1940 Newspaper Abstracts

The Weekly Corinthian, Friday, December ?, 1940:
p. 1, c. 1 -

    COL. TURNER IS
     AIR MAGNATE
       --------
PERPLEXED OVER
CORINTH PORT
FACILITIES
       -------
    Urges Local People
    Take Active Part
    In City Affairs

        Limping slightly due to injuries received in an automobile wreck
this past July, Col.  Roscoe Turner the lion-tamer boy who went out into
the world and made good without any help from anyone, arrived in the city
last week to spend a few days of the Yuletide season with his parents.
Mr. and Mrs. R.L. Turner in West Corinth.
        America's ace aviator is walking with a cane to partially support
his weight until he fully recovers, which he expects to be within
the next two months, but is still full of health and vigor - the kind
that has carried him from the bottom to the top of the heap in the
aviation circles in the United States.
        Col. Turner is the exclusive operator of the Indianapolis, Ind.,
municipal airport, at the present time, being the nominal head of the
Roscoe Turner Aeronautical Corporation & Institute.  The corporation has
five government training contracts underway on the port and 32 people are
employed under supervision of Col.  Turner, who directs the operations of
the quarter million dollar business enterprise.
        Resting easily in his shirt sleeves and seated in a cane bottom
chair at the home of his parents, Corinth's most famous citizen, talked
to a Daily Corinthian reporter this morning about a number of things not
concerned with himself.  It was hard for the newsman to get the colonel
to talk about himself or his activities, the flyer preferring to let the
conversation drift into other channels.
        There are 130 private and government students engaged in train-
ing at the port under seven instructors.
        The corporation directed by Col. Turner has the gas and oil ser-
vices at the port, one of the best municipal airports in the United
States and also does motor and airplane repair work in addition to
selling three popular makes of planes, the Waco, Stinson and Tay-
lorcraft.  The facilities of tlie corporation are also available for
radio instruction and repair and a ground school for mechanics is also
maintained along with a ground school for training of private and
commercial fliers.
        There are fourteen planes in the service of the corporation in
its various functions with indications that more will be pressed into
service real soon, according to Col. Turner.
        Col.  Roscoe Turner, holder of the record for winning the
Thompson trophy three times - the only man to do so in the history of
aviation - he is also holder of license number one issued by the U. S.
Aeronautical Society and is one of the twelve ranking aviators in America
today. He bears his honors easily and is still able to speak in the same
language of his homefolk.  He is easily approached and has none of the
braggadocio exhibited by those who have accomplished less and contributed
much less to aviation in America today, yet one is mindful of the fact
that he is in the presence of a man who is "going places and knows where
he is going" while talking to Col. Turner.
        The affable flyer was keenly disappointed at the disposition of
the airport which bore his name in Corinth (the Roscoe Turner Air-
port was recently sold by the board of supervisors.)
        "Naturally I am a bit disappointed at the action of those in
charge of the field, after, having it bought and paid for, to throw it
away. It had a very promising future in the aviation setup of the nation.
I had intended to establish a branch of my operations at the field, but
now that is definitely out now, the famous flier related when asked for
an opinion about a port in Corinth.
        "It was a very high privilege to have a port named for me in my
hometown," he said "although I did not ask for it, and on the face it,
it looks like a personal insult to me, especially in view of the fact
that the field was bought, and paid for,had a large amount of money spent
improving it and then throwing it away."
        Commenting on fields bearing the names of other famous fliers,
Col. Turner revealed that there is an airport at Sheldon, Iowa, named for
him, "that, is a very fine field, but I would have preferred a field in
my own home town named for me than in any other part of the world.  There
are very few living fliers today where ports are named for them."
        Urging upon local citizens to take the forefront in the building
up of the city and surrounding area, Col. Turner said "Instead of the
good citizens of Corinth running their own town, apparently they are being
swayed by opinions of outsiders who have been elevated to positions of
trust within its borders."
        "Although I live elsewhere, I am more vitally interested in the
progress of Corinth and the welfare of its citizens than any other place
on the globe.  I hate to see anything happen to it that is derogatory to
the progress it deserves.  Corinth has many smart people who are capable
of running its affairs without the neccesity of calling in outsiders.  In
such a case there are plenty of former Corinthians living elsewhere who
would be glad to come back and give advice free of charge on matters
affecting the future welfare of the citizens and the surrounding areas."
        Col. Turner drove to Corinth from Indianapolis because of
inadequate facilities for landing planes in or near the city, and expects
to return to Indianapolis tomorrow morning to resume active charge of his
vast interests at that place. He is assisted in the operation of the
corporation by his brother, Robert Turner, who is controller of the
organization.
       The distingushed visitor would not comment on an invitation,
recently extended to him by Secretary Larston D. Farrar of the
Association of Commerce to attend the annual meeting of the organization
as an honored guest and in recognition of his meteoric rise in the fields
of aviation and business, indicating that the press of private and public
bussiness affairs might cause him to forego the occasion. He would not
commit himself definitely and assured the newsman that he was gratified
at receiving the invitation.



Abstracts (c) Copyright 1993 Stephanie L. Sandy

    Data transcription by: David Sandy,  Corinth, MS - May 31, 1993