Hello,
I don't know who this will reach since it has been some time and I have just now found this site. I am not sure why this came into my heart to look for Dr. Turner online today, perhaps curiosity, perhaps guided somehow....
I'd like to offer some words.
I was a foster child of Dr. and Mrs. Turner, back in 1984-86. I was 16 when I arrived, and 18 when I had the freedom to be cut loose from the state, so I left. It was never personal, as I had a strong liking for Dr. Turner...he seemed fatherly, and I needed to feel that very much. He asked questions about homework, he often asked how I was feeling, he even 'interviewed' a boy I was going on a date with once, and I felt so proud and cared for. He was genuine. He taught me that I only needed a shot glass size of orange juice in the morning to get my daily vitamin C.
I thought of him often through the years, and wondered how he was doing. I wondered about Mrs. Turner as well, and wondered if they ever thought of me. I was a traumatized child, with heavy tragedies to overcome, and they fostered us girls so that we could have a better chance at life. I even dreamed of them throughout many, many years of my adult life. I remember that back then, he sat in his upstairs library, busy at work, and he would invite me in on occasion and talk with me as he peered over the top of his glasses, firmly and with gentle authority. I was as afraid of him as I was intrigued.
He left an impression on me, and as they years have come and gone, I spoke highly of this man. I will say honestly, he truly felt like a father to me, in the context of a foster child. Never had a man been so respectful of me as a young lady, as Dr. Turner had been. Once, there was a bit of a fiasco at home between us girls, and Dr. Turner never raised his voice or lost his patience. I remember being quizzed about a missing lighter, and feeling accused of something I didn't do, but he only listened with kindness and understanding. I felt more supported in that incident, than in any other time of my life.
I remember sitting at the dinner table once and eating the best dish of pulled pork I had ever eaten, made by Mrs. Turner (the BEST), and I felt like I belonged a little. They allowed me to play on the beautiful piano in the formal livingroom when I wanted to make music. Mrs. Turner employed me for a bit in her boutique. I remember Mrs. Turner would do her morning workouts upstairs before she came down for the day. I remember a white Christmas tree, which seemed so posh and luxurious to my 16 year old self. I remember that I once fainted in the main level guest bathroom, because of the various medications I was being prescribed for my mental state, and I remember that Dr. Turner was calm and caring.
Dr. Turner impacted me without a doubt. Though my successes can never compare to the scholarly successes of everyone else around him, his demeanor toward me as a foster girl will never be forgotten. I am sad to hear of his passing, and hope that any of the other foster girls that have come and gone before and after me have felt as genuinely cared for as I felt. I'm only sorry I never kept in touch. I truly felt like I would be a disappointment earlier on, and now I know that in the biggest picture of life and Soul connections, he will know that I have succeeded far beyond the average, and I transcended my life in some of the simplest and most profound ways, and i have no doubt that he knows the relevance he had in my life.
Namaste,
Tammy
