Clark Pierson Turner
- Published: June 9, 2016
Clark Pierson Turner
Clark Pierson Turner, 83, of Tallahassee, Fla., passed away suddenly after a brief illness on June 4, 2016.
Clark was born Feb. 12, 1933, in New York City, the son of late Katherine Pierson Turner and H. Haines Turner. He died in Tallahassee, where he and his wife Kathleen had made their home since 2006. Clark was the oldest of three siblings and married Kathleen Krumm Turner on Nov. 30, 1974.
Mr. Turner graduated from Antioch College in Yellow Springs in 1956, and earned a master’s degree in city planning from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, in 1964. Mr. Turner continued his passion for lifelong learning by attending Florida State University until his death, and was proud to carry the title as the oldest student at FSU at the age of 83. Clark appreciated a good debate, his boat, baseball and time with his family.
An acclaimed city planner, Clark began his career at the Ralph Wolpert Company in Dayton, Ohio, followed by positions in the City of Miami and the Dade County planning departments until his retirement. He moved to Tallahassee and worked for Non-Secure Program, Inc., an alcohol treatment program, for several years before his second retirement.
Clark Turner is survived by his wife Kathleen; brother Richard (Joyce), of Cincinnati, Ohio; children Keith, of Sacramento, Calif., Chris (Sandy), of Clarkston, Mich.; Patrick (Stephanie), of Sacramento, Calif. and Mark, of North Platte, Neb.; and grandchildren Lawren, Marissa, Jeffrey, Rebecca and Meredith.
Clark was preceded in death by his brother, James Rigbie Turner, and son, Russell Turner.
Kelly Barber of Bevis Funeral Home is assisting the family with their arrangements.
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I am proud to say that my father had some significant impact in and around Yellow Springs that continues to this day:
As a city planning consultant for the Village of Yellow Springs, Clark was responsible for creating and securing the greenbelt of agricultural and natural land around the village that continues today to prevent commercial intrusion around the village limits.
While at Antioch, Clark served as editor of the Antioch Record, and went on to serve as writer and co-publisher of the Yellow Springs News for a short time in the 1950s. Clark continue his writing career as a freelance writer and started penning a weekly column for the Dayton Daily News about CB radios called “The Blue Kazoo” that was eventually syndicated to several hundred newspapers nationwide and ran for many years before the advent of mobile phones.
A lover of sports, Clark founded the Yellow Springs Football Club in the early 1970s. The club played several seasons against area high school teams before being absorbed by into the Yellow Springs School District as a varsity football program. In 1973, the Yellow Springs Bulldogs football team, which consisted of players who grew through the early football club, recorded an undefeated record of 8-0, a record that continues to stand unmatched to this day.
Goodbye Dad, I love you!