WILLIAM ARTHUR AND ALBERTA TURNER

(PAPERS, 1941-1982)

BIOGRAPHY


	William Arthur Turner was born in Trafalgar, Indiana on June 4th 1916, to Delver and
Bernice (Van Arsdale) Turner.  He was raised in a Baptist tradition, and the teachings of
the church coloured his character and personal writings.  Delver Oscar Turner was a
certified Veterinary Doctor as well as a farmer and businessman.  W(illliam) Arthur Turner
received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Franklin College, Indiana in 1940, and a Doctor
of Philosophy in English from Ohio State University in 1946.  As an undergraduate W.A.
Turner was active in oratory and received a number of awards for public speaking.  He
demonstrated leadership abilities by serving as senior class president in 1940, as
president of Pi Kappa Delta (forensic) in 1938, and as the elected president of the
honorary group, Blue Key, at Franklin College in 1939-40.  In addition, he received a
special distinction degree from Pi Kappa Delta in 1940.

	W.A. Turner first taught as a special lecturer at Franklin University (Columbus). 
Subsequently, while completing his degree, he served as an instructor at Ohio State
University from 1944-1947.  He accepted the position of Instructor of English at Oberlin
College in 1947, advanced to Assistant Professor in 1951, and was promoted to
Associate Professor in 1959.  Turner specialized in the teaching of rhetoric, Biblical
Literature, Chaucer, and Milton, conducting courses such as "Chaucer and the Middle
Ages," "Elizabethan Poetry," and "Elizabethan Prose."  He was a strong believer in the
promotion of excellence in English skills, and taught courses on "English Prose Style"
and a "Teachers' Training Course."  W.A. Turner retired from Oberlin College in 1981.

	W.A. Turner was active in a number of professional associations.  Included among
those are the Modern Language Association, the College English Association, the
National Council of Teachers of English, the Ohio College English Association (for which
he was vice-president in 1957-58, and president in 1958-59), and the Milton Society of
America (for which he was director in 1956 and 1957).  He regularly served on the
Teacher Education Committee and on the Graduate Study Committee at Oberlin College.

	W.A. Turner's publications include: The Odyssey Handbook and Guide to Writing
(1954), Methods of English Prose  (1956), the entry on John Milton in The Cambride
Bibliography of English Literature (1957), co-editor with Alberta T. Turner of Milton's
private correspondence for The Complete Prose Works of John Milton (v. I, II, IV, VII, 
1953-1980), and Pathways to the Light Within: A Gathering of Early Quaker Poems
(1980).  In addition, he published numerous scholarly articles as well as personal
narratives dealing with his contraction of Polio, at age 14, and its affect on his later
professional life.  An unfinished work, "The Cabin," relates the story of his early life on an
Indiana farm and the influence of his father on his growth and development.

	On April 9th, 1943, W.A. Turner married Alberta Tucker.  The couple had two
children, a daughter Prudence (Turner) Richards (b. 1948), and a son Brent Turner (b.
1951).  Alberta Turner was a part-time lecturer at Oberlin, beginning in 1947, but later
began teaching at Cleveland State University because of Oberlin College's "nepotism
rule" and to avoid conflict with W.A. Turner's career at Oberlin.  Alberta was closely
connected to the Cleveland Poetry Center at Cleveland State University, and the majority
of her papers are held at CSU.

	W.A. Turner was a staunch supporter of excellence in English Language and
Literature, as is demonstrated by his published works and the courses he taught.  He
remained active professionally despite limitations engendered by his early affliction with
Polio and was well-liked by his peers and colleagues.  He was on medical leave from
Oberlin College from 1976 until his retirement in 1981.  He died on September 25, 1984
in Oberlin.

	Sources Consulted: Faculty File of William Arthur Turner, (RNG 32).  Directory of
American Scholars: A Biographical Directory, v.II, English, Speech and Drama, 5th ed
(1969).

 

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