William Arthur and Alberta T. Turner Papers, 1941-1982
| Oberlin College Archives
Administrative/Biographical History
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 colored his character and personal writings. Delver Oscar Turner was a certified Veterinary Doctor as well as a farmer and businessman. William 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 T. Turner was a part-time lecturer at Oberlin beginning in 1947, but starting in 1964 she taught at Cleveland State University because of Oberlin College’s “nepotism rule” and to avoid conflict with W.A. Turner’s career at Oberlin. A widely honored poet, Alberta was director of the Cleveland Poetry Center at Cleveland State University from 1964 until her retirement as a professor there in 1990. In 1969 she became a founding editor of the literary magazine Field, published by Oberlin College, and she remained an associate editor until 2000. Alberta T. Turner died at her home in Oberlin after a long illness on May 21, 2003. The majority of her papers are held at Cleveland State University.
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).
Finding aid for the Alberta T. Turner Collection, Cleveland State University Special Collections at http://rave.ohiolink.edu/archives/ead/OCIU0006.
Author: Kamille T.H. Parkinson Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative InformationFor more information please see http://ead.ohiolink.edu/xtf-ead/view?docId=ead/OClU0006.xml;query=;brand=default.
The papers of William Arthur Turner document Turner’s career as a teacher and scholar as well as his service to the wider profession. The biographical material (Series 1) contains only brief information of his personal life, concentrating more fully on his professional activities. The collection as a whole primarily illustrates Turner’s scholarly interests and writing as well as personal narratives regarding religion and his early life.
The collection is divided into the following series: 1. Biographical File; 2. Correspondence (Organized around his publications); 3. Correspondence (Non Professional); 4. Writings; 5. Miscellaneous Material; 6. Files relating to Alberta Tucker Turner.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series I. Biographical File 1947-1981
The biographical information for William Arthur Turner includes photocopies of articles from various newspapers and copies of photographs. A copy of a faculty biographical form for William Arthur Turner is contained in the folder, as well as copies of letters announcing his retirement from Oberlin College.
Series II. Correspondence, 1949-82 (9 Folders)
This series consists of letters written to and by W. Arthur Turner regarding his publications, both academic and narrative. Publishers included in the correspondence are The Odyssey Press, The MacMillan Company, Cambridge University Press, and Harcourt, Brace and Company. Publicity material for his professional publications is also included.
Series III. Correspondence, 1955-82 (Non-Professional)
This series is made up of W.A. Turner’s personal correspondence with friends and family (including Oberlin College’s Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Robert M. Longsworth), as well as letters regarding medical concerns. Also included are a number of letters written to news agencies, such as Time Magazine and NBC, reflecting Turner’s views on various issues.
Series IV. Writings, 1943-80 (13 Folders)
The writings are made up of both drafts and finished proofs of Turner’s works, both professional and narrative. These include copies of writings for The Odyssey Handbook and Guide to Writing, The Methods of English Prose, and transcriptions of Milton’s letters for The Complete Prose Works of Milton. A number of articles are also included, though several of them are undated.
Series V. Miscellaneous Material (General), 1941, 1944-54
This series is made up of W.A. Turner’s course notes for a class on biographical research he took with his thesis advisor, Mr. Parker, as a graduate student at Ohio State University, as well as other (unlabelled) notes for classes with Mr. Wilson and Mr. Walley. Also included are copies of engravings, probably of historical literary figures. Three files relating to Turner's Bible as Literature course are contained in this series.
Series VI. Files Relating to Alberta Tucker Turner, n.d.
This series contains copies of some of Alberta T. Turner’s poems, as well as copies of newspaper clippings (duplicates of those in W.A. Turner’s Biographical file).
INVENTORY
Series I. Biographical File
Box 1
Series II. Correspondence (Organized around his Publications)
Box 1
The Odyssey Handbook and Guide to Writing, 1950-53
The Odyssey Handbook and Guide to Writing, 1954-57
Methods of English Prose, 1950-53
Methods of English Prose, 1953-56
Cambridge Biography of English Literature (Milton contribution), 1954-57
Complete Prose Works of Milton, 1949-1973
Pathways to the Light Within, 1978-81
Relating to other writings, 1952-81
Relating to reviews, etc., 1954-82
Series III. Correspondence (Non - Professional)
Box 1
Personal / Non-Professional
Series IV. Writings
Box 2
The Odyssey Handbook and Guide to Writing, n.d., c.1954
Methods of English Prose, 1956
Cambridge Biography of English Literature (Milton contribution), 1957
The Complete Prose Works of Milton, v.IV, 1964-65
The Complete Prose Works of Milton, v.VII, c.1972
The Complete Prose Works of Milton, 1973
Pathways to the Light Within, 1980
Box 3-4
"The Known English Acquaintances of John Milton," Ph.D. Dissertation,
Ohio State University, two drafts, 1946, Box 3 (3f), Box 4 (2f)
Box 5
Assorted writings, n.d., 1943-1980
Series V. Miscellaneous Material
Box 5 (cont.)
Bible as Literature Course, 1944-54, n.d. (3f), exams restricted
Miscellaneous Material, 1941
Series VI. Files Relating to Alberta Tucker Turner
Box 5 (cont.)
Miscellaneous Material, n.d.