THE DAILY CORINTHIAN June 24, 1970

                          COLORFUL AVIATOR SUCCUMBS
                         TO ILLNESS AT THE AGE OF 74

            Col. Roscoe Turner, the best known of Alcorn County - born
    notables, died of cancer yesterday in Methodist Hospital at Indianapolis,
    Ind., after a lengthy illness.  He was 74.

            Turner was one of the "barnstormers" whose exploits of speed and
    distance flying kept aviation aloft between the World Wars.  The image of
    the flamboyant Turner, his moustache waxed, wearing the leather outfit he
    designed himself were a familiar trademark in newspaper photographs and
    newsreels.

            Col. Turner won the Thompson Trophy for cross-country speed
    flying three times, a feat never matched.  He set seven trans-continental
    speed records.  His Bendix Trophy mark of 11 hours and 30 minutes from
    New York to Los Angeles stood more than five years.

            Turner was born in the Jones School Community of Alcorn county
    and moved with his parents to the family home in McNairy County,
    Tennessee, at an early age.  Several years later the family moved to West
    Corinth where his family lived for many years.

            He began his career in aviation when he returned to Corinth
    shortly after the close of World War I in which he served with a balloon
    outfit.

            Turner's interest in aviation was encouraged by friends in
    Corinth, several who helped him build an original model plane from parts
    he had secured and reassembled from four planes.

            From earliest boyhood, Turner loved speed.  Automobiles were his
    first love.  His flair for showmanship showed itself here when he drove
    an automobile up the steps of the Alcorn County Courthouse as a stunt.
    He was also an expert auto mechanic and his ability was invaluable in his
    early days of flying.

            In the decade from 1927 to 1937, Turner blazed aviation history
    across the skies from Los Angeles to New York and from London to
    Melbourne Australia.  He was the contemporary of such great
    pioneer-pilots as James Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, Howard Hughes and
    Wiley Post.

            When he was employed by a large oil company on the West coast,
    his flair and style again won him publicity as he flew across the country
    with a lion cub named "Gilmore" after his employer.  When "Gilmore" grew
    too large and dangerous to be a flying companion, Turner donated him to a
    zoo.

            In 1952, at 56, he was awarded the supreme honor the
    Distinguished Flying Cross for his contributions to aerial speed and
    safety.

            It was the first time in twenty years the medal had been given to
    a civilian.

            Turner opened the first commercial airfield at Richmond, Va., in
    1927 and returned to Corinth in 1961 to dedicate the Alcorn County
    airport, named in his honor.

            Turner is survived by his wife, Mrs. Madonna Turner and a
    brother, William Turner, both of Indianapolis and a sister, Mrs. Mary
    Emma Whitaker of Corinth.

            Services will be Thursday at 11 a.m. in Christ Church Episcopal
    Cathedral on Monument Circle in Indianapolis.  The family request that in
    lieu of flowers, all memorials be sent to the American Cancer Society.

    PICTURE:   Col. Roscoe Turner [In Civil Air Patrol Uniform with his
               diamond wings over pocket]


                                    THE DAILY CORINTHIAN June 24, 1970


       Data transcription by:  Milton Sandy, Jr. May 16, 1993