Thomas Coke Turner

1930 - 2018

Legendary UNC Charlotte professor Thomas Coke Turner died peacefully at The Carriage Club on February 21, 2018 at the age of 88. Tom is survived by his beloved sister, Peggy Turner Sedwick and his brother in law, Theodore L. Sedwick. Born on January 23, 1930 in Pickens, South Carolina, Tom graduated from Greenville High School before enrolling in Furman University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics and Physics in 1951.

Tom volunteered for military service in the United States Army after his graduation from Furman. He was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained in the Korean War. While in the military, Tom received superior instruction in the Army's Officer Candidate School, which shaped his decision to pursue a vocation as a college accounting professor. When Tom was honorably discharged as a 1st Lieutenant from the Army in 1953, he enrolled in the MBA program at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, receiving a Masters degree in accounting in 1955.

Upon graduation from UNC Chapel Hill, Tom received over ten years of practical experience as a Certified Public Accountant while working for a major Charlotte accounting firm from 1955-1966. He brought this business approach with him to the classroom in 1966 when he accepted a position at UNC Charlotte as one of the first two instructors of the University's new accounting program. That first class entitled Accounting Principles had only four students. Tom helped all four of them obtain employment when they graduated and all four became leaders in the Charlotte community. The rest is history.

Simply put, Tom was one of the best professors ever to teach at UNC Charlotte. In 1972, Tom received the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence, which is the highest and most prestigious teaching award given annually by UNC Charlotte. In 1973, he was awarded the American Accounting Association Outstanding Educator Award. In 2001, as a retired emeritus faculty member, Tom was the recipient of the Outstanding Educator Award given by the NC Association of Certified Public Accountants.

Tom became the first Chair of the Accounting Department in 1971 and remained in that position for the following 20 years until his retirement in 1991. He proved to be as effective an administrator as he was in the classroom. During his tenure, he shepherded the department into the largest and one of the finest accounting programs in the state.

In addition to being the Chair of the Accounting Department, Tom played a key role in the development of UNC Charlotte's athletic program. He served as the chairperson of the Faculty Athletic Committee from 1971 through 1991 and worked closely with UNC Charlotte's Athletic Directors, in its development. After UNC Charlotte joined the NCAA Division I, Tom was its representative for all NCAA meetings for 20 years. In 1976, he was elected to serve as the Sun Belt Conference's first president. The highlights of Tom's involvement in the athletic program were the glory days of 1976 and 1977 when his beloved UNC Charlotte basketball team finished in the finals of the NIT Tournament in 1976 and reached the final four of the NCAA Tournament in 1977.

His achievements were many, but his greatest impact was always as a teacher and role model for his students. His courses were rigorous, but fair. He had the unique ability to break down complicated accounting principles into concepts understandable to his students. He truly loved and cared for them all; helped his pupils prepare for the rigorous CPA examinations; made sure that they were placed with CPA or other financial firms; and kept up with them as they pursued their careers.

Beyond teaching one of Tom's favorite hobbies was growing and cross fertilizing roses. If each of his thousands of students placed a rose on his casket for every kind act he did for them, those roses would extend to the heavens. Indeed, in honor of his teaching excellence and his dedicated service to his accounting students, on November 3, 2016, the UNC Charlotte Department of Accounting was renamed The Turner School of Accountancy. It is also fitting that the bulk of Thomas Coke Turner's estate will provide financial scholarships for UNC Charlotte and Furman University students who have demonstrated financial need, high moral character and academic promise. As a result, Tom's legacy as the father of the UNC Charlotte accounting program and his commitment to his students will continue to benefit future generations.

A memorial service and celebration of Tom's life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at the Popp Martin Student Union at UNC Charlotte. A reception will follow the service. Burial will be private.

Donations in memory of Mr. Turner can be made to the UNC Charlotte Turner School of Accountancy Endowed Fund.