Remembering Dr. Ralph Turner
We at The Parthenon are deeply saddened to hear of Dr. Ralph Turner’s death. As a former professor in the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and faculty adviser to The Parthenon, Turner serves as an inspiration to the student journalists at Marshall University, as well as to professional journalists who may have been touched by his work.
Looking back on his career inspires us as well. Turner was a reporter for The Herald-Dispatch, The Huntington Advertiser and The Charleston Gazette; he was also editor of the Wayne County News.
Turner wore many hats over the years as a crime reporter, government reporter, city hall reporter, court reporter and feature writer.
Local journalists have a responsibility to serve their communities, and that is exactly what Turner did.
He was appropriately inducted into the School of Journalism and Mass Communications’ Hall of Fame in 1988.
“This is a sad day for the Turner family and all of us in the newspaper industry who knew Dr. Turner,” said Don Smith, executive director of the West Virginia Press Association. “Dr. Turner was the driving force behind our industry’s education programs, scholarships and internships. Many current West Virginia journalists have a direct connection to Dr. Turner or his efforts.”
Current and former professors, journalists and students can appreciate the hard work and dedication that Turner set as an example. He will be dearly missed.
In lieu of flowers, friends may donate to the Arnold-Turner Journalism Scholarship Fund at Marshall University.
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Carrie Edgell • Mar 12, 2020 at 8:02 am
Dr. Ralph Turner was tough. Surely every print journalism student has heard stories of failing grades for what we thought were minor errors. But Turner prepared student journalists for the real world, where readers would be less kind than a momentary failing grade. The pressure was always appropriate to students’ situations as students, as they would be facing mounting pressure from editors, deadlines, and consumers in the professional world. My condolences to his widow, children and grandchildren, to his close friends, and to the many lives he touched as a professional, and educator, an adviser, and a mentor.
Mrs. Frederick Herz (Tracy Edmonds) • Mar 12, 2020 at 12:57 am
Extending my heartfelt condolences to the family of Dr. Ralph Turner whose principled high standards shaped so many of our lives in the program. At once formal and approachable he was deeply committed to excellence. If you had him as a professor or an advisor, you were trained to be competitive for any major market. Who could resist calling him with the good news of our lives every so often, and hear him exclaim, “I knew you could!” He is simply unforgettable, and he will be both missed and mourned. May he rest with the angels.
With deepest sympathy,
Tracy Herz