In Memory of Frank Turner

In Memory—Frank M. Turner (1944-2010)

The United Way of Greater New Haven has lost a remarkable and generous friend in Frank Turner. He was a model of the ideal donor.  He embodied the best in the human spirit, and, in his own quiet way, tried to meet every need where he felt he could. Despite his lofty academic credentials and titles, he eschewed pomposity and pretension. Clinging tenaciously to his Midwestern Baptist roots, he believed in the justness of neighbor helping neighbor.  Especially in that regard, he stands as a symbol of all that is best in the United Way tradition. He asked for nothing in return, and turned away profuse thanks, yet what he did for us and our campaign at Yale was immeasurable.

By the start of the 21st century, New Haven had changed a great deal from its early roots.  Corporate headquarters were largely gone, and the large employee rallies were largely relics of the past.  In order to meet the needs of the current community, we had to find new sources of donations, and we quickly decided to focus on increasing participation at Yale to help meet that challenge. 

In order to conduct a successful fundraising campaign, one needs three things:  the courage of one’s conviction in the cause; partnerships with others who share that background; and friends who will step up to the plate and lead the way for others.

We had no trouble with the first requirement of belief in the cause, and we satisfied the second with the fortuitous arrival of John Pepper as VP at Yale.  A former CEO of Procter and Gamble, he had been a long-time supporter of United Way, and he persuaded the University that it had to do better in its support of the campaign. 

We found the third leg of the triad in Frank Turner—a kind and beneficent friend who led by example.  As soon as we asked him, he immediately made a gift far above what we ever would have requested, setting the stage for others to follow.  As one of the hymns at his funeral proclaimed, he indeed was a “kindly light” who inspired others and led the way to success for the campaign, which was Yale’s first million-dollar effort. 

I will miss Frank, as will others, and will think of him often.  I could do nothing to repay him for his help to me and to United Way, although I did rush out to buy his book on Cardinal Newman, and rated it with five stars on the Amazon site.  They didn’t ask me to rate the author, but I would have given him five stars also.  He will be hard to replace, but we would all do well to emulate him.