Barnwell Turnipseed III

Barnwell Rhett Turnipseed III

Gainesville, GA - Barnwell Rhett Turnipseed III died on Sunday, January 18, 2015 with his wife, Jane, by his side. A native of Gainesville, Georgia, Rhett grew up with a love of radio and aviation. His first job as a teenager was putting remote amplifiers and microphones in churches for Sunday morning broadcasts on WGGA. Rhett earned his pilots license at age 15 and could always be found tinkering around an airport.

Rhett studied broadcast journalism at the University of Georgia, earning a master's degree while engaged in local radio broadcasting. His thesis was a history of Georgia radio and television in its first fifty years, a work that earned him the unofficial title of historian of Georgia broadcasting. During the Korean Conflict, he served in the U.S. Army in Korea as a combat correspondent, filing stories from the battlefront for statewide radio stations and newspapers. Rhett joined Voice of America as a producer and editor for various programs emphasizing American science and technology. He described live events worldwide, such as NASA's Mercury through Apollo space flights and President Kennedy's funeral. With astronauts and NASA specialists at his side, he spent weeks recording astronaut interviews and mission planning for each VOA Apollo flight coverage. He was the principal correspondent for the Apollo 11 coverage that earned Voice of America's 1968 Peabody Award. His Apollo moon landing broadcast achieved worldwide English language listeners of some 550 million. In 1973, Rhett became involved in the Energy Research and Development Administration federal initiative to development solar energy technologies. Rhett retired in 1982 and returned to his native Georgia where for thirteen years he was an assistant professor at Brenau University and West Georgia University. He served for two decades as a judge and director of state broadcasting awards by the Georgia Association of Broadcasters and was inducted into the Georgia Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2003.

Rhett enjoyed attending the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with Jane and playing his extensive music collection. Rhett was a lover of nature and took delight in the bird sanctuary he created in his backyard in Fayetteville. Rhett loved traveling, and recently spent a week on the coast of Maine with his family. The family cottage at Lake Junaluska, NC was a favorite destination where he enjoyed the leisurely pace, life long friends, and the mountains he loved. Rhett's charismatic personality and love of storytelling ensured there was never a dull moment. One could always count on Rhett to entertain others with adventures from his past. A true orator, Rhett held a captive audience whether telling a tale from flying in his beloved V-tail Bonanza to an account of interviewing famous world figures such as Chiang Kai-Shek. Rhett's love of life will always be treasured.

Rhett is survived by his wife of 32 years, Jane Whitley Turnipseed; his children, Duncan Sumpter and wife, Courtenay, of Murphy, NC; Allison Smith and husband, Jesse, of Waltham, MA; granddaughter, Whitley Sumpter, and grandsons, Eli Smith and Adam Duke Smith. A celebration of Rhett's life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 24 at Alta Vista Cemetery in Gainesville, GA, with Jerome Smith officiating. A reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to The Junaluskans, PO Box 622, Lake Junaluska, NC 28745.