Memphis lost two of its “lions” this past weekend. Everybody knows about the contributions of Rendezvous founder Charlie Vergos, but even though his name may not be a household word here, many of us benefited from the contributions of my pal Tom Turner.
Born in 1924 in Atlanta, Tom attended Georgia Tech, served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and then moved to Memphis. He was a division manager of Buckeye Cellulose, but that was just his day job. In his spare time, he was actively involved in an astonishing number of organizations: the Volunteer Center of Memphis, Christian Brothers University, Agricenter International, Blue Shield / Blue Cross, the Rotary Club, the Memphis & Shelby County Airport Authority, LeMoyne-Owen College, MIFA, Goals for Memphis, the Salvation Army — oh, the list goes on and on.
I knew Tom and was proud to call him a friend. He was a true gentleman and scholar in every sense of the word and will be missed by many.
He was laid to rest this morning in Memorial Park. My sincere condolences to his loving family and many friends.
