Cambridge University Home club of Sir Arthur Eggar
RBC (Rangoon Boat Club) Exclusive for Europeans and Anglo-Burmese
RUBC (Rangoon University Boat Club) : Founded in 1923 by Sir Arthur Eggar (Law Professor, RU); He pledged one-third of his salary for the Clubs operation; He donated a Challenge Cup (Pewter and brooches) for the Senior Novices. U Nyo’ s donation to RU Estate helped build the RUBC Club House; U Nyo donated a Challenge Cup (for the Inter-Club Eights)
RUBC
Defense Services Rowing Club Initially from Burma Navy
Marine Youth (Ye Gyaung Lu Nge)
Regattas
Rag Regatta : One day event; Finalists for the Novices race are seeded for Monsoon Regatta
Monsoon Regatta
Annual Regatta
Inter-Varsity, e.g. CURC
ARAE, e.g. Calcutta, Colombo
FEARA, e.g. Hong Kong, Singapore
Challenge Cups
President’s Cup : for Inter-Club Coxed Eights
Prime Minister’s Cup : for Inter-Club Coxed Fours
Commemorative Publications
40th Anniversary Issue (in 1963) : Sithu U Tin, U Po Zon & U Tin Htoon
90th Anniversary Issue (in 2013) : U Tin Htoon (Chair), U Myo Myint (Vice Chair), U Htaik San (Henry, Secretary), U Hla Min (Contributing Editor) …
Sir Arthur’s Autobiography : Reprint funded by selected Old Members
RUBC Old Members
They are fondly known as Old Crocs (or Crocodiles).
When RUBC was destroyed due to the ravages of war, the Old Crocs rebuilt the Club and provided physical, financial and spiritual support to the members to compete against the best from neighboring countries.
During our younger days, there is an “Old Members Race” at the Monsoon and Annual Regattas. The contestants range from young Old Members to the iconic Past Champions.
The Old Crocs have their mini-reunions where ever possible. They also share memories of the precious photos (e.g. of U Chan Tha, Jimmy Saw Lwin, …)
U San Maung(Gerald, GBNF)
Past Secretary & RUBC Gold
Club Coach — He would find time from his work as Production Manager of “Amotha Yoke Shin”, and come down to RUBC to mentor the members (especially the aspiring Golds). He would mandate “fixed tub” practice for the members.
Dr. Htut Saing (Harry, GBNF)
Past Captain & Gold of RUBC
ARAE Champion twice
Won Venables Bowl for Coxless Pairs at the 1958 ARAE Regatta in Calcutta with Tin Htoon (A60)
Won Willingdon Trophy for Coxed Fours in the 1960 ARAE Regatta in Colombo with Tin Htoon (A60), Sunny Teng, Victor Htun Shein (GBNF) and Sein Htoon (M63, Cox)
Usually rowed as Box on the RUBC crews. As an exception, he served as Timing Stroke and Coach for the RUBC Eights in 1962. Win Kyi (RUBC Gold, son of Miss Hong) rowed as No. (7). There were seven new Golds in that crew : Myo Tin (William Hone), Htain Linn & Mehm Myo Thaung (Maurice) for the Stroke side, Myo Myint (EC67), Oung Kyaing & Thein Aung (Micky Tan) for the Bow side and Tin Aung (Victor Wu, Cox).
Dr. Pe Nyun (Past Captain and Gold of RUBC) and Dr. Htut Saing were Pediatric surgeons at the Rangoon Children Hospital. They operated on Ma Nan Soe and Ma Nan San.
Continued working and teaching in Hong Kong. He became Patron of the Hong Kong Rowing and Sailing Club. He would fully support the RUBC crews competing in the FEARA Regatta in Hong Kong.
Dr. Thein Toe and Dr. Htut Saing
Reunions
U Tin U, U Maung Maung Than Tun, Saya U Tin Htut, Saya Dr. Than Nyunt (George), U Tin Htoon, Dr. Donald Chan, U Tun Shein (Willie), U Tun Aung (George), U Sein Htoon, Dr. Tin Wa, U Myo Myint, U Thura Thant Zin, U Htaik San (Henry), and several Old Crocs attended Regattas (especially the 90th Anniversary of the founding of RUBC).
Most of them contributed articles, photos and financial support for printing the commemorative issue, and for reprinting Sir Aurthur Eggar’s biography.
Sad to note that there was some disjoint between the really young members (who are busy with the competitions) and the really Old Members (especially who travel from abroad to attend the events).
My Journey
Senior Novices Runner-up (in 1963) Myint Soe (Willie Soe Maung, Stroke, GBNF) Kyaw Wynn (3) Hla Min (2) Maung Maung Kyi (Bow) Myint Thein (Cox)
Honorary Treasurer (1964 – 65)
Vice Captain (1965 – 66)
Contributing Editor for 90th Anniversary Issue (in 2013) Prelude for each section Three articles
Donated for reprint of Sir Arthur’s Autobiography
Memories of RUBC Series in YUBC Old Members Facebook Group
I wrote an article on the Burmese Calendar for the BAPS Newsletter.
Article
January
First month of the Gregorian Calendar
Named after Janus, two-faced God (symbolic to bid farewell to the old year and usher in the new year)
Jan 1 : New Year’s Day
Jan 4 : Independence Day in Myanmar
Martin Luther King’s Day in US
Sometimes : Lunar New Year
February
Second month of the Gregorian Calendar
Has 28 days in a Common Year and 29 days in a Leap Year
My poem for Union Day Supplement in WPD
Burma/Myanmar
February 12
Pyidaungsu Nay (ပြည်ထောင်စုနေ့ Union Day) is a public holiday in the Union of Burma. It commemorates the signing of the Pinlong Sar Choke (ပင်လုံစာချုပ် Panglong Agreement) on February 12, 1947. February 13
Bogyoke Aung San was born on February 13, 1915. He was named Htain Lin. He later changed the name to rhyme with that of Aung Than (his elder brother). Arzani U Ba Win is their eldest brother. Centennial celebrations for Bogyoke were held in 2015. February 13 is also as Khalay Myar Nay (ခလေးများနေ့ Children’s Day).
Tabodwe Festival (Sometimes)
The Full Moon of Tabodwe တပို့တွဲ often falls in February. Two celebrations are held.
Htamane Pwe (ထမနဲပွဲ Sticky Rice Festival)
Ovada Partimauk Day (ဩဝါဒပါမောက် Exhortation)
USA
February 14
Valentine’s Day (Chit Thu Myar Nay ချစ်သူများနေ့) is not a public holiday, but many people send greeting cards and presents.
Presidents’ Day
In the early days, there were two holidays. One to celebrate George Washington’s birthday and another to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Later a single holiday in February to honor all US Presidents was proposed. Some states continue to celebrate the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln.
Canada
“Family Day” (holiday) is observed on the 2nd Monday of February in Ontario.
Family Day is observed on the 3rd Monday of February in British Columbia.
LunarNew Year
Some countries (e.g China and Vietnam) observe the Lunar Year.
The Lunar New Year occurs at the end of January or the beginning of February. The date is not fixed in the Gregorian Calendar.
It fell in February in 2018 and 2019.
Days
February is the shortest month in the year with 28 days in a Common Year and 29 days in a Leap Year.
A common year has 365 days, while a Solar year has 365.2422 days.
A year which is not a Century year is a Leap Year if it is divisible by 4. The discrepancy of .9688 days is rounded up to a day.
A year which is a Century year is a Leap Year if it is divisible by 400. This ensures that there are 97 leap years in four centuries.
February supposedly had 30 days, but one day each was transferred to July (honoring Julius Caesar) and August (honoring Augustus Caesar) to have 31 days in those months (worthy of Roman Emperors). February was left with 28 days.
Ripley’s “Believe it or not” illustrated a grave stone which had February 30.
March
First month of the old Roman Calendar
Third month of the Gregorian Calendar
Mar 2 : Peasant’s Day တောင်သူလယ်သမားနေ့ was moved from Jan 1 in order to celebrate the Coup D’eat
Phone Maw Day
Burma’s Human Rights Day (celebrated by Berkeley)
Mar 27 : Resistance Day was renamed as Armed Forces Day
First Day of Spring : Persian New Year
April
Second month of the old Roman Calendar
Fourth month of the Gregorian Calendar
Thingyan : Three or four days of Water Festival
Myanmar New Year
The deadline for filing taxes in the USA is around mid-April
May
Third month of the old Roman Calendar
Fifth month of the Gregorian Calendar
May 1 : May Day in some countries
May 5 : Cinco de Mayo
Mother’s Day in the US
June
Fourth month of the old Roman Calendar
Sixth month of the Gregorian Calendar
Jun 6 : D Day
Jun 6 : Ah Loke Thamar Ah Yay Ah Khinn အလုပ်သမားအရေးအခင်း
Father’s Day in the US
July
Fifth month of the old Roman calendar Had 30 days
Renamed July in honor of Emperor Julius Caesar and was given an extra day
Seventh month of the Gregorian Calendar Has 31 days
My beloved father was born on 1st July.
Jul 4 : Independence Day in the US
Jul 7 : Students’ protest that was brutally crushed
Jul 8 : Demolition of the Rangoon University Student’s Union
Jul 19 : Arzani Nay အာဇာနည်နေ့
Apollo 11 landed in Tranquility Bay on the Moon in July 1969. Neil Armstrong (Mission Commander) and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin (Lunar Module Pilot) stepped on the Moon. They set up the US Flag. They collected lunar rock samples. Michael Collins (Command Module Pilot) circled around the Moon and waited for the return of the Lunar Module.
Poem
My poem “Men on the Moon” was forwarded by Mr. Hall (USIS) to NASA.
The poem was published in the Guardian Daily.
Dark day in July 1947
Nine Arzanees — seven Ministers, one Secretary and a body guard — were gunned down on July 19, 1947. Eight perished that day. Sao San Htun succumbed a day later.
Bogyoke Aung San
Thakin Mya
Deedoke U Ba Cho (Grandfather of Dr. Khin Hla Cho & Daw Khin Myint Cho)
Mahn Ba Khine (Father of Sayama Daw Myint Myint Khine)
Mong Pawn Sawbwa Sao San Htun (passed away in the hospital on July 20, 1947)
U Ba Win (Elder brother of Boyoke, Father of Dr. Sein Win)
U Razak (Father of U Tin Myint & U Hla Kyi)
ICS U Ohn Maung (father of Saya U Tin Maung Thein)
Yebaw Maung Htwe
There are books & documentaries on the “unsolved mystery”.
Two dark days in July 1962
According to the newspapers, 17 died on July 7, 1962.
Ko Aung Khin, who was stuck by a stray bullet as he was returning home from Rangoon University Boat Club, was listed as the 17th victim.
The revered RU Student Union was demolished on July 8, 1962.
The celebration of the 7th July in the following year (1963) ended with the closure of Universities — with the exception of the Faculties of Medical and Engineering.
August
Sixth month of the old Roman calendar Had 30 days
Renamed August in honor of Emperor Augustus Caesar and was given an extra day.
Eighth month of the Gregorian Calendar, and it has 31 days.
8-8-88 : start of a long struggle to restore Democracy in Myanmar
Anniversaries
There are several birthdays in my family.
Two sisters, my grand daughter, several cousins and I are August born.
Aug 2016 at HMB
In August 2016, Maurice Chee (M75) organized a birthday soon kwyay မွေးနေ့ ဆွမ်းကျွေး for me at the Dhammananda Vihara ဓမ္မာနန္ဒဝိဟာရ in Half Moon Bay, California. The sayas and alumni presented me an Appreciation award.
Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa passed away on August 13, 2005.
Three of my in-laws : Father-in-law, Mother-in-law & Brother-in-law passed away in August.
Daw Mu Mu Kin (spouse of Saya Allen Htay (C58)), U Myint Swe (EP74, NorCal RITAA) and U Thein Naing (Patrick, La Phet Yay Waing member) are also August born.
Party for August born
One of them hosts an August-born Birthday Party. In August 2018, U Patrick (Thein Naing) and Daw Mie Mie hosted a lunch gathering for the August born at Moss Beach Distillery. They also presented a book for us.
Is 8 lucky?
8-8-88 (August 8, 1988) and the following days mark the hope and then despair of the people longing for the end of the Adhamma Era.
Grapevine says that the event was inspired in part by numerologists who remembered the historic event (about Mingyi Yan Naung) in 888 Burmese Era and extrapolated the magic of No. 8 from three 8’s to four 8’s.
Most Chinese think that the number 8 is lucky. For example, Beijing Olympics was opened on 8-8-08 (August 8, 2008).
September
Seventh month of the old calendar. “Sept” means Seven.
Ninth month of the Gregorian calendar. It has 30 days.
Crushed the hopes of Multi-party Democracy in 1988
Occasionally : End of Burmese Buddhist Lent
October
Eighth month of the old Roman calendar. “Oct” means Eight
Tenth month of the Gregorian calendar. It has 31 days.
Occasionally : End of Burmese Buddhist Lent (Thadinkyut သီတင်းကျွတ်)
“Deepavali” or “Diwali” celebrations are also celebrated around October. It is known as the “Festival of Lights”.
“Halloween” occurs every year on October 31 (i.e. the day before “All Saint’s Day” which falls on November 1). It is celebrated with “Trick or Treat” by the children and optional “Halloween Costume Party” by young & old adults.
Due to differences in the calendars, the Bolshevik Revolution is wrongly referred to as the “October Revolution”.
Ocktoberfest is a festival held in October.
The Annual Pumpkin Festival with the bragging rights to the “heaviest” Pumpkin is held along Highway 92 in Half Moon Bay in Northern California. The traffic is really bad in the area for most of October. The 7-mile strip takes an hour or more during the Festival period.
Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi’s birthday is October 1.
Sayagyi U Ba Than offers soon dana for his birthday on October 2. Sayas, former students and friends are invited to the soon kway. The Class of 69 usually offers Garawa at Sayagyi’s place (Winner Inn).
November
Ninth month of the old Roman calendar. “Nov” means nine.
Eleventh month of the Gregorian calendar. It has 30 days.
Anniversary of my beloved parents
Tazaundaing often fall around November
Kathein ကထိန် robe offering often take place in early November. Must be held during one month following the Full Moon Day of Thadinkyut (which usually falls in October).
November 1st is “All Saints Day”. Preceded by Halloween (which falls on October 31st).
DST (Daylight Savings Time) requires resetting the clock according to “Spring forward. Fall back.” Currently, DST is set back in Fall (Autumn) on the Sunday following Halloween.
The second Tuesday of November is scheduled for US Elections at the various levels. (a) The Presidential Elections occur every four years. (b) The mid-term elections occur every two years. The House of Representatives serve two year terms. (c) Senators serve six year terms. To ensure continuity in the Senate, the election of the Senators is staggered into three groups.
Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November.
Black Friday & Cyber Monday following Thanksgiving have massive sales. Some companies start their “Black Friday” early in November.
Several English words (e.g. November, Black Friday) have lost their original meaning.
November 11 is celebrated as Veterans Day in the USA.
It is celebrated as Armistice Day in the UK and France.
A hundred years ago, Truce was called between the Allied Forces and Germany.
The Truce occurred at 11 AM, marking the event with three 11s.
First World War officially ended a year later with the controversial Versailles Treaty.
Elections in the US (Local races every year, House of Representatives every two years, One third of Senators every two years, President every four years)
Nov 22 : JFK assassinated (Conspiracy Theory survives)
Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the US
December
Tenth month of the old Roman Calendar. “Dec” means Ten.
Twelfth & last month of the Gregorian Calendar. It has 31 days.
U Thant Ah Yay Ah Khinn ဦးသန့်အရေးအခင်း dark day in the history of Burma
When Rangoon University was established in December 1920, it had the Department of Law.
U May Aung served as the first Professor.
U May Aung
U May Aung
U May Aung (Barrister-at-law, LL.D) served as Professor of Law from 1920 -1922.
Rakkhine national
Later became Home Minister
Father of Daw Mya Sein (Scholar).
Sir Arthur Eggar
Sir Arthur Eggar
Law Professor (1923 – 1937)
Earlier : Lecturer in the Maths Department at Rangoon College, and Legal Advisor in the Middle East
Founded Rangoon University Boat Club in 1923. Elected as Life President.
Pledged a third of his salary for the operation of RUBC.
Wrote autobiography (in three installments) for the Guardian Magazine in the mid 50s.
Autobiography
Several Old Members including me reprinted his autobiography for the 90th Anniversary of the founding of RUBC. YUBC OMA has copies of Sir Arthur Eggar’s autobiography.
Dr. Ba Han
Dr. Ba Han
Alumnus of Sorbonne University
Law Professor for two terms : (1937 – 1942) and (1946 – 1950).
Rangoon University was closed for a period during the war.
Complied a dictionary.
Dictionary
Dr. Ba Maw (Adipati) is his brother. He earlier was English Lecturer at Rangoon University.
Both brothers attended De La Salle Schools.
U Kyaw Myint
U Kyaw Myint
Stood first in Burma in Matric with distinctions in all subjects from Central. He was selected by Mr. Matthew Hunter (Principal of Rangoon College) to take the Entrance exam of Calcutta University to study Medicine. He requested the Principal that he wanted to pay last respect to his mother. The Principal warned that he would be expelled if he did not take the entrance exam. He attended his mother’s last journey and was expelled from the College. Worse still, his father threatened to disown him. The Kan So Kan Kaung story of U Kyaw Myint can be read in a series of blogs by his son Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint and re-printed in my web site hlamin.com
Served as Professor of Law and Dean of the Faculty of Law from 1950 – 1958.
Earlier served as Justice of High Court and Supreme Court, Head of the Tribunal that tried Galon U Saw and co-founder of a political party with Dr. Ba Maw. He later founded his law firm.
Has an elder brother (ICS U Tin Tut), two younger brothers (U Myint Thein & Dr. Htin Aung), and three younger sisters (Daw Khin Mya Mu, Daw Khin Saw Mu & Daw Tin Saw Mu).
According to Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint, his father had full confidence in his students (e.g. Guardian U Sein Win, Sao Hso Holm, U Mya Thein).
Law Professors (for the later periods)
U Myint (1958 – 1961)
U Aung Khine (1961 – 1964)
U Hla Aung (1965 – 1971)
U Tin Ohn (1971 – 1986)
U Tin Aung Aye (1986 – 1994)
Daw Than Nwe (1994 – 2007)
Dr. Daw Khin Mar Yi (2007 – 2018)
Law Degrees
In the early days, BL (Bachelor Law) was studied as a post-graduate degree (e.g. after B.A. or B.Sc.)
Several student politicians enrolled in the program to preserve their eligibility as RU students.
Under the new Education System, LL.B was established.
It was a five year study after Matriculation.
Related posts in RU Centennial
First batch of LL.B graduates
Several other batches
Sayamas known for their beauty and teaching.
Dr. Maung Maung Kha’s daughter Daw May Thi Ka was a sayama at the Law Department before she moved to the USA. She was a core organizer and coordinator for the groups raised fund for Saya Kha’s Centennial.
Some practitioners of Law took exams for HGP and RL.
One may study Tarot cards for fun, e.g. don’t be scared if the reading says that “your house is going to be damaged”; or be happy if the reading says that “a new family member is on the way”
Some may study and practice Tarot cards for profit, e.g. professional reader/advisor
There are websites & publications for Tarot
I used to have a Tarot deck and a book. It covered a brief history, the meaning of each card, and several spreads for Tarot readings.
Tarot Deck
It consists of 78 cards
22 cards belong to the Major Arcana
56 cards belong to the Minor Arcana
The two Arcanas supposedly indicate long term versus short term events & whether an event is in control versus uncontrollable
Major Arcana
22 cards
Include Fool, Lovers, High Priest, High Priestess, Emperor, Empress, Hermit, Sun, Moon, Stars, Tower, Chariot, Tower, Strength, Judgement …
Minor Arcana
4 suits
Each suit has 14 cards : One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Page, Jack (Knight), Queen, King
Total of 56 cards in the Minor Arcana
Styles
The Tarot Decks come in different styles.
The suits may be named differently in the decks, but the underlying concepts hold.
Options
Beginners usually use the “Straight up” option (where a card may be good or bad).
With experience, one might try “Allow Reversals” (where every card has two meanings : one for upright & another for reversed).
One might also try “Consider Significators”.
Spreads
After shuffling the deck, one lays our a selected number of cards in a pattern.
One card only : Decision making for a specified problem
Three Card Spread : used to interpret the Past, Present & Future.
Celtic Cross places 7 cards in the form of a cross. The cards represent problem, influence (positive & negative) and likely outcome (and suggestion).
Maurice Chee (Hla Myint Thein, M75) : Past President, BAPS; Founding member & Financial Controller, RIT Alumni International; Co-chair, Working Committee, SPZP-2000; Founding member & Past Vice President, NorCal RITAA; Donor and organizer, Books to YTU Library; Seminar, YTU Mechanical Engineering Department
Maurice
Than Po (M75) : Luyechun; Zat Saya, Yangon SPZPs; Musician : Piano, Pattala Composer
Than Po
Win Khaing (M75) : RUBC Gold; Past President, MES; Union Minister; Organizer, SPZP-2004 and SPZP-2012
M75
Ye Lin Oo (M75) : Retired after teaching in Brunei; Co-Organizer, M75
Mar Mar Yee (M75) : Member of Htee Yein in 1970 (RU Golden Jubilee); Minthamee, Swel Daw Yeik Ah Nyeint; Vocalist; Master of Ceremony, M75 & All Mechanical Gathering
Mar Mar Yee
Soe Aung (M75) : Senior in marriage to class mates
Ohn Win (Raymond, M75) : Bragged about the number of children & grand children; Sisters : Joyce Win (Nwe Yin Win), Hilda Win
Dr. Soe Thein (C75) : Web master and organizer for SPZP-2007 & Singapore Civil Alumni; Invited me to join Civil Gathering in Singapore & C75 dinner in Yangon
Annette Shwe (Annette Shain, A75) : Spouse — James Shwe (Jimmy Hla Shwe, M76); Provided internship for Myanmar graduates (before they could pursue studies and/or work permanently); Stipend for eligible YTU students; Donation to YTU Library; Donation to “Prevent starvation” project
UCC/RASU Graduates
M.Sc. (Computer Science) First Batch : Ko Win Naing (Maths 73, Science Scholar) & Ko Khin Maung Aye (M73) are now GBNF
Dr. Myint Thein (M73) Doctorate from Georgia Tech, Atlanta, USA
Myint Thein
Dr. L Sein Myint (M73) Doctorate from UK Worked in UK, USA, Malaysia and Myanmar
U Hla Win (M73) Roll Number 1 in most classes Member of Hovercraft Project
HE U Khin Maung Cho (M73) Member of Hovercraft Project
John Rao (M73) English Editor, Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung for SPZP-2007 Organizer, M73 er Monthly Gathering in Singapore (with Saya U Tu Myint)
Hovercraft Project Members (M73) Supervisor : U Tu Myint Six members Interview with media a few years back (arranged by Saya U Moe Aung)
U Khin Maung Aye (M73, GBNF) First batch Masters student at UCC
U Htun Aung Kyaw (HAK, EC73) First batch Masters student at UCC Moved to Australia
U San Lin (Robert, EC73) First batch Masters student at UCC Moved to Singapore and USA
U Kyaw Lin (C73, GBNF) Organizer, All Civil Reunion and SPZP
U Nyunt Htay (Met73) Retired Associate Professor High School Luyechun Poet Chief Editor, Myanmar Mudita Sar Saung
RASU
U Win Naing (Maths, Science Scholar, GBNF) First batch Masters student at UCC
U Kyaw Kyaw Hlaing (Physics, Science Scholar) SMART Group of Companies Award winning author President, Professional Speakers Association
Dr. Khin Maung Maung (Physics) Chair, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Mississippi University Co-organizer, International Physics Conference in Mandalay
Dr. Rafiul Ahad (Physics) Preliminary selection for Burma Team for Hurdles First batch Masters student at UCC Post graduate studies in CS at AIT and USC Retired VP, Oracle Cloud Computing
Computer Courses in 1973
Thanks to Sayagyi Dr. Chit Swe (Founder/Director of UCC, Maths Professor at RASU), the following degree courses was offered
M.Sc.(CS) Conducted at UCC Degree conferred by Maths Department of RASU
DAC Part-time two year course Post-graduate Diploma in Automatic Computing offered by Maths Department of RASU
Modern Olympics was a revival of the ancient games held every four years at Olympia.
The four year interval is called an Olympiad. The ancient Greeks use Olympiad instead of years when describing dates.
Pierre de Coubertin created the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894.
IOC selects a city or cities to hold the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics. The two Olympics are interlaced.
Drama in the Olympics
Summer Olympics has its share of drama.
Berlin (1936)
The 1936 Summer Olympics was held in Berlin and was attended by Adolf Hitler (who promoted the supremacy of the Aryan race). Jesse Owens, a black athlete from the USA, won four Gold medals : 100m, 200m, 4 x 100m relay, and Long Jump.
The drama occurred in the Long Jump event. Jesse Owens was having some problems in the Long Jump when the German competitor Lang supposedly advised him to leave about six inches gap behind the broad to prevent overstepping and getting disqualified. Jesse took the advice, regained his poise and went on to win the Long Jump Gold.
Munich (1972)
1972 Olympics in Munich saw both good and bad.
Mark Spitz (USA) won seven Gold medals in swimming : 100m & 200m Freestyle, 100m & 200m Butterfly, 4 x 100m Freestyle relay, 4 x 200m Freestyle relay, and 4 x 100 Medley relay. He saved energy by not competing in the trials for selected relay events.
Olga Kolburt (USSR) was awarded a couple of Perfect Ten in Gymnastics.
Eleven Israeli athletes were kidnapped (shown live on TV) and murdered by Black September. Mossad took several years to track down and decimate Black September.
Boycotts (1980 & 1984)
USA boycotted the 1980 Olympics held in Moscow.
USSR retaliated with a boycott of the 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles.
Olympians
Some went on to have illustrious careers.
Johnny Weissmuller, swimming champion, gained fame as Tarzan in the movies.
Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion, went on to become Mohammad Ali, three time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion.
Media Coverage
During my SPHS days, there was no television in Burma. I received a ticket from Brother Austin as a prize to see the “1960 Rome Olympics” documentary at Thamada (President) cinema.
I was in the UK and was fortunate to see the 1972 Munich Olympics on a Color television.
Dr. Chit Swe (GBNF) : Founder / Director; Also, Professor of Mathematics, RASU
U Soe Paing
U Soe Paing : Manager of Systems Division; Transferred from RIT
U Ko Ko Lay
U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF) : Manager of Operations Division; Transferred from PWD
U Myo Min
U Myo Min : Manager of Applications Division; Chartered Accountant; Systems Analyst at IBM (UK); Came back at the request of his mother and Saya Chit to help with the UCC Project
U Tun Aung Gyaw
U Tun Aung Gyaw : Engineer, Systems Division
U Hla Min
U Hla Min (Systems) : Engineer, Systems Division
CO U Hla Min (Top row 2nd from Right)
U Hla Min (“Pauk Si”) : Chief Operator
See “Memories of UCC“
See “UCC Sayas“
RIT Graduates in 1971
Rosie Gyi (Center), Ma Sandar (Right)
Cho Cho Tin (Ma Sandar) : A71 Literary Award Winning Author; Wrote “G-Hall Thu” Spouse : San Maung (A)
Khin Maung Myint & Mai Khin Nyunt (Rosie Gyi) : both ChE71; Members, Combined 1st BE Intake of 64 and 65
Saw Lin, KMM, RG
Saw Lin (GBNF) : C71; MES (VP, Technical Publications Manager); Core Organizer, SPZP-2012; Chief Editor, Swel Daw Yeik Magazine for SPZP-2012; Reprinted 23 RIT Annual Magazines; Provided transportation and welcome dinner
Win Myint (Left)
Win Myint : C71; High School Luyechun; Author; Brigadier General; Dy. Minister
Wunna Sithu : EC71; Rowed for Marine Youth, RIT and RUBC; Swimming & Water Polo
Ma Pwint Than
Ma Pwint Than : EP71; Twice High School Luyechun; RIT EE Association
Myint Thin (Standing Rightmost)
Myint Thin (GBNF) : M71; RIT Luyechun; RIT Rowing Selection (with Khin Maung Myint, Myint Than, Win Kyaw); Sponsor of U Ba Than to SPZP-2007; Friends : Myint Toe, Aung Win (Owen), Bo Bo Oo (Oscar), Soe Khine, Michael Aye, Uttam Singh
HlaMin 