Keriman Halis Ece

Keriman Halis Ece (February 16, 1913 – January 28, 2012) was a Turkish beauty pageant titleholder, pianist, and fashion model who won the Miss Turkey 1932 title. She was also crowned Miss Universe 1932 in Spa, Belgium and thus became Turkey's first Miss Universe.

Keriman Halis Ece
Cumhuriyet, 4 July 1933.
Born	Keriman Halis February 16, 1913 Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
Died	January 28, 2012 (aged 98) Istanbul, Turkey
Resting place	Feriköy Cemetery, Istanbul
Occupation	Beauty pageant titleholder, model, pianist
Spouse(s)	Dr. Orhan Sanus Hasip Tamer
Modeling information
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Dark brown
Alma mater	Lycée de Boğaziçi (Feyziati)
Years active	1932–2012
Title	Miss Turkey 1932 Miss Universe 1932
Children	3
Beauty pageant titleholder
Major competition(s)	Miss Turkey, Miss Universe, International Pageant of Pulchritude

Biography

She was of Ubykh origin.[1][2][3] Keriman Halis was born in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire, as one of the six children of a merchant from Hacıosman, Manyas, Tevfik Halis Bey, in 1913. Her uncle was a renowned operatta composer Muhlis Sabahattin Ezgi and her aunt a well-known musician and composer Neveser Kökdeş. Her brother is one of the former presidents of the Turkish sports club Galatasaray S.K., Turgan Ece. She was fluent in French and Turkish.

She participated 1932 in the Miss Turkey beauty pageant that started only in 1929 and was promoted by the newspaper Cumhuriyet. She was elected the most beautiful Turkish woman in the contest held on July 2, 1932 in İstanbul among eight candidates. Keriman Halis was sent then to the International Pageant of Pulchritude contest held in Spa, Belgium to represent Turkey. On July 31, 1932, she finished first among competitors from 27 countries, achieving Turkey's first title at an international beauty contest after three years only of its existence and less than a decade after the founding of the Republic.[4]

Following the introduction of the surname act on June 21, 1934, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk gave her the family name "Ece", which means "queen" in Turkish.

She died on January 28, 2012, nineteen days shy of her 99th birthday.[5] She was laid to rest at the Feriköy Cemetery, Istanbul.

See also

• Azra Akın

References

1. http://www.sabah.com.tr/Yazarlar/uluc/2012/02/01/dunya-guzeli
2. Sefer E. Berzeg, Soçi'nin Sürgündeki Sahipleri: Çerkes-Vubıhlar, Kafkasya Gerçeği, 1998, p. 9.
3. Wubıh’lar İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil gibi siyasetçi, Taha Carım gibi diplomat, Keriman Halis gibi dünya güzeli yetiştiren bir toplumdu. Wubıh’lar, bu dünyaya Rusların sayesinde 21 Mayıs 1864’te elveda demişti. Rusların bu jenositini Kafkasyalılar kadar tarih de affetmeyecektir. (Recep Albayrak), "Simav Çerkezleri", T.C. Simav Kaymakamlığı, June 19, 2012.
4. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=republics-first-beauty-queens-chosen-amid-tense-debate-2010-10-26 Turkish Republic's first beauty queens chosen amid tense debate - Hurriyet - October 30, 2010
5. http://www.thethinkingblog.com/2007/02/first-miss-world-turns-94.html
6. "Belgian Entrant Wins Contest as 'Miss Universe'". The Evening Independent (St. Petersburg, Florida). 17 June 1931.
7. Ahmad, Feroz (1993). The making of modern Turkey. Routledge. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-415-07836-8.
8. Nelson, Cynthia (1996). Doria Shafik, Egyptian feminist: a woman apart. American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 978-977-424-413-1.

• "Skylife magazine". Archived from the original on August 24, 2006. Retrieved August 18, 2013.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)