Florida A&M University (FAMU) has lost one of its
brightest stars and trailblazing researchers, Ralph W. Turner, Ph.D. The former
dean of the College of Arts and Sciences dedicated nearly 50 years of service
to FAMU and retired as a distinguished chemistry professor in 2016. He passed
away on Dec. 26, while visiting family in Philadelphia. Turner was 80 years
old.
Family and friends will celebrate his life during his
funeral on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal
Church, located at 839 Cedar Springs Highway in Jakin, Georgia. A viewing will
take place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., at the church.
Friends and colleagues recall Turner’s remarkable commitment
to students, FAMU and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). He
earned his bachelor’s degree from an HBCU, Johnson C. Smith University, where
he was student body president.
Former FAMU President Frederick S. Humphries, Ph.D., met Turner in 1959 when both men began graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh, where they earned doctoral degrees in chemistry.
“He was an extremely talented man,” said Humphries. “He had
tremendous discipline. He worked hard. He had an ability that sustained him
when things got tough to stay in there and get a good resolution no matter the
issue.”
Turner’s tenure at FAMU began in 1967 when he accepted a
position with the Department of Chemistry as an associate professor. He would
rise to the ranks of full professor, department chair and associate dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences. In 2006, Turner was promoted to interim dean of
the college and served as dean from 2008 until 2012.
“As a faculty member and an administrator, Dr. Turner served
FAMU with distinction and was a role model and mentor to students, faculty and
staff,” said FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D.
“When people learn of Ralph’s passing, there are going to be
a lot of sad people who are FAMU graduates,” said Humphries. “Ralph’s
interaction helped them fashion their lives and be successful. He was one of
the stars of Florida A&M University. He was the type of professor a
president would like to hire a whole university full of. He was a terrific
mentor to students and a terrific believer in what FAMU was doing.”
Turner influenced firsthand the lives of many students who
would pursue medical careers and other professions. Dr. Humphries recalled he
had a gift for developing organic metallic compounds and explaining complex
chemistry in a way that would help many students earn doctoral degrees.
“He was an excellent instructor. He used to just lecture off
the top of his head without notes or a book,” said Jason Black, Ph.D. “He loved
to talk to students about life and would find a way to merge real life into his
chemistry instructions. He talked all
the time about growing up on a farm in Blakely, Georgia and how that drove his
love for science.”
Black is just one of hundreds of former students who have
been sharing memories about Turner on social media. Black is an associate
professor with FAMU’s School of Business and Industry and director of the
Interdisciplinary Center for Creativity and Innovation. He expressed gratitude
to Turner for hiring him to work for the Florida Georgia Louis Stokes Alliance
for Minority Participation (FGLSAMP) after he received his master’s degree.
Turner was project director of the FGLSAMP from 2001-2016.
The coalition comprises 14 Florida colleges and universities that receive
National Science Foundation funding and support to increase the number of
underrepresented minority students earning degrees in science, technology,
engineering and math. He held other administrative positions that included director
of Title III Programs at FAMU.