Maung Maung Than Tun (Oldest Past Captain, GBNF)
Older than U Tin U by a few months
Passed away in 2021 - Dr. Myo Tint (Past Captain, GBNF)
Younger brother of U Tin U
Victim of Covid in 2021 - U Sein Htoon (Past Captain, ARAE 1960)
- U Myo Myint (Gold, 1962)
- Dr. Than Nyun (Past Captain, OMA President)
- U Tun Shein (Gold, 1954)
- U Tun Mra (SEAP 1959 and 1961)
Recently lost his spouse - U Tin Myint and U Hla Kyi
- (Sons of Arzani U Razak)
- U Khin Maung Latt (Rowing, Soccer, 4×100 m Burma Record in 1957)
- Old members and their families
Club House
Some young members told me that they are trying to the Yangon Heritage Plaque for the Club which will turn 100 in 2023. The original club house was damaged during the Second World War. The club house was rebuilt with the support of old members and interested sponsors / donors. The club house was “taken over” by a restaurant (which finally agreed to move to a new location).
We are glad to see members spanning several generations at the regatta.
Hope to see universities from neighboring nations come and participate in regattas held in Myanmar (may be for the RUBC Centennial in 2023).
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U Ba Than’s Birthday
U Ba Than - Birthday : October 2, 1930
- U Ba Than celebrated his birthdays with meritorious deeds.
He usually offered soon to the monks at Tipitaka Yaw Sayadaw.
He would invite his colleagues and former students to the Soon Kwyay. - The Class of 69 — mostly M69ers — would pay respect to Saya around his birthday.
78th Birthday in 2008
- There was a special Gathering for Saya’s 78th Birthday (which fell on a Thursday).
- Maung Sein Win (Padeegone) paid respect with a Kabyar.
- Saya handed out his Memoirs to the attendees.
82nd Birthday in 2012
- The following photos are from the Soon Kyway.
88th Birthday in 2018
- He offered the Birthday Soon Kyway at Tipitaka Yaw Sayadaw’s Kyaung.
- He also donated the Garawa money that he had received (e.g. from the SPZPs and his former students) to charities.
- The charities include :
Jivitadana,
Little Sisters for the Poor,
Mary Chapman’s school for Deaf & Dumb,
…
90th Birthday in 2020
- Due to the pandemic, Soon Kyway was scaled down.
- Birthday celebrations were done via Zoom Meetings.
- U Tin Htoon (A60) and U Htaik San (Henry Kao, M80) compiled a Photo Book as the Birthday Present.
91st Birthday in 2021
- Due to the pandemic and security issues, the public celebrations were put on hold.
Miscellaneous
- Saya enjoys the company of his colleagues, friends and former students.
U Wynn Htain Oo remembered Saya’s “Kha Na Nay Bar Ohn” requests. - Saya U Win, U Hla Win, and U Aung Moung (GBNF) offered Transportation to attend the SPZPs and Gatherings.
- U Tha Htay organized Mechanical Sayas a trip (around the SPZP-2012).
- Saya U Tun Shwe took extra care of Saya U Ba Than for the Singapore SPZPs.
- Sayas and alumni in Singapore helped Saya U Ba Than during his trips for medical check up and treatment.
- Saya was a Core Supporter of the HMEE project.
He donated many photos.
He also coordinated with U Thaw Kaung to provide Saya U Soe Paing & team access to the Archives of Rangoon University Central Library. - See related posts.
Comments
- Aung Min :
I talked with Saya on 25/11/21.
He is fine , now 92
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NorCal RITAA
- Saya U Maung Maung (a) George (ChE66) served as the first President
- U Kaung Kaung Oo (a) Gordon (M83) is Past President
- U Aung Myint Oo (EC84) is Past President
- U Tin Maung Win (C86) is current President
- U Stanlislau (a) Stan (M67) served as the first Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Saya U Myat Htoo (C68) is the current BOD Chair
- Web site : run by U Tin Maung Win (C86)
- FaceBook page : run by U San Lin (M87)
- Evite : run by U Myint Swe (EP74)
- MailChimp : run by U Yu Ket (a) Edward Saw (EC85)
- Extremely low overhead / expenses (due to hosts, sponsors and donors)
- Awards (plaques, certificates)
- PR : NorCal RITAA pens
donated jointly by U Edward Saw (EC85) and U Myint Swe (EP74) - Committee to supervise NorCal RITAA Scholarships
- Ad hoc committees formed to address specific issues
e.g. sharing of knowledge and expertise with alumni in Myanmar
AGM in 2018
- Soon offered to the monks at Mudita Shwe Kyaung
- Mohinga, desserts … for all attendees
- AGM meeting headed by Saya U Nyo Win (M65) and Saya U Myat Htoo (C68)
- U Nyunt Than (M84) acted as Master of Ceremonies.
- Saya U Myat Htoo (C68, Chair, Board of Directors) presented an Opening Speech
- He later handed out awards to Sponsors and Donors
- U Kaung Kaung Oo (a) Gordon (M83) and Daw Lillian (EC83) survived the raging fires in Napa, but they had to wait three weeks before returning to their “Home Sweet Home”. Due to 75 mph winds, a sizable percentage of the vineyards and homes took a heavy toll.
- They donated to the Scholarship Fund and also encouraged their 83 Classmates (U Kyaw Myint, Daw Ni Ni Sein …) to pledge or donate.
- Saya U Nyo Win accepted the award for Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt (M60).
- List of donors/sponsors is maintained by U Ko Ko Zin (M84) and U Myint Swe (EP74).
HlaMin 