Category: RIT Saya

  • U Tin Maung Nyunt

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt (M)

    Highlights

    • Born in Mogok
    • Attended I.Sc at Mandalay University
    • Graduated with Mechanical Engineering in 1960
    • Worked for Joint Venture Corporation (JVC) formed by relatives
    • Found an advertisement in a newspaper to apply for a Government Scholarship.
    • Selected to study Agricultural Engineering in USA
    • Received Masters from Virginia Tech
    • Came back to Burma on an Ocean Liner with Saya Allen Htay (GBNF), Saya U Soe Paing, Saya U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF) & U Than Pe. They became close friends on the two-month long journey.

    M/Agri Saya at RIT

    • Upon his return, he was assigned to Agricultural Institute in Yezin. Before reporting for duty, he visited RIT.
    • Sayagyi U Ba Than asked if he would like to join Agri Sub-Department of Mechanical Engineering. Sayagyi said that some students were not at ease following lectures given by visiting Soviet lecturers via interpreters.
    • President, RIT Thaing
    • Played Defender on RIT Saya Soccer team

    Life after RIT

    • Worked in Thailand & USA

    USA

    • Attended RIT Alumni Gatherings
    U Tin Maung Nyunt 1
    • Donated $500 for the Training Component of YTU Library Modernization project.
    U Tin Maung Nyunt’s Donation
    • He is a day older than Saya Allen. Their birthdays are December 30 & 31.
    • Monthly Breakfast Gathering with Saya Allen, U Ko Ko Aye, Ko Thein Naing (Patrick) and me. Saya Allen & U Ko Ko Aye are now GBNF.
    U Tin Maung Nyunt & Saya Allen
    • Saya U Soe Paing visited him in Milpitas, California. We had a lunch gathering at a restaurant.
    U Tin Maung Nyunt 2
    • He enjoyed Hiking & Tennis, but had to suspend due to Jara and Byadi
    • Volunteer for establishing Taungpulu Kaba Aye Monastery in Northern California.
    • He had operations (one quite early and another a few years back).
    • He listens to selected Dhamma talks.

    Others

    • Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt (Met70)
  • U Kyaw Tun

    U Kyaw Tun

    by Hla Min

    Update : May 2026

    Highlights

    EE Sayas
    • Early saya of Electrical Engineers
    • Worked briefly at Namtu mines before joining Electrical Engineeering Department at Rangoon University
    Reunion
    • Saya of our sayas. His students include Saya U Sein Hlaing and Saya U Tin Swe
    • Requested C Ping Lee (father of Dr. Win Aung M62) to join EE department. HE U Than Aung asked Saya C Ping Lee (his former student at SPHS) to head Technical & Vocational Training Directorate and to improve curriculum (e.g GTI).
    • President of RIT Electrical Engineering Association
    RIT EE Association
    • Patron of Hlyat Sit Sar Saung Committee
    Hlyat Sit Sar Saung
    • Taught “Principles of Electrical Engineering” to non-engineering students. Sayas who later taught the course include Sayas U Myo Kyi & U Moe Aung.
    • Told a class that suitors of his lovely daughters must be doctors (medical or Ph.D).
      Anecdote was recounted by “Doctor” Tin Aung Win (spouse of Dorothy Kyaw Tun) for SPZP-2000. Saya’s elder daughter Elizabeth (Dr. Daw Tin Nu) has a Doctorate in English.
    • After retirement, Saya visited Australia
    • Passed away peacefully in Yangon
    • Spouse passed away during our RIT days. We attended her memorial service at Saya’s home.

    Updates

    • Several EE sayas are GBNF.
    • For SPZP-2010, I wrote “A Sad & Short Clip : EE Sayas”.
    • Met Dorothy at the SPZPs.
    • Elizabeth was my classmate in Primary School.
  • Memories of SPHS

    Memories of SPHS

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    U Soe Paing

    Saya U Soe Paing (SPHS56, EE, UCC) wrote :

    From the 7th standard to Matriculation I remember the following:

    Saya Ba Myaing (Physics), Saya Tun Shwe and Saya Sein (Burmese), Bro Hubert (Chemistry), Bro Felix, Bro Charles, and Bro Gerald (English).
    Mr Machado and Saya Dawson (Math), Mr Barker and Mr Illife (Physics).

    Editor’s Notes:

    The Paing siblings — Dr. Myo Paing (SPHS54), U Soe Paing (SPHS56), U Win Paing (Sayadaw U Wara, SPHS64) and U Kyaw Paing (SPHS67) — attended SPHS.

    U Aung Win (Owen) wrote :

    I read many articles about the old staff of SPHS but I never came across anyone mentioning Bro. Charles. During our KG days in SP, we had one Bro. Charles, if you all remember him. He was a very kind-hearted Bro. and he loved the school kids and treated us well. Whatever happened to him, I wonder, after we left SPHS.

    Owen Khoo (Aung Win, M71, SPHS 1953 – 1957)

    Editor’s notes :

    • Three siblings — U Than Win (Alan Khoo, SPHS54), U Kyi Win (Eddie Khoo, SPHS57) and U Aung Win (Owen Khoo) — attended SPHS. Owen also attended Darjeeling.
    • I joined SPHS in Std. IV. I do not know the sayas and sayamas who taught KG and Stds I – III. Boarders can add the names of the Brothers and sayas that I have missed.
    • Brother Benedict (who taught a younger class) was a good soccer player.
    • Brother Gerald was the SPHS Band Master. He often rode a horse.
    • There was a Brother in charge of the SPHS Book Shop, and several Brothers in charge of the Boarders.
    • Some Brothers went on “rotation duty” to St. Peter’s (Mandalay), St. Albert’s (Maymyo), St. Patrick’s (Moulmein), …

    Brother Clementian

    He retired as Brother Director, but kept on teaching Mathematics until he passed away. The funeral cortege spanned from SPHS to Tamwe Christian Cemetery. Some cars had not left SPHS when the service began at the Cemetery.

    Brother Austin

    In addition to having a class library, Brother Austin (our Class teacher for Std. X A, “the carrot”) would take us to the SPHS library (with books donated by Ford Foundation, Asia Foundation …). Everyone has to borrow a book and write a critique. In addition to teaching English, he also taught the “Morals and Manners” class. Anyone who can recite the selected poems is free to “skip the remainder of the class”. The top reciters were rewarded: an 8 mm movie of a soccer match from UK, or a ticket to “1960 Rome Olympics” (special show at Thamada Cinema). He abhors plagiarism and unprofessional work. “Don’t waste my time and your time”. After nationalization, he moved to Malaysia to continue teaching at a De La Salle School.

    Brother Xavier

    Brother Xavier (our Class Teacher for Std IX A, and English teacher for Std VIII and IX, “the stick”) would penalize students for making grammatical mistakes. For the dictation test, he would start with 100 marks and then subtract 10 marks for each mistake. A classmate ended with -230 (minus 230) marks shown “in red” in his report card. According to Ko Zaw Min, Brother Xavier would not continue his “brash style” at St. Albert’s. After nationalization, he moved to UK and supposedly “left the order”.

    Brother Felix

    Brother Felix moved back to Germany. He had e-mail communications with some Old Paulians (notably Richard G. Boudville, Australia, son of Sayama V. Boudville).

    Two Sibling Brothers

    • After nationalization, the native Brothers remained in Burma.
    • Brother Joseph decided to become Father Joseph.
    • His younger brother remained Brother Anthony and was one of the “senior sayas” at SPHS Saya Pu Zaw Pwes along with Saya U San Thein and Saya Beatson.

    Authors

    • Saya George Chapman published notes for English.
    • Saya U Htay Myint (Patheda) published notes for History.

    Distinguished Paulians

    Sayagyi U Ba Khin stood first in his Matriculation class. He is known as an outstanding Vissapana teacher. His dhamma lineage starts with Ledi Sayadaw and Saya Thet. His dhamma students include Saya S. N. Goenka.

    ICS U Tin Tut, Dr. Ba Han, Dr, Ba Maw, and U Chan Tun are Old Paulians.

    According to Dr. Win Aung (M62), his father Saya C. Ping Lee (EE, GBNF) was a Paulian and a student of Saya U Than Aung (father of Saya Alphonso [Mg Nge, Mg Aung] and Charlie [Ko Cho]). When U Than Aung became Minister of Education in the AFPFL Government, he recruited his former student Saya C. Ping Lee to head the Technical & Vocational Department.

    Saya Pu Zaw Pwes

    After nationalization, SPHS became No. (6) SHS Botathaung.

    There are two SPZPs: one for the “Paulians” and another for SHS(6).

    Some (e.g. Eddie Ba Oo / Tin Aung Moe) who were in the lower classes when SPHS was nationalized would attend both gatherings.

  • U Tin Htut

    U Tin Htut

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    U Tin Htut

    Brief Bio

    • Alumnus of SPHS, RU Faculty of Engineering, German University and Birmingham University
    • Graduated in 1960 and joined Mechanical Engineering Department as Assistant Lecturer.
    • His parents needed help to run their business. He complied. Three family members — his father U Chit Maung, his eldest brother U Sein Tin and saya — were taken into custody for several months.
    • After completing his Waso at Insein, he rejoined Mechanical Engineering Department as Assistant Lecturer. New Sayas had to join as Instructors.
    • Taught Industrial Management. Earlier, the subject was taught by Visiting Lecturers from Faculty of Social Science & Institute of Economics.

    Rowing

    • Past Captain & Gold of RUBC
    • Won Senior Novices twice : as Rower and as Cox of the All Paulian Crew with Tun Shein (Willie), Than Nyun (George), M Hla Min (Moosajee) & Sao Hso Holm (Sawbwa Lay)
    • Served as Administrator of YUBC for several years

    USA

    • Joined Northrop and also helped several alumni to join the company
    • Took Sabbatical to work for UN
    • Founded BASES with U Tin Htway (M59) and U Tun Tin (David, GBNF). He is a Past President.
    • Financial Controller for 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles.
    • Helped with SPZP-2000 held in San Francisco.
    • Came to SF Bay Area to attend RIT gatherings and to have family reunion with his sisters.
    • Hosted me at his new house. Took me to BASES Dinner and La Puente Monastery the following day (where there was a Soon Kwyay followed by Literary Talks).

    Donations

    • K100 lakhs to YTU Library Modernization Project
    • K10 lakhs to SDYF (Swel Daw Yeik Foundation)
    • Donated to All Mechanical Gathering

    Memories

    • SPZP-2000
    SPZP-2000
    • 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles
    2015 Reunion in Los Angeles
    2015 Reunion in Los Angeles
    • Donations
    Donation
    U Tin Htut and U Wynn Htain Oo
    • Singapore
    U Tin Htut, U Mg Mg Win, Dr. Tin Win & U Aung Myint
    U Tin Htut in Singapore
    U Tin Htut in Singapore
    • New Zealand
    U Tin Htut in NZ
    • SF Bay Area
    U Tin Htut in SF Bay Area
    • RUBC Golds
    RUBC Past Captains and/or Gold

    Posts

    • BASES
    • RIT Sayas
    • RUBC
    • SPZP
  • U Thein Aung

    U Thein Aung

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Highlights

    Pon Tu by Bagyee Myat Myo Myint
    • Nicknames : Saya Maung (ဆရာမောင်), Ba La Gyi (ဗလကြီး၊ ဗလာကြီး)
    • Mr. RIT (Set Hmu Maung စက်မှုမောင်) in 1968. His mentor was Bohmu Maung Maung (1st Maung Bamar မောင်ဗမာ)
    Hand over Salway to U Wynn Htain Oo (M72)
    • Joined Metallurgical Engineering Department after graduation in 1972
    • Retired from Lawrence Livermore Lab
    • Spouse : Daw San San Nyunt (Sandra, M76) : with help from Mech/Auto Saya
    • Three daughters
    • Two grand children : expected to grow to four

    Activities

    • Editor, BAPS Newsletter
    • Member, SF Bay Area Alumni Group : Later formed RIT Alumni International
    SF Bay Area Alumni Advisory Group
    • Founding member, RIT Alumni International, which hosted SPZP-2000
    SPZP-2000 Organizers
    • Co-Emcee with U Myat Htoo at SPZP-2000
    • Associate Editor, Commemorative Issue of RIT Alumni Newsletter

    Gatherings

    • SPZP-2012
    SPZP-2012
    • Pu Zaw Pwe
    At Pu Zaw Pwe
    • With Sayadaw U Jotika (EP73)
    With Sayadaw U Jotika (EP73)
    • Welcoming Sayas, e.g U Soe Paing (EE, UCC)
    U Soe Paing
    • With ChE Sayas & Alumni
    Welcoming Saya U Aung Myaing (ChE72) and Daw Gyn Yu (ChE72)

    Metallurgical Engineering Reunion

    • at 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in LA and iNapa Winery : Saya U Win Kyaw (Met71), Saya U Thein Aung (Met72), Saya U Nyunt Htay (Met73) and Ko Thiri Nyunt (Met)
    Gathering at iNapa Winery 1
    Gathering at iNapa Winery 2
    Gathering at iNapa Winery 3
  • U Tun Shwe

    U Tun Shwe

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    ဆရာ ဦးထွန်းရွှေ (စက်မှု အင်ဂျင်နီယာ 1960)

    U Tun Shwe 1
    • Graduated in 1960 and joined the Faculty.
    • Taught until retirement at the Mechanical Engineering Department at RIT.
    • Patron on several RIT-related organizations and activities.
    • Took care of his mentor Sayagyi U Ba Than during the SPZPs held at Singapore.
    • Looks young and active as ever.
    U Tun Shwe 2

    နာယက Patron

    ကျောင်းသားဟောင်း အသင်း အစည်းအဝေး Alumni Meeting

    မှတ်တမ်း (တချို.) Selected Documents

    ရန်ကုန်တက္ကသိုလ် ဝန်ထမ်း

    နိုဝင်ဘာ 1960

    လက်ထောက် ကထိက

    ဘွဲ့ လက်မှတ်

    ထောက်ခံစာ

    2018 All Mechanical Gathering at Dolphin Restaurant

    All Mech Gathering

    Meeting

    Sayas U Tun Shwe & U Myo Kyi

    Notes

    • He attended 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles. He was hosted by his cousin
      U Win Htay (Walter, M70).
    • In 2024, U Wynn Htain Oo (M72) recorded videos of the Sagar Waing စကားဝိုင်း with Saya. It was to help celebrate the 60th Anniversary of RIT.

    Posts

    • 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles
    • Alumni Association
    • Gatherings
    • Mechanical Engineering
    • SPZP
  • U Aung Myaing

    U Aung Myaing

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    U Aung Myaing

    Highlights

    • Native of Okpo
    • Poet, Blogger and Musical Video Producer
    • Pen name : Okpo Maung Yin Maung
    • Admitted to RIT in 1966
    • Graduated with Chemical Engineering in 1972
    • Joined the ChE Department
    • Received two Masters : one from RIT, another from Melbourne University
    • Spouse : Daw Gyn Yu — Myeik Thu & Culinary Expert
    • Son (Min Yu Aung) & daughter (Hnin Yu Aung) — both successful
    • Taught at Rengsit University
    • Senior manager at a Refinery in Thailand
    • After retirement, spending time with his daughter and grandchildren in California, USA.

    Activities

    • Writes with the pen name “Maung Yin Maung (Okkpo)”. Not sure if the name is inspired by the first Burmese novel.
    • Author & Poet.
    • Wrote about his sayas (High School & Uni)
    • Co-author of the “Collection of Poems” by five RIT poets headed by Saya U Moe Aung (Tekkatho Moe War). One poem is about his beloved sweetheart and later his spouse Ma Gyn Yu (ChE72).
    Book of poems
    Poet
    • Organizer, Poetic Art Series & Musical Video (O Bei Myat Saya)
    • Organizer for book donation to the ChE Library & Training Component of YTU Library Modernization Project.
    • Per U Aung Myaing’s request, Saya U Maung Maung (George, ChE66) organized a fund raiser of US 3000+ for supporting the Training Component of the YTU Modernization Project.
    Library
    • Recorded with the U-70 members at a professional studio. He has posted some of them on Facebook.
    • He & Daw Gyn Yu have provided assistance to sayas and alumni visiting Bangkok especially for medical treatment.
    With Bagyee
    • Provided materials (paint, paper) to Pon Tu expert Bagyee Myat Myo Myint
    • Facilitator, Myanmar Association of Chemical Engineers; Knowlege sharing; Financial aid for needy ChE

    Posts

    • Class of 1972
    • Chemical Engineering
    • Musical Video
    • Poetic Art Series
    • Poetry
  • NorCal RITAA

    NorCal RITAA

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    • Northern California RIT Alumni Association was formed to carry on some activities of RIT Alumni International with the help of younger alumni.
    • Past Presidents include Saya U Maung Maung / George (ChE66), Gordon Kaung (M83) and U Aung Myint Oo (EC84). Current President is U Tin Maung Win (C86).
    • The first Chair of BOD was Stan Liou (M67). Saya U Myat Htoo (C68) has served as Chair for several terms.

    David Ko (U Tin Myint, M67, GBNF)

    David Ko
    • Entrepreneur
    • Golden Sponsor for SPZP-2000.
    • Donated $3000 to SPZP-2012.
    • Supported Norcal RITAA. Sponsored a table at the Annual Dinner to invite selected sayas (e.g U Myo Myint Sein & Dr. Tin Win) & alumni (e.g U Thura Thant Zin) from Southern California
    • After his demise, his spouse Mavis Ko continued supporting the Alumni Association
    NorCal RITAA Dinner

    Saya U Myo Myint Sein (A58)

    Saya Myo
    • First batch of Architecture graduates
    • Masters from Michigan University
    • Professor at RIT
    • Published books on Architecture
    • President of RU ConBro association. He and his brothers attended De La Salle Schools.
    • Played Soccer

    Saya Dr. Tin Win (M62)

    Dr. Tin Win
    • Matriculated from St. John’s Dio.
    • Won a Gold Medal in 1958 for Joint Highest Score in Maths in I.Sc (both years)
    • Youngest in the Class of M62
    • Doctorate from Melbourne University
    • Past President of BASES
    • Core Organizer for 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles

    Daw Khin Htar Yee (Lily, T72)

    Lily (Rightmost)
    • Founding member & Secretary of BEA
    • Spouse and supporter of Saya Dr. Tin Win & his projects; Financial support for eligible students; Fundraiser for SPZP-2007 by running the LA Marathon
    • Organizer, 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles

    U Thura Thant Zin (M76)

    Thura (Seated Right)
    • Goalkeeper for All Universities & Institutes’ Hockey Team
    • RUBC Gold with Dat Pon Sann Aung (GBNF), Win Khaing (GBNF) & Phyo
    • Past President of BASES
    • Organizer, SPZP-2000
    • Organizer, 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles

    Saya U Maung Maung (George, ChE66)

    Saya George
    • Founding member of RIT Alumni International
    • Organizer, SPZP-2000
    • Founding member & First President of Norcal RITAA
    • Fundraiser for the Training Component of YTU Library Modernization project

    Daw Khin Khin Kyu (Ann, A67)

    Ann (2nd from Right)
    • Supporter of RIT Alumni international & Norcal RITAA
    • Classmates include Saya Dr. Koung Nyunt (GBNF) and U Tun Thein.
    • Brother : Saya U Thein Han (Maths, Burma selected in Basketball)

    Notes

    • BASES invited alumuni from Norcal to attend Annual Dinner. One was hosted by U Tin Htway (M59, co-founder).
      Most others were held at selected hotels and restaurants.
  • Dr. Aung Gyi

    Dr. Aung Gyi

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Highlights

    Pon Tu of Saya Dr. Aung Gyi
    Saya U Min Wun and Saya Dr. Aung Gyi at the Welcome Dinner for SPZP-2000
    • Born on 1st October 1931
    • Except for loss of hearing, he is healthy.
    • Attended SPZPs, mini-PZPs and micro-PZPs in Canada, USA, Singapore & Myanmar.
    • Matriculated in 1949
    • First group of engineering students selected to study at prestigious universities in the USA under the Twinning Program
    • BS and MS from MIT
    • Upon return, he joined the Faculty of Engineering as Assistant Lecturer.
    • Promoted to Lecturer & Head of Civil Engineering
    • Doctorate from University of Alberta
    • Succeeded U Yone Mo as Rector of RIT in 1971
    • Left for UN assignment.
    • Later : moved to Canada
    • Fondly talks about “the best days of his life at RIT”
    DAG 2
    DAG 3

    Contributions

    • Brief bio for SPZP-2000
    • Keynote at SPZP-2000 : Talked about Health & Emotional Intelligence
    • Article covering (a) State Scholarship in the USA (b) experience as Professor and Rector (HMEE book has excerpts from the article)
    • Introduction to the History of Myanmar Engineering Education ( in Supplement CD of HMEE book)
    • Coconut Episode (Heard at Saya Allen Htay’s house before SPZP-2000. Transformation of a student from a Coconut thief into a respected 3R teacher. Printed version appeared in “Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung” for a Singapore SPZP.)
    • Anecdotes on several occasions
    • Saya and I spent a few days together at Ivan’s house in New Jersey in 2015. Saya would tell us stories from his RIT days.
    Ivan, Saya & me
    • We spent two nights at Saya’s house in Canada during the whirlwind trip hosted by Ivanwith the help of Fred Thetgyi.
    At Saya’s house
    • During my visits to Yangon, I was “Ei Hmyaung” at the gatherings — one for the birthday of Daw Emma and one for welcoming Sayagyis attending SPZP
    Birthday Party for Daw Emma

    Posts

    • Civil Engineering
    • HMEE
    • SPZP
    • Twinning Program
    • Visits
  • iNapa Winery

    iNapa Winery

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Background

    • NAPA (in Northern California) is known for its fine wineries.
    • Gordon Kaung (M83), founder of Mechanical Solutions, extended his entrepreneurship by co-founding iNapa Winery with his spouse Lillian (EC83).
    • iNapa Winery has hosted several RIT gatherings.

    Gathering in 2015

    • It was a follow up to the 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles to welcome Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi & Daw Emma, Saya U Win Kyaw (Met71), Saya U Nyunt Htay (Met73) and selected guests.
    • Saya U Myat Htoo (C68) and Ma Ku / Daw Hnin Maung Maung drove Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi & Daw Emma from LA to SF Bay Area.
    • iNapa Winery hosted lunch and dinner gathering. Ko Thiri Nyunt (Met) played Gordon’s keyboard and sang.
    iNapa Winery 1
    iNapa Winery 2
    iNapa Winery 3

    Other Gatherings

    • NorCal RITAA meetings
    • U Tin Myint (David Ko, M67, GBNF)
    • U Tin Myint (M80, ex-Saya)
    • Alumni from overseas & out of state
    • Birthday for U Myo Myint Sein

    Engagement Party for Ryan and Siria

    • May 24, 2026
    • Sumptuous lunch, drinks and desserts
    • Raffle : winners received iNapa Premium Wine
    Ryan & Siria
    Party 1
    Party 2
    Party 3
    Party 4
    Party 5