First in Burma in the Matriculation examination of 1963. Had perfect scores of 100 in Mathematics and Chemistry and a score of 99 in Physics. Grapevine says that one point was deducted from the initial score.
Selected as “Lu Ye Chun” from IM (1)multiple times.
Due to changes in the Education System, he had to do his Masters locally.
His persistence paid off in getting Fellowships from UK and Australia and an MD.
Retired from FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the USA.
Volunteered as translator/interpreter for dhamma courses and meditation retreats.
Young Khin Maung U can be seen standing from left in the second last row in the photo taken in Std. VIII(A) at SPHS.
A newspaper clipping shows the top Matriculates from SPHS in 1963 led by Khin Maung U.
Khin Maung USPHS VIIIA
Khin Maung Oo (Ivan, M69)
Did his MS in the USA.
Completed two PEs (one for New York and another for New Jersey).
Successful entrepreneur.
Multiple Golden Sponsor for SPZPs.
Hosted annual gatherings at his New Jersey home for RIT and UCC Alumni (with Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi and Saya U Soe Paing as Honored Guests).
Co-founder and Patron of MASTA
See Family Photo
Ivan Ivan & Family
Khin Maung Oo (Master Mariner)
PBRS Alumni
Taught in Burma and Malaysia.
Lives in Houston. He and his spouse Daw Tin Tin Win are helping the Burmese sea men visiting the Houston port.
He was re-elected as Chair of BOD (Board of Directors) of NorCal RITAA (Northern California RIT Alumni Association) at the AGM (Annual General Meeting) held at Mudita Shwe Kyaung, Hayward, Northern California.
He is a founding member of RIT Alumni International and NorCal RITAA and a Core Organizer for SPZP-2000.
U Tin Maung Win (C86)
He was elected as President.
He is a Past Secretary. He gave a presentation on the history and activities of Norcal RITAA.
New Blood
Several new EC members (Maung Maung Moe Zaw, Bo Ni) are young, enthusiastic alumni who have passion to keep the RIT Spirit alive and well.
Communication
The full list of EC and BOD, and details of forthcoming events are provided on the NorCal RITAA web site by the Communications Officer and the Secretaries.
Thanks to
Past Presidents: Saya U Maung Maung (George Chan, ChE66), U Kaung Kaung Oo (Gordon Kaung, M83) and U Aung Myint Oo (EC84)
Past Chair of BOD : Stan Liou (M67)
Photographer : Richard Khoo (Dhatu Kyaw Lin, ChE76)
He was listed in the “Guinness Book of World Records” for his phenomenal memory. When Burma hosted the Sixth Buddhist Council in 1954 – 56 to commemorated the 2500th year of the “Sasana Calendar”, Sayadaw acted as the “Reciter” of the Tipitaka (Triple Basket : Vinaya (Monastic rules of conduct), Sutta (Discourses), and Abhidhamma (Ultimate Reality)) and selected Commentaries. According to the Kaba Aye Edition, the Tipitaka covers 8000+ pages.
To prepare for the Buddhist Council, Sir U Thwin requested Mingun Sayadaw to take the Tipitaka examination. Sayadaw passed the Oral and Written tests for the Three Baskets with Distinction. He was the first Sayadaw to be conferred “Bearer of the Tipitaka & Treasurer of the Dhamma”. The Oral tests will fail a candidate if he needs five (or six) prompts. Sayadaw did not need a single prompt. The Written tests cover in-depth topics. During the recitation, Sayadaw amazed the examiners by pointing out the variations of the text and highlighted the preferred version.
Sayadaw received requisites. He distributed them to the monks (in the town where he received them). To help ease the monks trying to pass one or more Baskets in the [later] Tipitaka examinations, Sayadaw set up a monastery in Mingun and accepted monks who had finished their Dhammacariya.
Mahasi & Mingun Sayadaws
Memory Types
We have a short term memory and a long term memory.
When people age, most retain their long term memory, but they often experience decline of their short term memory.
My young cousin approached us and then uttered, “I forgot what I was about to say”.
My high school classmate would abruptly stop in the middle of our walk and pondered, “Did I lock the door?”
Ko Tun Aung’s uncle (GBNF) could recall his primary classmates but could not recognize his beloved grand kid.
There are books and courses about memory.
According to some authors, we could use “chunking”, “association”, “reinforced (non-blind) repetition”, … to move important and worthwhile items in the short term memory into long term memory.
Memory is not static. It is elastic. There is restructuring (reorganizing, indexing, …) every time we use it.
There are techniques (mnemonics, visualization, …) to train and improve our memory.
Thanks to the sayas and colleagues who complimented for having a good memory. I was a mini-dictionary, a micro-encyclopedia, and a reliable proof-reader & spelling checker. May be it was partly because I was born before the pervasive use of Internet and on-line tools, and there was not too much diversion.
There are a few who want to down play the importance of memory by saying, “I can Google …”
During our school days we had to learn World History (Feudal system, Renaissance) and Burmese History (called “Yazawin”and renamed as “Thamaing”).
Later, after hearing from the Thin sayas, Myin sayas, and Kyar sayas, I became interested in some aspects of history : History of computers and computing, History of Myanmar Engineering Education, “Truth or fiction?” about historical events, …
Burmese History
After the first Anglo-Burmese war (in 1824), the British annexed Rakkhine (Arakan) and Tennasserim (Taninthayee).
After the second war (in 1852), the British annexed Lower Burma.
After the third war (in 1885), the British annexed Upper Burma. Burma became a British Colony.
For some time, the British Governors would base their office in India and rule both India and Burma.
ICS (Indian Civil Service) examinations were held in India and UK. It was succeeded by BCS (Burma Civil Service).
Formal history of Burma has been written by British scholars (Harvey, Luce, …) and later by native scholars (Dr. Kyaw Thet, Dr. Than Tun, Bohmu Ba Shin …).
Informal accounts of Burma can be found in the works by Indians (Tagore, …), British (Maurice Collis, George Orwell, …) and Burmese (Dr. Htin Aung, U Po Kyar, …).
The conventional wisdom is that our neighbors entered the country in three phases.
Burmese archeologists and geologists found “ancient sites and quite old fossils and bones” to indicate that there were early inhabitants, but they could not completely counter the “migration theory” proposed by the British historians.
Pyu is an ancient civilization, and some Pyu sites are “preserved” as UNESCO Cultural Heritage Sites.
Dr. Than Tun
Some sayings
History repeats itself.
We should learn history so that we may not be stupid or dumb.
There is usually no single correct history. Often there are parallel, competing histories.
“Pazat Yazawin” and “theories” should be evaluated with the help of kyauk sar (stone inscriptions).
Even in the peer-to-peer refereed papers, there are discrepancies and [unintentional] errors.
National Archive, Burmese History Commission, and Burma Research Society used to hold artifacts about Burmese History.
He was struck by a baton on December 20, 1938 during the third RU student boycott. He is an early casualty in the struggle for Burma’s independence. He was named “Bo Aung Kyaw”. Sparks Street was renamed as Bo Aung Kyaw Street. December 20 is known as “Bo Aung Kyaw Nay”.
Ko Harry Tan
He was a Seventh Student from SPHS. He was hit by a stray bullet. In 1956, there was a leakage of the Government Seventh Standard examination causing a protest close to Ko Harry’s house. All those who took the “Harry Tan Khun Hnit Tan” were declared to pass.
Ko Aung Khin
He was on his way back from RUBC (Rangoon University Boat Club) to his house in Windermere Road when he was hit by a stray bullet. He was listed in the Government newspapers as the 17th casualty of 7th July 1962.
Ko Phone Maw
He was hit by a stray bullet on March 13, 1988. Ko Soe Naing and Ko Myint Oo were also hit and hospitalized in not-so-humane conditions. Ko Soe Naing succumbed to the gun shot wounds. Ko Myint Oo survived. The “Burma Human Rights Day” and “Phone Maw and Soe Naing Nay” became milestones in Burma’s history.
He served as Professor of Mathematics and Dean of Arts at Rangoon University. Saya wrote notes for Burmese songs. His spouse Daw May Than was a vocalist. His son Ko Mya Than played the guitar and the piano.
U Kar
He served as Minister of Education in the Care Taker Government, and later as Rector of RU. His son Dr. Tin Maung served as Mathematics Lecturer, Director of UCC, and Rector of ICST.
U Ba Toke
He served as Professor (of RU and RIT), Rector, MASU. Saya taught mathematics to our sayas (then engineering students). As a saya of our sayas, Sayagyi was invited to the SPZP’s starting with SPZP-2000 held in California, US. His life and journey can be read in the book authored by Saya Dr. Khin Maung Swe (Maung Thin Char, GBNF).
Book
U Net
He served as Professor of Mandalay University. His daughter (Daw Khin Mar Mar) studied Physics and Computer Science. His grandson (U Wunna Ko Ko) designed and implemented the second RIt web site. He is an expert on NLP (Natural Language Processing).
Dr. Chit Swe
He served as Professor, Founder-Director of UCC, and Rector, RASU. Saya founded UCC with the help of Saya U Soe Paing, Saya U Myo Min, and Saya U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF, brother of U Than Htut (M67, RUBC Gold)). Saya U Soe Paing wrote “Computer Ah Sa UCC Ga” and several articles. I posted 40+ blogs on “Memories of UCC”.
As an assistant to Dr. Chit Swe in his projects (e.g. “High School Mathematics”, “Children’s Treasury of Knowledge”, “UCC”, … I worked with several Mathematics sayas and educators (Maths curriculum, …) They include U Tin Hlaing, U Sein Min (GBNF), Dr. Khin Maung Win (GBNF), Dr. Khin Maung Swe (GBNF), Dr. Pyke Tin, Dr. Kyaw Thein (GBNF), Dr. Saw Tin (GBNF), and Dr. Kyaw Nyunt.
Mathematics is central to several other disciplines (Engineering, Physics, Economics, and Computer Science).
The Lucasian Professorship and Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge University has been held by Sir Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawkings.
John Nash (Mathematician”, “A Beautiful Mind”) won the Nobel Prize for Economics.
HlaMin 