Harry Turner

News Obituary Article

ACWORTH: Harry Turner, helped smart kids help themselves

By RICK BADIE

Harry Turner was a great student in grad school. That hadn't always been the case.

"He was kind of bored by school," said his wife, Faith Waldron Turner of Acworth.

Mr. Turner made a career out of working with kids who mirrored him --- smart but disengaged in their elementary and high school years. He became known for his work with bright underachievers as a school psychologist for DeKalb County Schools.

"He worked with a lot of the alternative students," his wife said. "He thought that many of them weren't sufficiently challenged, like he had been in high school. He felt that children put in [group settings] could help one another better than an adult."

Harry Milburn Turner, 78, of Acworth died Monday. The funeral is noon today at St. Teresa Episcopal Church in Acworth. Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home & Memorial Park is in charge.

Dr. Turner earned a doctorate in psychology from the University of Georgia and went to work for DeKalb's public schools. The Atlanta native and ex-Marine wrote a manual for schools that dealt with suicidal teenagers. He retired in 1987. Dr. Turner volunteered at a summer program for disadvantaged children at Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church in Sandy Springs. A master chess player, he recently taught the game at the Paulding County Boys and Girls Club in Dallas.

"He started out teaching one child and ended up with 21," said Marvin McGill, the club's program director. "He had quite an impact on the children. What he taught will be with them a long time."

Other survivors include two sons, Hal Turner of Athens and Roger Dilworth of Dacula; three daughters, Theresa Waldron of Marietta, Mary Beasley of Augusta and Anne Pitts of Acworth; and five grandchildren.

© 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution