Ward Turner M.D.
06/20/1924 - 01/30/2002
Ward Turner M.D. was born a sharecropper’s son in Boaz, Alabama. He grew up in Alabama City, AL and graduated valedictorian of Emma Sansom High School in 1942. After working a few months in a steel plant, he was called into the Army. His basic training was as a radio operator in the horse cavalry at Fort Riley, Kansas. When his unit was disbanded, each soldier was given a test to determine his future. The army decided that Ward Turner was going to be a physician. He was transferred to the University of Nebraska for an accelerated pre-med curriculum, then on to Tulane Medical School in New Orleans. He married Renette Wolf in 1948 just before his senior year. When the war was over, he was allowed to finish medical school under the G.I. Bill of Rights, graduating in 1949. After completing an internship, he worked for Stanicola Medical Center in Baton Rouge, LA before joining the Air Force. He served at several bases across the country until he received an honorable discharge in 1952.
Dr. Turner wanted to practice in a rural area, so when he was contacted by a medical school classmate of his, Dr. Robert Potts, to come to the river parishes area of Louisiana, he accepted. Dr. Potts, an OB/GYN, had acquired Tezcuco Plantation in Burnside and used a portion of the plantation home for obstetrics until a hospital could be built. The actual opening of St. James Parish Hospital in time for a May, 1955 dedication was made possible under the direction of Dr. Turner and his local Jaycee friends who did the actual uncrating and assembling of the medical equipment and beds. The new hospital also needed rules, regulations and by-laws, so Dr. Turner did an enormous amount of research before writing the hospital’s first medical staff bylaws. He realized that all the hospitals he contacted had in their by-laws that every physician on the staff had to be a member of the Louisiana State Medical Society, at that time an all-white society. Dr. Turner carefully omitted that requirement so that the hospital opened with a fully integrated medical staff. The medical staff elected Dr. Turner the hospital’s first Chief of Staff.
In the early days of the hospital there were no emergency room physicians, so each physician was on call 24 hours a day both for his own patients and anyone else who showed up at the ER. At one point in time, Dr. Carl Poche and Dr. Turner were the only two alternating weekend call. Dr. Turner greatly appreciated the close working relationship he had with Dr. Poche over the years.
Dr. Turner served the community for 47 years not only as a physician, but also in many other volunteer services. He served 22 years on the St. James Parish Hospital Board of Commissioners, and 25 years as a delegate to the State Medical Society representing the River Parish Medical Society. He served as a very witty toastmaster for many local functions, and was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Lions Club and Jaycees.
Dr. Ward and his wife Renette had four children, Cheryl, Glenn, Paula and Joe and nine grandchildren. For fun, Dr. Turner enjoyed building model airplanes and electronic projects with his sons. He loved his golf and his music, playing guitar and singing in church choirs, barbershop quartets, performing in musical stage productions with St. James Community Theater, and singing with the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast Quartet. He organized the first youth choir for Sacred Heart Church in Gramercy. He also taught square dancing and became a proficient square dance caller. He enjoyed immensely being able to share his incredible medical experiences, knowledge and talents with his son Dr. Joseph Turner and then his daughter-in-law Dr. Candy Turner when they joined him in practice.
Just about everyone in this community has a wonderful story in memory of all the good that Dr. Turner did for them personally and for the community. His legacy will live forever.