Former honorary consul to Turkey, Bonnie Joy Kaslan, laments troubled times in a land she loves

Honorary consul to Turkey laments troubled times in a land she loves|

Serving as the San Francisco Bay Area’s Honorary Consul General for the Republic of Turkey for 32 years, Bonnie Joy Kaslan was a loyal advocate and frequent visitor to Turkey. Kaslan retired from that post six months ago, and says now, “It breaks my heart,” in reference to the current turbulence the country faces.

“It’s a pivotal time,” she said, saddened by such recent headline-grabbing incidents as the assassination of the Russian ambassador, an attempted military coup in Istanbul, the New Year’s Day nightclub terrorist attack that killed 39 people, and the influx of three million Syrian refugees that Turkey is struggling to absorb. Turkey’s economy is weak and ISIS attacks are an ongoing threat.

Turkey is different now than when Kaslan led Commonwealth Club members on tours of the Hagias Sophia and Topkapi Palace, before cruising along the beautiful beaches of the Turquoise Coast and relaxing at the seaside resort Antalya. But she is hopeful peaceful times will return, and still loves the Turkish culture and people.

Kaslan is most proud of the 35 educational tours of Turkey she conducted for teachers from throughout the United States for the Turkish Cultural Foundation, sponsored by the World Affairs Council of America. “It was a way to share Turkish culture through the eyes of American teachers when they returned home,” she said.

A Jersey girl of Irish and Polish decent who earned a teaching credential in foreign languages at UC Davis and studied for a year at the Sorbonne, Kaslan had no connection to Turkey until she met her late husband John, a Turkish native who came to America to attend UC Berkeley. Although he chose to stay in the Bay Area and they owned a structural engineering company, he was loyal to his roots and his family back home, and Kaslan shared his appreciation for Turkey.

In 1980, the Kaslans were attending a dinner in San Francisco for the Turkish ambassador to the United States, who was giving an address to 500 attendees. At that time, if you were living in the U.S. and owned property in Turkey you had to give it up or you could not become a U.S. citizen, which made citizenship a difficult choice.

On a whim, Kaslan stood up and told the ambassador that he should make it a priority to change the law and allow Turks to retain their native holdings and still become citizens. She received great applause and the ambassador’s response was, “Will the husband of this woman please stand up.” When her husband rose the ambassador said, “My compliments on your choice for a wife.” On his next visit to San Francisco two years later the ambassador asked her to serve as honorary consul general. (And eventually Turks could become citizens even if they had assets in Turkey.)

When asked to be consul general, Kaslan’s cheeky response was, “Does a coffin come with the job?” as the consul general in Los Angeles had recently been killed. She also told the ambassador she was not interested in just holding receptions and parties, and that she would only accept the position if she could be an advocate and educator for the relationship between Turkey and the United States.

She went on to promote the Turkish heritage and culture for more than three decades, regularly making speeches, including testifying before Congress several times. She traveled to Turkey at least once a year and her last trip was in October 2015.

Kaslan now describes the relationship between the United States and Turkey as being like the weather, “Some days are sunnier than others, but right now it’s cloudy with a chance of rain showers.” She said it takes a tremendous effort to keep a dialog between the countries alive.

She is saddened because Turkey had always been a safe place to visit, where she would travel anywhere in the country and feel safe even alone. “Now it is not,” she said as she wonders what can be done to stabilize the region. “But the Turkish citizens are amazingly resilient as they go on with their lives.”

Speaking of her hope for Turkey, she said, “Life is a pendulum and once it gets out of kilter it will come back to a balance. I hope there will be less swing to the pendulum, not too far left or too far right.” She also hopes America will gave financial aid to Turkey to help the country absorb the Syrian refugees. “This is an economic crisis and Turkey is not a wealthy country,” said Kaslan.

“I do think about it a lot,” she said of the dire situation in Turkey and what can be done to fix it. But she has also given her time and now, maybe, it is time for Bonnie Joy. The windows of her home offer a panorama of nature, and Sonoma Creek runs just outside her door. Kaslan’s walls are graced with her paintings, as art is a passionate, calming pursuit.

It’s peaceful, and Turkey is far, far away.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.