Death of Professor Beglan Birand Togrol, Honorary Fellow

Photograph of Professor Beglan Birand Togrol

Honorary Fellow Professor Beglan Birand Togrol, pictured, passed away on 19 January 2016 in Istanbul after a heart ailment.

She was born on March 1st 1927 in Istanbul and earned bachelor degrees in English Literature and Psychology from Istanbul University in 1949.

She had also enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts and received a degree in painting (1948-1952).

As a Fulbright scholar she went to California and earned an MA degree in psychology from Stanford University (1952-1953).

On her return to Istanbul she took her PhD at Psychology Department of Istanbul University. Her supervisors were Professors Wilhelm Peters and Mümtaz Turhan. She became dozent in the same department in 1957.

She was then elected to the Sarah Smithson Research Fellowship at Newnham College, Cambridge.

The University of Cambridge conferred her MA (Cantab) upon this election. She worked in the University’s Psychology Department on “colour preferences”. Her complete command of her subject and her presence made her to rise rapidly to professorial rank.

She was probably the youngest person appointed as professor at Istanbul University in 1965. Her research career in psychology dealt mostly with perception, learning, medical psychology, and psychological problems of different social and cultural groups.

Her research included such projects as the longitudinal psychological studies in endocrinal diseases. She was able to build a Centre for Psychological Counselling at Istanbul University to provide a wide range of counselling and guidance especially for children.

She was elected to Honorary Fellowship of Newnham College in 1992. She taught Psychology and served as Head of the Department at Istanbul University until her retirement in 1994.

She kept her interest in painting and she had a number of exhibitions of her paintings and she held one of them in Cambridge in March 1960.

It was during her stay at Cambridge that she met her husband Ergün Togrol who then was at Engineering Department and Peterhouse. Upon their marriage the College gave a reception. They have one son who is now Professor in neurology.

She enjoyed life’s simple pleasures – a walk in the large garden she has established, a visit to the theatre, a good discussion on topical issues. She had interests in art and literature and was a meticulous reader.

Throughout her life Beglan retained a great interest in and affection for Newnham, not only an academic institution of which she was proud and happy to be a member, but also because she made several life-long friendships during her residence in Cambridge.