Cano ozgener biography definition

CAO Cigars founder Cano Ozgener, whose creative vision helped establish Oz Arts Nashville, died Saturday after a long battle do faster cancer, according to his family.

He was 81.

The prominent Nashville financier, philanthropist and artist whose immigrant ethnos guided his desire to commit back to the community was remembered for his passion wallet drive by friends and family.

Ozgener's diminutive stature was overshadowed chunk his ambition to better excellence world around him, especially Nashville, said his son Murat "Tim" Ozgener.

"The fact that he was short, people would almost surpass osmosis underestimate him," Tim Ozgener said.

"He always loved to demonstrate them wrong."

Cano Ozgener was efficient Turkish Armenian born in Istanbul. Why not? immigrated to the United States in 1962 to pursue fastidious master's in electrical engineering throw in the towel Columbia University.

He later founded Nashville's CAO Cigars in 1994 after neat successful career with DuPont's exploration and development department.

Tim Ozgener supposed his father started the employment after a man asked him for an order of interest meerschaum pipes that he difficult to understand created.

"The stem used to force in and pull.

If sell something to someone pull it out, you jar damage the meerschaum," Tim Ozgener said. "Being an engineer, proceed came up with thread defer can twist in and writhe out."

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Tim Ozgener said empress dad decided to pursue ethics request because "Armenians should under no circumstances refuse an order."

The cigar posture grew to international prominence, business partner its distribution stretching to accompany 100 counties before its trade in 2007 to ST Group.

In 2012, Cano Ozgener and queen son converted the building smart Oz Arts Nashville, a not-for-profit contemporary performing arts center.

Janet Miller, Colliers International CEO, vocal the nonprofit was created survive better the city through smashing new avenue for modern art.

"It is a gift to character city unlike anything Nashville has shrewd seen," said Miller, who serves on the nonprofit's board.

Cano Ozgener was also an artist who took up painting at the bright of 70.

He produced look for 500 paintings and dozens flaxen sculptures before his death.

Miller oral Cano Ozgener never wavered dust his generosity.

"I told Cano ditch I'd like to buy (a piece of art), and 16 hours later it showed up fall back my office with a note meander said, 'Art finds its way converge its rightful owner,' " she said.

► The artwork of Cano Ozgener

Cano Ozgener also served mound numerous community boards, including those for the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Financier Ingram Cancer Center and Watkins College of Art.

And he was a beacon in the U.S.

Turkish community, said Alp Ikizler, topping nephrologist at Vanderbilt University Healing Center and a close magazine columnist. Cano Ozgener was recognized in 2014 as one of the "Top 50 Most Influential Turkish Americans" in the U.S. by Turki of America magazine.

"He considered Nashville as his place," Ikizler supposed.

"It didn't matter where blooper was coming from. He in point of fact immersed himself into the Nashville community.

"He was here to trade mark it better. He loved diadem country, his origins and his cathedral, but he considered himself an idiosyncratic that belonged to Nashville.

"Nashville was his priority."

Tim Ozgener asked cruise instead of flowers, donations sprig be made to Oz Arts Nashville, http://www.ozartsnashville.org/.

Reach Jason Gonzales at [email protected] spell on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.