Looking at Brig. Gen. C. David Turner, the commander of the South Atlantic region of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, you would never guess he was once a college dropout.
His chest is embellished with so many colorful military ribbons and medals that the left side of his uniform looks like a rainbow. His awards and decorations include the 2012 Defense Superior Service Medal; 2009, 2011 and 2014 Legion of Merit Awards; and the 2016 ROCK of the Year Award from ROCKS Inc., a mentoring organization. Turner was also awarded the 2014 Black Engineer of the Year Stars and Stripes Army Award and the 2009 Black Engineer of the Year for Professional Achievement in Government Award.
On Sunday, June 26, Turner will give the keynote address at the 20th Annual Scholars Reception and Awards ceremony sponsored by the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), St. Louis Gateway Professionals chapter. The celebration begins at 2 p.m. at Whitaker Hall for Biomedical Engineering on the campus of Washington University. At the event, NSBE will award scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 to nine local youth and name the Corporate Leader of the Year.
“The NSBE family is pleased to have Brigadier General Turner as a speaker at this year’s event,” said Ron Moore, pre-college initiative director for the St. Louis Gateway Professionals chapter. “His extraordinary life’s work is a testament to his intellect, tenacity and courage. NSBE is working to develop the next generation of leaders to fill the general’s shoes and move our county forward.”
Turner, 56, plans to talk about how he might have missed the success he now enjoys – overseeing projects that support the military in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and all or part of eight southeastern states – if he hadn’t given college another try.
Kevin Walker, 56, director of Project Appleseed, which promotes parental involvement in the nation’s schools, said he always expected great things from Turner. The men were classmates in the Webster Groves School District.
“David was one of those students that you expected to succeed and, when you saw how well he did, he exceeded any expectation you had of him,” Walker said. “The same man you see in front of you now, somewhat self-deprecating, that’s how he was as a kid.”
Another childhood friend and classmate – Russell Mitchell, 56, managing editor and lead anchor of the evening news for WKYC in Cleveland – described Turner as serious, dedicated and thoughtful.
“To think that I know somebody who has done as much as he has for all the right reasons, who has served his country in an amazing way, made me feel good,” Mitchell said. “And it made me feel good about the community we grew up in.”
Mitchell (1989-90), Walker (2007) and Turner (2015) are all Webster Groves School District Wall of Fame inductees, an honor bestowed on fewer than 100 graduates in the district’s more than 100-year history.
About-face
An active member of the Boy Scouts of America who earned the rank of Eagle Scout, Turner didn’t have a plan for life after high school. He only enrolled at the University of Central Missouri after a fellow Scout shared his plans to attend the school.
There wasn’t any outside pressure to continue either. His dad, Laffayette Turner Sr. was part of the Fanandos singing group and didn’t go to high school. And it was only last month that Turner returned home to witness his mother, Rosemary Turner, graduate from St. Louis Community College with an associate degree in general studies. Turner’s mom retired from the United States Postal Service after 42 years of service.
Many youth from his neighborhood dropped out of high school, so following his freshman year Turner stopped going to college and instead worked at a grocery store and fast food restaurant.
“There was no real reason,” Turner said. “I was just looking for something different.”
Then a night on the town gone wrong convinced Turner that he needed to change directions.
“I was in East St. Louis one night and experienced a bad situation – I heard shots fired inside the nightclub. It was a mad scramble afterwards,” Turner said. “I decided this is not the life for me. I better get back in college.”
Turner returned to college, where he pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., met his future wife Marsha and joined ROTC. He would graduate, go on to earn a Masters of Science in industrial engineering at Wichita State and ultimately climb the ranks of the military elite who must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as senior military officers.
Serving in the military, he learned that nightclubs are not the only dangerous places that can lead to a mass scramble for safety. Turner was at the Pentagon on 9/11 and is lauded as a hero for saving lives.
“The U.S. Army chief of staff was out of the country and called in via a secure telephone line for an update on the situation. I was delayed, trying to wrap up a few things in the office, and David knew we needed to get down there, and he grabbed me by the arm and said, ‘We got to get you downstairs now,’” said retired Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Hammond.
“Moments later, the plane hit us and killed all the people in the front office. David is the bravest man I know, because he tried to rescue them. You talk about a close call. This was an act of God that is beyond description. God used David Turner’s hands to save my life and the life of another officer.”
The director of veteran and military affairs for the University of Southern Mississippi makes it a point to call Turner each year to express his appreciation for Turner’s act of heroism.
“My kids still have a dad because of David. My wife still has a husband because of him,” Hammond said.
Turner marvels at the far-reaching consequences of a single decision he made so long ago.
“It’s amazing when you think about my story, because the University of Central Missouri has more than 90,000 graduates, and they only pick two distinguished graduates a year, and I was one of the two that they picked,” Turner said.
“You’re talking about a guy who didn’t want to go to college. It’s pretty bizarre when you think about it. It’s never too late to make a difference in your life and change your direction.”
Turner initially was an aviation management major. Poor eyesight and the observation of a college professor who told Turner he was “pretty technical” helped him settle on a career in mathematics. This personal experience led Turner to encourage youth to seek out mentors.
“People see things in us that we don’t necessarily see, and I think that’s why mentorship is so important,” Turner said. “Part of being a mentor is not to make decisions for people, but to explain to them where you believe they have the most potential. That college professor thought I had the most potential to go into a technical field, and I listened to him.”
Turner also is a passionate advocate for STEM education, as he will relate at the NSBE reception. He advises parents of young children to start exposing children to STEM early, so they are not intimidated.
“When I was in my graduate program at Wichita State, I would walk the hallways trying to encourage particularly minority students to get into STEM, and a lot of them were just intimidated,” Turner said. “The reason is, I believe, a lack of exposure at an early age.”
Turner intends one day to become even more closely involved in shifting this trend as a high school math teacher. “I won’t even be successful in life until I do that, because that was my original goal,” Turner said. “You know it still burns me that I haven’t done it yet.”
Advance tickets for NSBE St. Louis Gateway Professionals’ 20th Annual Scholars Reception and Awards ceremony, which includes live entertainment and food, are $40 for adults and $20 for students; visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nsbe-st-louis-gateway-professional-chapter-annual-scholars-reception-tickets-22712099501. Prices increase at the door. For more information, visit nsbe-stl.org or call Jan Walker, president of the St. Louis Gateway Professionals chapter, at 314-691-2956.
