Howard Sinclair Turner recently passed away after a short illness at Bryn Mawr Hospital at the age of 100. He was the last member of the founding Turner family to take the helm of the Turner Construction Co., one of the largest international construction management companies.
Turner Construction was founded in 1902 by Howard Turner’s uncle, Henry Chandlee Turner and quickly found its niche in the construction industry using the new material of reinforced concrete.
Born in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania in 1911, Howard Turner was the second of three sons of J. Archer Turner, Jr, who was President of the Turner Construction from 1941 to 1946. Howard graduated from Swarthmore College in 1933 and was subsequently elected an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa. He completed a doctorate in organic chemistry and chemical engineering in 1936 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He married Katharine (Kay) Swett, whom he met on a blind date, and they remained married until her death in 2003.
After graduating from MIT, Turner worked as a research chemist with the DuPont Corp. where he worked on novel uses, including for parachutes and food packaging, of a new synthetic material – nylon. He then joined Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Co. in 1946 to lead their new research and development division. In 1954, Turner joined Jones & Laughlin Steel Co. as the vice president of research and development.
Turner joined the Board of Directors of Turner Construction in 1952. In 1965, he was selected to serve as President of Turner Construction. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 1968 to 1971. Turner served as Chairman of the Board from 1971 to 1978. From 1978 to 1982, he served as Chairman of the Executive Committee.
Under his leadership, the company grew from seven offices in the U.S. to operations in 20 cities; the company’s community affairs program was formalized and the Turner School of Construction Management for minorities and women was established; and the company’s international division was launched with operations in four countries. The company's sales grew from $591 million in 1965 to $1.7 billion by 1978.
Turner was also very active outside his responsibilities as the leader at Turner Construction. He served as a director of GAF, Teacher’s Insurance and Annuity Assoc., Ingersoll Rand, ASARCO, Dime Savings Bank of New York, and Jones and Laughlin. He was a trustee of the Wistar Research Institute, Swarthmore College, Rockefeller Institute, and Washington College. At the request of various administrations, he was a member of technical advisory committees for the Department of Commerce and the Post Office. Of note, he served on President Nixon’s Science Advisory Committee until it was dissolved when the members disagreed with the President in testimony before Congress. In 1966, he traveled with a delegation to Vietnam to develop a report on developing health, education, agriculture by President Johnson. He was elected to membership of the National Academy of Engineering in 1983, one of the proudest achievements of his remarkable career. Always quite humble about his scientific abilities, Turner’s view was that his greatest contribution was the ability to connect research with application.
Through the years of his marriage to Kay, they were inveterate travelers to Europe, Asia, Central and South America, and Australia. At the age of 82, he traveled to the North Pole on a nuclear-powered Russian ice breaker. He is survived by his three daughters, Susan Turner, a social worker of Boston, Holly Turner, a lawyer, (Don Carmichael) of Edmonton, Canada and Barbara Jean Turner, a physician-researcher, (Francisco Gonzalez-Scarano) of San Antonio, formerly of Wallingford and a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
A Memorial Service after the manner of Friends will be held on Saturday, May 5th at noon at the Swarthmore Meeting House with a reception to follow. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the American Friends Service Committee or the Carter Center. BD+C
Related Stories
| Nov 8, 2013
Net-zero bellwether demonstrates extreme green, multifamily style
The 10-unit zHome in Issaquah Highlands, Wash., is the nation’s first net-zero multifamily project, as certified this year by the International Living Future Institute.
| Nov 8, 2013
Walkable solar pavement debuts at George Washington University
George Washington University worked with supplier Onyx Solar to design and install 100 sf of walkable solar pavement at its Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn, Va.
| Nov 6, 2013
PECI tests New Buildings Institute’s plug load energy use metrics at HQ
Earlier this year, PECI used the NBI metrics to assess plug load energy use at PECI headquarters in downtown Portland, Ore. The study, which informed an energy-saving campaign, resulted in an 18 percent kWh reduction of PECI’s plug load.
| Nov 5, 2013
Net-zero movement gaining traction in U.S. schools market
As more net-zero energy schools come online, school officials are asking: Is NZE a more logical approach for school districts than holistic green buildings?
| Nov 5, 2013
New IECC provision tightens historic building exemption
The International Energy Conservation Code has been revised to eliminate what has been seen as a blanket exemption for historic buildings.
| Nov 5, 2013
Living Building Challenge clarifies net-zero definitions and standards
The Living Building Challenge has released the Net Zero Energy Building Certification to provide clearer definitions regarding what net zero really means and how it is to be achieved.
| Nov 5, 2013
Oakland University’s Human Health Building first LEED Platinum university building in Michigan [slideshow]
Built on the former site of a parking lot and an untended natural wetland, the 160,260-sf, five-story, terra cotta-clad building features some of the industry’s most innovative, energy-efficient building systems and advanced sustainable design features.
| Nov 4, 2013
Architecture and engineering industry outlook remains positive on all major indicators
While still below pre-recession levels, all of the key indicators in the latest Quarterly Market Forecast (QMF) report from PSMJ Resources remain in positive territory.
| Nov 1, 2013
CBRE Group enhances healthcare platform with acquisition of KLMK Group
CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG) today announced that it has acquired KLMK Group, a leading provider of facility consulting, project advisory and facility activation solutions to the healthcare industry.
| Oct 31, 2013
74 years later, Frank Lloyd Wright structure built at Florida Southern College
The Lakeland, Fla., college adds to its collection of FLW buildings with the completion of the Usonian house, designed by the famed architect in 1939, but never built—until now.
