The Daily Corinthian, Corinth, MS, Tues., May 2, 1995:
p. 1, c. 6 -
SANDY TO HEAD HOT AIR BALLOON RACE PLANS
By Phyllis Keith-Young
Staff Writer
Local businessman and history buff Milton Sandy will head the
1995 Roscoe Turner Hot Air Balloon Race.
On Monday, Tourism Director Nancy Plesnarski informed the Alcorn
County Board of Supervisors of Sandy's commitment to the 10th annual
event which was founded by local balloonist, Eddie LaFavour and his
wife, Becky.
On April 13 LaFavour announced to the Corinth Area Tourism
Council that he would not be organizing the event this year, but had
elected to spend more time with his family. LaFavour said he did want
to see the event continue and he still plans to sponsor a hot air
balloon as well as pilot one this year.
Plesnarski said this year the council will again donate $8,000 to
the event that is expected to lure thousands of tourists and hot air
balloonists to the Corinth area during the race weekend, Aug. 18-20.
She said in addition to the race celebrating its 10th year, the event
will also revolve around the 100th birthday of daredevil aviator
Roscoe Turner, for whom the race was named.
Many special events are being planned for the balloon race to
honor Turner, who was a native of Alcorn County that went on to gain
national fame for symbolizing the adventure of aviation to young boys
growing up in the Depression Era.
Like other local residents, supervisors say they are also looking
forward to the event.
The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, IN, Mon., May 8, 1995:
p. B5 -
MADONNA TURNER WAS WIDOW OF AVIATOR
Madonna Miller Turner, Carmel, died Sunday.
She was the widow of pioneering aviator and champion air racer
Roscoe Turner.
She was president and treasurer of Roscoe Turner Aviation Corp.at
Weir Cook Airport, now Indianapolis International Airport, for 25 years,
retiring in 1968. Roscoe Turner established an air school in Indianapolis
in 1939 and added a regional passenger carrier in 1947.
Mrs. Turner was founder and president of the Roscoe Turner
Aviation Museum and was a member of the nomination board for the National
Aviation Hall of Fame & International Order of Characters Respected
Aviation Group.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Michael's Episcopal
Church, Noblesville, of which she was a member.
Private graveside services will be at Crown Hill Cemetery.
Calling will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in Flanner & Buchanan Carmel
Mortuary.
Survivors: brother Reed M. Miller; nephews Stephen R., James G.
Miller.
The Daily Corinthian, Corinth, MS, Thurs., May 25, 1995:
p. 1, c. 9 -
BALLOON RACE GETTING OFF TO GOOD START
News Release
Ricky Marecle, sponsorship chairman of the 10th annual Roscoe
Turner Balloon Race, has announced that less than two weeks after
sponsor applications were mailed, a total of eight applications and
checks have been returned. Any business or individual wishing to
become a sponsor for this year's event- who has not received a
sponsorship packet - should telephone 287-5269 or 287-5260, the FAX
number, and information will be promptly provided, Marecle said.
Because of Roscoe Turner's early contribution to aviation
history in surrounding towns, including Selmer and Savannah in Ten
nessee, the Quad Cities in Alabama and in Iuka and Booneville,
sponsors are being solicited in these areas. The Race Committee's goal
is 40 general sponsorships with a cut-off and maximum of 50. Prices
for sponsorships increase after June 15th. This year will mark the
10th anniversary of the event. It would have been the 100th birthday
of Roscoe Turner.
Taft Little with Litco Petroleum has the distinct honor of
being the first sponsor for the 10th Annual Roscoe Turner Hot Air
Balloon Race. His completed application and check arrived via U.S.
Postal Service the day following his receipt of the application. "It
was a welcome show of early support," Marecle said.
In the same mail was the first pilot's application, complete
with all attachments. Mississippian Dan Martindale of Monticello, can
claim the honor of this distinction. "We hope these two examples of
early birds will set the tone for all participants in an extraordinary
event his year!"
On a related topic, Milton Sandy, Jr., overall chairman of the
event, announced the Smithsonian Institution Press has reported
shipments of over 1,000 copies of the new biography of Roscoe Turner
titled ROSCOE TURNER: AVIATION'S MASTER SHOWMAN. The book was written
by noted aviation writer Carroll V. Glines and published by the
Smithsonian Institution Press in Washington, D.C. According to Hilary
Reeves, marketing manager.
"The official publication date for the book was not until May
and these are exceptionally strong sales for a non-fiction biography,"
Reeves said. "We will be monitoring sales of the book closely to
determine whether it will need to be reprinted."
Waits Jewelry Store in Corinth sold more copies of the book
during the first month of availability than any other retail location
in the United States. All proceeds from the sales at Waits have been
donated to the Northeast Mississippi Museum, Roscoe Turner Committee.
Roscoe Turner was a bigger-than-life character who symbolized
the adventure and excitement of aviation to young boys growing up in
the depression era. Roscoe Turner trading cards, comic books,
newspaper comic strips, and radio serials all were part of the popular
culture of the times.
Roscoe and Gilmore, his lion cub flying companion, will be
remembered this year at the 10th annual Roscoe Turner Hot Air Balloon
Race in Corinth, Aug. 18-20.
Roscoe Turner was one of the earliest commercial aviators in the
mid-south region surrounding Corinth. The Roscoe Turner Flying Circus
performed in many towns around Corinth.
Times Daily, Florence, AL, Mon., June 12, 1995:
Sec B, p. 1, c. 2-5 -
"LION" AVIATOR
Book tells of flamboyant flier's life in Shoals
By Lena Mitchell
Staff Writer
Pioneer aviator Roscoe Turner carved a place in aeronautical
history with his trademark flamboyant style that carried him from
barnstorming shows to the silver screen.
However, few people know that he got his start in the Shoals area
during the early part of this century.
Turner's ventures in flight are the subject of a new book
commissioned by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. The book
includes details of two of his businesses in the Shoals in the 1920s-
Muscle Shoals Aircraft Corp. and Roscoe Turner Airways Inc.
James M. Sharp of Tuscumbia, the son of one of Turner's corporate
officers, remembers the airman's association with his father, M.F.Sharp,
quite well.
"One of my strongest memories is that he was a big man who wore a
snappy uniform," the 78-year-old Sharp said. "My father was small, and
people used to call them 'Mutt and Jeff.' "
Sharp said his father and Turner joined together in a number of
dubious exploits, among them flying under O'Neal Bridge, which was (and
still is) illegal. He said they also wanted to make him the youngest
aviator in the world when he was only 8, but his mother put a stop to
that notion.
But Sharp says it was Turner's influence that led to his interest
in flying, and he learned to fly in an Army aviation training course
before World War II.
Turner first came to Northwest Alabama in 1923, when he brought
his plane the "Gilmore Lion," to Tuscumbia for the Tennessee Valley Fair.
The fair's opening day parade, led by Turner taxiing his plane down
Sheffield's main street, was considered the highlight of the fair,
according to historical researcher Milton Sandy Jr. of Corinth, Miss.
FIRST AERIAL PHOTO OF WILSON DAM
Turner's first plane, a Jenny, was named for the Gilmore Oil Co.,
his major contractor, and for a lion cub mascot that he named Gilmore,
who usually flew in the plane with him.
Unlike his counterparts who generally flew in greasy overalls,
Turner adopted a formal uniform that he designed himself and wore with
military bearing, adding to his legendary reputation.
Barnstorming - bringing airshows to rural areas and offering
"aeroplane" rides for a small fee - was a popular way for aviators to make
money in those days.
A photograph of Wilson Dam under construction, taken by Turner in
about 1923, is thought to be the first aerial picture of the dam, Sandy
said.
Roscoe O'Bannon Jr., 77, of Tuscumbia says Turner's barnstorming
flights from the old Gusmus Field southeast of the intersection of Second
Street and Woodward Avenue in Muscle Shoals, were exciting moments during
his childhood.
He said he had taken memorable airplane rides for just a dollar
from both Gusmus Field and McFarland Bottoms, the present site of
McFarland Park.
"The first plane I ever saw was flown by Roscoe Turner," O'Bannon
said, "and it was because of that childhood interest I learned to fly in
1938."
FROM SHOALS TO HOLLYWOOD
It was during an economic boom in the Shoals that Turner started
up his businesses, but when business dried up he left the Shoals in 1927.
From Northwest Alabama, Turner went to Richmond, Va., then on to
Indianapolis, Ind., where he started the Roscoe Turner Aeronautical Corp.
in 1940.
His style and dash appealed to Hollywood, and for many years
during the silent picture era he appeared in Howard Hughes backed movies.
Turner was born in 1895, in Alcorn County, Miss., near Corinth.
His aviation career began at age 21, when he was accepted in the Army
Signal Corps during World War I as an aerial balloon observer.
At his death in 1970, Turner had made aviation history as a
racing pilot, becoming the only person ever to win the Thompson Trophy
three times. Along with Jimmy Doolittle, he won both the Thompson and
Bendix trophies.
The Corinth-Alcorn Area Airport was named Roscoe Turner Airport
in 1961 [first dedicated in 1936, mls], and an annual hot air balloon
race is held there each August in his honor. This year's balloon race is
scheduled for Aug. 18-20.
Turner was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in
1975. When his lion died, he was stuffed and today resides in the
National Air & Space Museum in Washington.
"Roscoe Turner: Aviation's Master Showman" was written by
Carroll V. Glines for the Smithsonian's "History of Aviation" series, and
is available through Smithsonian Institution Press by calling Ann Lienert
at 202-287-3738.
For information about the balloon race and activities, contact
Sandy at 601-286-6087.
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo, MS, Fri., Aug 18, 1995:
p. 1, c. 2-5 -
AEROSPACE PIONEER FINDS
BARNSTORMING A PLEASANT HOBBY
PHOTO: Col. Joseph Kittinger takes flight over Tupelo Thursday in his
1927 New Standard Bi-Plane. Kittinger will be giving barnstorming
rides as part of the Gates Flying Circus today through Sunday at the
10th Annual Roscoe Turner Hot Air Balloon Race in Corinth. Photo by
Jane Hill.
FREE-FALLING RECORD-HOLDER
CONTINUES UNFLAPPABLE WAYS
By JANE HILL
Daily Journal
Col. Joseph Kittinger is an unflappable man. Hordes of
television cameras and reporters don't phase him in the slightest.
He greets them all with a big Teddy Roosevelt grin and a
courtly wave toward his plane, a Beagle Airtours biplane that is part
of the Gates Flying Circus of which he and his wife Sherry are a
part.
But then, it might take a lot to phase a man who holds the
world's record for the longest and fastest free fall to Earth.
As a pioneer of what would become the United States space
program, Kittinger was one of a few men who were given the task of
finding out just how far man could go and how much he could take in
the outer reaches of the Earth's atmosphere.
Kittinger and these others are the subject of a new Naval
Institute book called "The Pre-Astronauts" that was authored by Craig
Ryan, an Oregon native and a pilot, skydiver and balloonist in his own
right.
Both Ryan and Kittinger will attend the 10th Annual Roscoe
Turner Hot Air Balloon Race this weekend in Corinth. Kittinger will be
giving barnstorming plane rides at the festival today through Sunday
Ryan will be talking about his new book and the men that inspired it.
WATCH THAT FIRST STEP
Ryan said he first got the inspiration for the book when he
saw a 1960 photograph of Kittinger stepping out of balloon gondola
20 miles above the Earth wearing nothing but a pressure suit and a
parachute.
Kittinger served as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot for 28
years and as a test pilot for 11 of those years. Kittinger's
record-setting fall was part of a series of Air Force and Navy experi-
ments to determine how the pilots of high-flying jets and eventually
the astronauts would react in the extreme conditions to be found in
the upper atmosphere and outer space.
"No one was sure what would happen to them, for instance, if
they had to eject from the plane going Mach 1," Ryan said. "It would
be something like slamming into a brick wall. Could a man survive
that? Those were the kinds of questions that these people were trying
to answer."
The question Kittinger was trying to answer in his 20-mile or
103,000 - foot fall to Earth from the basket beneath a helium balloon
was whether two experimental parachutes the Air Force had developed
would successfully stop a pilot's fall if he ejected in the upper
atmosphere.
According to Kittinger's description, the atmosphere was so
thin that in the first moments of his jump he was not even aware of a
sensation of falling.
"Here he was falling through space at about 660 miles per hour
and there was not even a ripple in the fabric of his flight suit.
That's how far up he was," Ryan said.
A stabilization parachute kept Kittinger, who was then
traveling at the speed of sound, from spinning out of control in the
upper atmosphere. The pilot opened a second parachute about 17,000
feet above the ground. In all, it took Kittinger about 14 minutes
from the time he jumped from the balloon to reach the Earth.
The colonel's exploits did not stop there. In 1984, Kittinger
became the first man to cross the Atlantic Ocean solo in a helium
balloon, Ryan said.
STILL FLYING HIGH
Kittinger said for the last two years he and his wife have
enjoyed touring with the flying circus and taking excursions on their
own in the biplane. The two recently took the New Standard plane from
their home in Vero Beach, Fla. to Tillamook, Ore.
"We've flown this airplane all over the U.S.," Kittinger said.
However, during the regular air circus season which runs from
March to October, Kittinger flies the plane and his wife follows in a
recreational vehicle containing the couple's supplies and tools.
"My wife is what you would call a roustabout," he said. "She
collects the money, laughs at all the pilot's jokes and does whatever
else needs to be done."
Kittinger said he enjoy's giving people a look at the Earth
from the barnstormer's point of view.
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo, MS, Fri., Aug 18, 1995:
p. 1, c. 3 -
ITS FLYING, NO FRILLS, LOTS OF THRILLS
By Jane Hill
Daily Journal
Your hairdo is history.
Once the propeller on this flying antique starts spinning,
there's nothing you can do about the man-made winds that buffet your
face from all sides and there's nothing you really want to do, except
grin.
This was how the barnstormers of the 1920s and 1930s flew. This
is how they acquired those deep facial tans and those wind cut
laughter lines on their faces that made them look so devil-may-care.
This is why they waxed their dashing moustaches so heavily.
The comforts of modern-day flight - the pressurized cabins,
the no smoking signs, the ping before the flight attendant's
announcements - are nonexistent here.
You buckle up without being told. Your companion cinches the
single seat belt so tightly over both your waists you feel like you've
just squeezed into Scarlett O'Hara's corset. But that's OK. If this
baby does any barrel rolling, you want to stay precisely where you
are.
As you taxi leisurely out onto the runway, one small part of
you is certain that this plane will never get up enough speed to leave
the ground. There's no sudden burst of speed like a commercial plane,
no increased, ear-popping pressure slamming you back in your seat.
The single engine of this 1927 New Standard Bi-Plane takes the
three of you off the ground as easily and lightly as if you were a
sparrow taking to wing. You ascend. The overheated tarmac skims away,
the air rushing by your ears cools and your horizons expand.
When the pilot, Col. Joseph Kittinger, a man who has logged more
than 15,000 hours in the air, wants to communicate something he shouts
it over your shoulder. If you feel the need of reassurance, you can
turn and look back at him through the filmy windshield separating you.
He will either give you a cheerful thumbs up sign or both his arms
will be waving free outside his cockpit in a pantomime of a bird's
flight.
Maybe it's better not to look back for reassurance.
The plane turns and banks over west Tupelo. You see minuscule
hay bales, thin streams of roads crowded with cars, the well-heeled
subdivision homes reduced to pieces on a Monopoly board. Part of you
understands what Kittinger means when he waves his arms so freely and
why those first daredevils took to the air like this, why they risked
their lives racing around pylons and from one end of the country to
the other breaking speed and distance records all along the way.
You also know why they buzzed school houses and Sunday picnics
in search of the imaginative few who wanted to see the world through a
god's eyes.
"If God had meant man to fly he would have given him more money,"
Kittinger says before takeoff. "That's how barnstorming got started.
It was the only way these pilots could make enough money to keep
flying."
Who could blame them? Even as a passenger who has never held "the
stick" between your hands, you give an involuntary sigh of
disappointment when the biplane makes her final approach to the
runway. Before the wheels even tap the surface of the runway you are
looking forward to the next chance, whenever it is, to go up again.
-----------------------------
IT'S FRIDAY
Sky's the limit.......................................1C
Roscoe Turner is probably the happiest he's ever been. The
famous Corinth aviator dwells in the celestial home in the sky, higher
than he ever soared in a hot-air balloon or a barnstormer plane.
And if the pilot looks down today and sees what lengths his
hometown has gone to in commemorating his 100th birthday, there's no
doubt he would be on cloud nine.
"He would have that big grin that he wore all the time and be
happy to see his friends and family," said Turner's only sister, Mary
Emma Whitaker about the 10th Annual Roscoe Turner Hot Air Balloon
Race.
Although Turner didn't live long enough to have his 100th
birthday announced on "The Today Show," his hometown has made up for
it by adding more events to the annual weekend race.
The Daily Corinthian, Corinth, MS, Mon., Aug. 21, 1995:
p. 1, 2-6 -
ROSCOE TURNER BALLOON RACE: 'ALL WENT WELL'
----------------------
By Phyllis Keith-Young
Staff Writer
Several balloon flights were canceled due to unfavorable
weather Saturday and Sunday, but the 1Oth Annual Roscoe Turner Hot
Air Balloon Race was something to be remembered.
Hitting the 10-year mark, activities associated with the
annual event held over a three-day period coincided with the 1OOth
birthday of Corinth native and famous aviator Roscoe Turner.
According to event organizer Milton Sandy Jr., "all went
well."
"I think overall the balloon race was a tremendous success.
Everything was great and we had a big crowd each day," he said. "It
will be about one week before we have all of the figures in to
determine how many spectators attended the race during the three
days."
Most spectators attending the event will agree this was the
year for unusual and memorable happenings.
Heading off the list of unusual things was Friday's Fun
Flight, which launched from Shiloh Ridge Golf Course - the original
site of the Roscoe Turner air field that was dedicated in 1936. From
this location balloonists were able to fly and land near downtown
sites - something that had never been done during the race's 10-year
history Sandy said.
The original air field also served as the location for the
1924 marriage of Turner and his first wife. Although no marriages
took place at this year's race, the making of a marriage did start.
Knowing that one of his girlfriend's biggest dreams was to
ride in a hot air balloon, Jody Kennedy made a marriage proposal to
Jennifer Hughey of Ripley as the two took off in a hot air balloon
owned by John and Mike Wade of Ripley, Tenn.
As the balloon guided by Wade lifted towards the sky, Hughey
looked down to see a giant sign that read, "Will you marry me," She
turned to Kennedy to find him holding an engagement ring. After
telling Kennedy - a Mississippi State University student from
Corinth - what he anticipated hearing the balloon landed and the two
were honored with a celebration.
Highlighting Friday's entertainment, former Corinth resident
and air personality Buddy Bain and his wife, Kay reenacted a scene
that took place 25 years ago as they introduced the Original Heismen
to Alcorn County at Biggersville High School gym. Following the same
pattern as years before, the Bains performed several songs before the
Heismen took the stage as they celebrated their 25th singing
anniversary.
A large crowd was also on hand for Friday's Balloon Glow which,
included a majority of the 39 balloonists who participated in the
event. Originally, 42 balloonists were expected at this year's race,
but illnesses and accident caused three balloonists to cancel at the
last moment Sandy said.
"We had an overflow crowd, which was said to have been the
biggest crowd ever for a Friday night, so we were real pleased with
that."
Sandy said Saturday's agenda was quite busy with many
memorable events on hand.
Race founders Eddie and Becky LaFavour - who were honored
for founding and organizing the race for nine years - flew into the
airport from Turner's original air field with commemorative envelopes
for cancellation at a special booth operated by postal employee Lou
Anne Parrish. The special green ink used on the envelopes bore the
Aug. 19th date, two stamps of hot air balloons and a picture of
Turner. The envelopes were then sold as collector's items
A relative and two acquaintances of Turner also made the day
more special. Turner's sister Mary Emma Whitaker, was on hand to sign
autographs along with Col. C.V. Glines - Turner's friend and author of
Turner's biography and Craig Ryan, the author of "Pre-Astronauts,"
which tells about Col. Joe W. Kittinger, who is a retired United
States Air Force colonel who knew Turner. A reception was also held
for the authors at the museum.
Kittinger attended the race each day and made available to the
public rides in a restored 1929 model New Standard open-cockpit
bi-plane.
Sandy said all money raised from the book sale went to the
local Museum Association.
Jimmy and Betty Hathcock, along with former Corinth resident
Jack Tacker, who now resides in California, coordinated the first ever
Slugburger Fly-In where pilots of vintage planes from the World War I
and World War II era flew to the event and were able to purchase
slugburgers with a wooden nickel that also served as a collector item.
"The Slugburger Fly-In went really well," commented Sandy.
"Jimmy and Betty took on an additional task this year in coordinating
that event along with Jack (Tacker) who came to Corinth about two
weeks ago to help with getting everything organized. Quite a few
pilots did come and made their planes available for view to the
public."
If that was not enough, Sandy said "Roscoe Turner" also showed
up for the race. Corinth resident Bobby Scott - who had spent many
weeks watching old Turner movies and practicing Turner's walk, talk
and just about everything else - entertained the crowd as he walked
around. He also took the stage once to make a speech Sandy said.
Corinth resident and singer, Charlie Kyle also paid tribute to
Turner as he introduced to the public a song that he had written
especially for the event about Roscoe Turner. Kyle and the Kyle
Drivers along with Toni Borden gave an hour-long performance Saturday.
Sandy said an "unusual weather pattern" caused a slight
interference with the musical entertainment on Saturday night and
delayed the schedule about 30 minutes.
"Saturday night, after the initial (rain) showers and delays,
all musical groups were able to perform and everything turned out
great," the event chairman said. "I think after the showers people
were more comfortable with the cooler weather and had a great time as
The Guns performed."
Sunday's flight for the $10,000 Key Grab that would have
allowed the lucky balloonist his choice of $10,000 cash or the use of
a 1995 Oldsmobile from Larry James Oldsmobile was canceled due to
unfavorable weather.
Winners from Saturday morning's Hare and the Hound race were
Frank Cartwright of Lexington, Tenn., first place; Glen Smith of
Germantown, Tenn., second place; Robert Burroughs of Tuscaloosa, Ala.,
third place; and Ray Dionne of Nashville, fourth place.
The Daily Corinthian, Corinth, MS, Mon, Oct. 2, 1995:
p. 1, c. 2-5 -
Insight: Roscoe Turner's birthday celebration
-----------------------------------------------
Local students cheer
100th balloon flight
Early Friday morning on Col. Roscoe Turner's 100th birthday,
balloon pilot Eddie LaFavour lifted off in his colorful hot air
balloon from the West Corinth Elementary School playground to cheers
and applause of around 200 first grade students who were assembled
outside to watch the launch.
Aboard the balloon were special commemorative postal covers
which went on sale at the Northeast Mississippi Museum that afternoon.
The flight took the covers over Turner Hill and the adjoining pasture
where Turner often landed his plane in West Corinth next to his
parents' house in the early 1920's.
A special commemoration ceremony for the 100th birthday of the
aviation pioneer was held later that afternoon at the Northeast
Mississippi Museum in Corinth.
A large group of visitors enjoyed coffee and a large birthday
cake decorated to match the special pictorial cancellation used at a
temporary postal station at the museum for this event. Displays of
Turner memorabilia were on display throughout the day.
Roscoe Turner is the subject of a biography released by the
Smithsonian Institute Press titled "Roscoe Turner: Aviation's Master
Showman.
Born in Corinth on Sept. 29, 1895, Turner was an audacious
risk taker and tireless selfpromoter. He served as a balloon pilot
during World War I. Turner's name was synonymous with speed during the
1930's when he established numerous transcontinental aviation speed
records and regularly won major air racing events of the era.
Turner's only sister, Mary Emma Turner Whitaker, served the
birthday cake to visitors and visited with many friends who stopped by
for the occasion.
"I am honored and pleased to be here to remember my oldest
brother on the occasion of his 100th birthday," she said.
Photo caption:
The balloon takes off at West Corinth Elementary Friday.
LINN'S Stamp News, Sidney, OH, Mon., Oct. 9, 1995:
V.68, #3492, p. 44, c. 5 -
POSTMARK PURSUIT
By Fred Baumann
----------------
COL. ROSCOE TURNER 100TH BIRTHDAY Station, 500 N. Madison,
Corinth, MS 38834-9998, Sept. 29. (Pilot's wings with fancy monogram "RT"
at center.)
The Daily Corinthian, Corinth, MS, Tues., Oct. 17, 1995:
p. 1, c. 1 -
TURNER'S BROTHER DIES
The youngest brother of the well-known pioneer aviator Roscoe
Turner died Friday in Springfield, Missouri.
According to reports, William "Bill" Turner, 83, died after an
extended illness. Memorial services will be held Wednesday at the
National Cemetery in Springfield.
Like his older brother Roscoe, Bill Turner had a distinguished
career in aviation as well.
A clipping from the Thursday, Oct. 27, 1921 Weekly Corinthian and
a 1994 interview with Corinthian Milton Sandy Jr. indicated Bill Turner
experienced his first airplane ride at the age of 9 or 10 in Corinth.
Turner told Sandy the ride - given to him by his big brother - was quite a
thrill and influenced his choice of careers.
Turner went on to become a Marine Corps aviator during the 1930s
and re-enlisted in the Marine Corps during World War II. After the war he
was long associated with Shell Oil Corp. and worked for many years there
with famed aviator Jimmy Doolittle.
Bill Turner was the last son of Robert and Mary Aquilla Turner,
who lived on Turner's Hill on Smithbridge road in Alcorn County.
He is survived by his wife Carol Turner, of Springfield; a
daughter, a step-son; and his sister, Mary Emma Whitaker of Corinth.
OBITUARY
----------------
Bill Turner, 83,
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Bill Turner, 83, of Springfield, Mo. died
Friday, Oct. 13, 1995 after a long illness. A native Corinthian, Turner
was the last son of Robert and Mary Aquilla Turner who lived on Turner's
Hill on Smithbridge Road. They reared five sons and one daughter.
The memorial services will be Wednesday at the National.Cemetery
in Springfield.
He leaves his wife, Carol Turner of the home; a daughter and a
step-son and many local relatives including his sister, Mary Emma
Whitaker of Corinth.
Memorials may be made to Pine Vale Children's Home or to the
American Heart Fund.
Abstracts (c) Copyright 1996 Stephanie L. Sandy
Data transcription by: Milton Sandy, Jr. Corinth, MS - Jan 24, 1996
RT200