Firefighters' Loyal Beauty Queen

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 15 December 2018)




Mahmure Birsen Sakaoğlu (İzmirli) was born in Fatih, Istanbul, in
1909.  When she was 3-years-old Fatih firefighters saved her from a
fire in her home there.  The İzmirli family took every opportunity to
thank the firefighters for the rescue of their daughter, who was raised
to share this same feeling.

In 1936 Mahmure hanım was selected 'Miss Turkey' and at the same
time completed medical school.  She married another doctor named
Mustafa Sakaoğlu but the couple had no children.  Mustafa bey died
in 1999 and in 2000 another fire broke out in the home where
Mahmure hanım was living alone.  Again, Fatih firefighters rescued
her.

Mahmure hanım wrote a will by hand, which was witnessed by 2
doctors and recorded in Bakırköy on 3 May 2000.  The will
stipulated that rent from her home in Fatih and her USD
and TL bank accounts were to remain untouched, while the
interest earned was to be distributed to all members of the Fatih
fire department every 3 months.  Also, Mustafa Bakır, whom
Mahmure hanım characterized as her "adopted son", was given a car
and spending money derived from the interest and rent.




Bank deputy director Meral Çatakoğlu, lawyer Kaya Açıkel, then-
deputy governor Erdoğan İzgi and finance expert Hakkı Sağlam
benefitted from her estate in the same fashion.

As for her estranged brother Colonel Ahmet Selahattin İzmirli,
Mahmure hanım declared that "he won't get a penny!".  She died
at the age of 94 on 17 December 2003 and her relatives applied to
the court for their expected inheritance.  However, Mahmure
hanım's hand-written will came to light, prompting İzmirli and
his four children to object to the court.

The court case lasted 14 years and the fire department got involved,
with 316 members of the department applying for a share, although
the court eventually declared only 263 firefighters to be eligible.
In the court session held yesterday, the firefighters emerged as the
happy ones and Ahmet Selahattin İzmirli was excluded from
Mahmure hanım's estate.