Morris W. Turner
Encyclopedia
Morris Wayne Turner, also known as Moe Turner (October 8, 1931 - June 1, 2008) was a businessman who served in the nonpartisan
position of mayor
of Lubbock
, Texas
, from 1972-1974. He was also a member of the Lubbock City Council from 1968 until the time of his election as mayor.
Turner was one of four children born to Clay Turner (1906–1980) and Addie L. Turner (1906–2000). Though Turner was born near Coalgate
, the seat of Coal County
in southern Oklahoma
, the family thereafter moved to Lubbock. Turner graduated in 1950 from Lubbock High School
, where he played football
, basketball
, and baseball
. In the fall of 1950, he entered Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University
) on a football scholarship
, having been the quarterback
and punter until sidelined by a knee injury. He joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps and was a national officer of the Arnold Air Society
. At Tech, he lettered in baseball as a catcher for the Red Raiders
. Upon graduation from Tech with a degree in business administration, Turner was commissioned a second lieutenant
in the United States Air Force
and served at Ellington Field in Houston
. He was assigned to the combat-ready 40th Bomber Group, 40th Bomber Squadron, Strategic Air Command
under general Curtis LeMay
(1906–1990). During the Cold War
, Turner was a bombardier/navigator aboard a nuclear-armed B-47 jet bomber.
On December 23, 1950, in a ceremony at the Southside Church of Christ
, Turner married the former MaryLou Seward, his former Lubbock High School classmate. They couple made their home in Lubbock and had three children: Brenda Sue Paine (deceased), Andrew Ollen Turner (born ca. 1954) of Lubbock, and Stephanie Gayle Procopio (born ca. 1957) of Phoenix
, Arizona
. For more than 30 years, Turner was an active member of Sunset Church of Christ, which sponsors the Sunset International Bible Institute
in Lubbock.
In 1961, Turner formed the M.W. Turner Construction Company, with specialty in commercial construction and development. His company did some of the later renovations on the Texas Tech campus. In 1968, at the age of thirty-six, he was elected to the first of two two-year terms to the Lubbock City Council. During his first term, the Lubbock Tornado
destroyed much of the downtown. He was hence part of the council, along with Mayor Jim Granberry, charged with the rebuilding of Lubbock after the widespread destruction caused by the storm. In 1972, he was elected mayor when Granberry, a dentist
, chose not to seek a second term. Turner is considered the father of the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center. He worked to insure the success of the since-named Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport
, the Canyon Lakes project, and the George and Helen Mahon Public Library
, named for former U.S. Representative George Mahon of Lubbock. He also worked to widen Indiana Avenue and improve sanitation services. He was president of the South Plains Association of Governments and was a member of the Lubbock Board of City Development. Turner was a golf
er, a singer, and a longtime advocate of his alma mater
Texas Tech.
Turner died in Lubbock of a long struggle against diabetes. He was survived by his wife, son Andrew, daughter Stephanie, six granddaughters, one grandson, four great-grandchildren, two sisters, and seventeen nieces and nephews. Memorial services were held on June 5 at the Sunset Church of Christ.
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
position of mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, from 1972-1974. He was also a member of the Lubbock City Council from 1968 until the time of his election as mayor.
Turner was one of four children born to Clay Turner (1906–1980) and Addie L. Turner (1906–2000). Though Turner was born near Coalgate
Coalgate, Oklahoma
Coalgate is a city in and the county seat of Coal County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,005 at the 2000 census.Morris W. Turner , a businessman and the mayor of Lubbock, Texas, from 1972–1974, was born in Coalgate.-Geography:...
, the seat of Coal County
Coal County, Oklahoma
Coal County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population is 6,031. Its county seat is Coalgate.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
in southern Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, the family thereafter moved to Lubbock. Turner graduated in 1950 from Lubbock High School
Lubbock High School
Lubbock High School is a 5A high school serving grades nine to twelve in Lubbock, Texas . Part of the Lubbock Independent School District, the school is known for its academic program and for the fact that it has produced a number of talented musicians, vocalists, businessmen, and scientists over...
, where he played football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. In the fall of 1950, he entered Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
) on a football scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
, having been the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
and punter until sidelined by a knee injury. He joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps and was a national officer of the Arnold Air Society
Arnold Air Society
The Arnold Air Society is a professional, honorary, service organization advocating the support of aerospace power. AAS is open to officer candidates in Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and at the United States Air Force Academy , and is formally affiliated with the Air Force Association...
. At Tech, he lettered in baseball as a catcher for the Red Raiders
Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball
The Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball team represents Texas Tech University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team competes in the Big 12 Conference and plays at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.-Early years:...
. Upon graduation from Tech with a degree in business administration, Turner was commissioned a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
and served at Ellington Field in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. He was assigned to the combat-ready 40th Bomber Group, 40th Bomber Squadron, Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
under general Curtis LeMay
Curtis LeMay
Curtis Emerson LeMay was a general in the United States Air Force and the vice presidential running mate of American Independent Party candidate George Wallace in 1968....
(1906–1990). During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Turner was a bombardier/navigator aboard a nuclear-armed B-47 jet bomber.
On December 23, 1950, in a ceremony at the Southside Church of Christ
Church of Christ
Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations associated with one another through common beliefs and practices. They seek to base doctrine and practice on the Bible alone, and seek to be New Testament congregations as originally established by the authority of Christ. Historically,...
, Turner married the former MaryLou Seward, his former Lubbock High School classmate. They couple made their home in Lubbock and had three children: Brenda Sue Paine (deceased), Andrew Ollen Turner (born ca. 1954) of Lubbock, and Stephanie Gayle Procopio (born ca. 1957) of Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. For more than 30 years, Turner was an active member of Sunset Church of Christ, which sponsors the Sunset International Bible Institute
Sunset International Bible Institute
Sunset International Bible Institute is a Churches of Christ-affiliated institution of higher education in Lubbock, Texas. It was established in 1962 by Cline Rex Paden , a native of Hunt County, upon his return to Lubbock from an extended missionary trip to Italy...
in Lubbock.
In 1961, Turner formed the M.W. Turner Construction Company, with specialty in commercial construction and development. His company did some of the later renovations on the Texas Tech campus. In 1968, at the age of thirty-six, he was elected to the first of two two-year terms to the Lubbock City Council. During his first term, the Lubbock Tornado
Lubbock Tornado
The 1970 Lubbock tornado was a tornado event that occurred in Lubbock, Texas, on May 11, 1970. It was one of the worst tornadoes in Texas history, and occurred exactly 17 years to the day after the deadly Waco Tornado...
destroyed much of the downtown. He was hence part of the council, along with Mayor Jim Granberry, charged with the rebuilding of Lubbock after the widespread destruction caused by the storm. In 1972, he was elected mayor when Granberry, a dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
, chose not to seek a second term. Turner is considered the father of the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center. He worked to insure the success of the since-named Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport
Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport
Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport is an airport located just north of Lubbock, Texas. Originally known as Lubbock International Airport, it was renamed in 2004 to honor former Texas governor Preston E. Smith, an alumnus of Texas Tech University...
, the Canyon Lakes project, and the George and Helen Mahon Public Library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, named for former U.S. Representative George Mahon of Lubbock. He also worked to widen Indiana Avenue and improve sanitation services. He was president of the South Plains Association of Governments and was a member of the Lubbock Board of City Development. Turner was a golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er, a singer, and a longtime advocate of his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
Texas Tech.
Turner died in Lubbock of a long struggle against diabetes. He was survived by his wife, son Andrew, daughter Stephanie, six granddaughters, one grandson, four great-grandchildren, two sisters, and seventeen nieces and nephews. Memorial services were held on June 5 at the Sunset Church of Christ.