Steve Turnbo, the longtime partner of the Tulsa-based consulting firm Schnake Turnbo Frank, passed away on Wednesday, November 15. He was 78.
Turnbo was known as the consummate public relations man in Tulsa. He was a fixture in local business and civics for more than five decades, helping clients and nonprofits tell their stories – and sometimes defend their reputation – in the media, at community gatherings, and wherever decision-makers congregated. His behind-the-scenes work over the years helped build toll roads, construct stadiums and arenas, pass bond elections, and manage crises. He served dozens of nonprofit organizations, including the Tulsa Regional Chamber, Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce, and his personal favorites, the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice, and The University of Tulsa. One publication dubbed him "Mr. Tulsa."
In 1982, after one year as a solo public-relations practitioner, Turnbo joined his mentor Chuck Schnake to form Schnake Turnbo & Associates. He said repeatedly over the years that it was one of the smartest decisions he ever made. The duo worked in tandem with executives, the media, and nonprofits for decades, until Schnake's death in 2009.
Turnbo was known for his affable personality, good humor, and his ability to connect with people. He loved his profession, loved Tulsa, and loved to work. He continued with the firm as chairman emeritus until the end of his life.
Steven Wayne Turnbo was born September 26, 1945 to Thomas Gerald and Sudie Slover Turnbo. The family moved from southeastern Oklahoma to Tulsa when Turnbo was eight. Around this time, Turnbo's uncle gave him a baseball and a Rawlings glove for Christmas. Turnbo called it "the best gift ever. Baseball taught me how to win with grace and lose with grace." It started a lifelong love for the game. He was an all-conference first baseman at the University of Tulsa in the 1960s and, like his business partner Chuck Schnake, an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan.
After graduating from The University of Tulsa in 1967 with a bachelor's degree in English, Turnbo went to work for his alma mater as sports information director. In the early 1970s he left the university for a contract position with the advertising agency Ad Inc. Among his most noteworthy projects was helping plan the grand opening for the Tulsa Port of Catoosa, which drew a visit from President Richard Nixon.
A decade later he joined Mid-America Savings & Loan as vice president of marketing, and in late 1981 left Mid-America to start his own firm. His wife, Norma Turnbo, was his first employee. Within a year he received a call from Chuck Schnake, who proposed that the two join forces. "When Chuck called and asked if I was interested in merging, I was thrilled," Turnbo said in the last five years of his life. "There was no hesitation. Everyone admired and respected him, including me."
Together, Schnake Turnbo & Associates established itself as the state's preeminent public relations firm. Between them, Schnake and Turnbo had the inside track to practically every decision-maker in town, from the mayor and the newspaper publisher to business tycoons and socialites. Schnake marveled at Turnbo's ability to make friends and maintain relationships. "We can't walk down the damn street without him having to stop and talk to everyone," Schnake once said.
The firm continued growing and expanding for years, and still operates today with offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Turnbo sold his shares of the firm in 2009 but continued working at the firm for more than a decade.
Beyond his client work, Turnbo was known for jumping in to help community causes and crises, whether it was handling media for the American Red Cross during the flood of the Arkansas River in the late 1980s, or helping counter anti-Muslim sentiment after 9/11. He was especially drawn to work in civil rights and social justice, and was quick to stand up for under-represented populations. He took under his wing countless people who needed help, whether it was a shoeshine man who was down on his luck, or a developmentally disabled adult who frequently stopped by Turnbo's office for a visit. In the mid-1980s, he and Schnake helped raise more than $125,000 for a heart transplant for a man they heard about in the news.
He mentored hundreds of interns and young professionals over the years, offering to make connections, and frequently taking them to meetings and functions with business executives.
Turnbo was preceded in death by his wife of more than 40 years, Norma, and his son, John Hartz. Survivors include his two daughters, Jana Maher and her husband Joe, and Nancy Cole and her husband Chris; sister, Mary Sue Stewart; many grandchildren, nieces and nephews; the Schnake Turnbo Frank family; many friends who loved him dearly; and his two dogs, Doodle Girl and Mr. Motley.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice, and The Norma and Steve Turnbo Endowed Excellence Fund for the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Tulsa.
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