I got word this evening that my great uncle (once removed) Fred Turner passed away three days ago. He was a man who in many ways was larger than life.
I was always fascinated with him, even before I knew of his colorful history. I was only 6 when my grandfather died. In a way, I looked at Fred for hints of what my grandfather was like.
Fred was a supply officer of the Flying Tigers, the group of pilots who saw first action against the Japanese in World War II. He would sometimes take to the cockpit and fly over “The Hump”, as the Himaleya mountains were nicknamed.
After the war, he opened up his own law practice in Panama City. One of his cases was that of a poor man named Clarence Earl Gideon. Gideon was wrongly accused of burglary. Unable to hire a lawyer, Gideon was sent to prison, but successfully petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a retrial. With Fred as his court-appointed lawyer, Gideon finally won his freedom. The landmark case, Gideon vs. Wainwright, established the Public Defender System in the United States. That makes Fred the nation’s first public defender.
Fred continued to make a name for himself in Panama City, at one point even running unsuccessfully for mayor. He later retired as a Florida Circuit Court Judge, not bad work if you can get it.
Even in retirement, he couldn’t stay out of the limelight. After the attacks on September 11th, 2001, he made headlines by receiving a letter from Queen Elizabeth II. From a Panama City News Herald story:
QUEEN OF HEARTS
News Herald reporter Tom Quimby passed on this bit of blue-blood pen paling.
Retired circuit judge Fred Turner had a brush with royalty, Quimby said. Actually, we should say pen instead of brush.
Quimby noted that “retired Circuit Court Judge Fred Turner wrote Queen Elizabeth II, thanking her for a British military band’s rendition of The Star Spangled Banner.”
Turner said after watching the band play on television – a sympathetic British gesture following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks – “he got up from his chair and went right to the typewriter.”
Turner’s brief letter to the queen got an unexpected reply. It read:
“The Queen wishes me to write and thank you for your very nice letter.
Her majesty is touched by all you say about the playing of the American National Anthem “The Star Spangled Banner,” during the Guard Changing Ceremony at Buckingham Palace a few days after the terrible events of September 11,and was so glad that the American Ambassador was able to be with The Duke of York to witness the occasion.
The Queen’s thoughts and prayers go out to all who are suffering as a result of the disasters and she much appreciates your kindness in writing her at this difficult time.”
The letter, complete with the royal seal of Buckingham Palace, reached Turner in late October.
“I thought the queen might still be miffed because of the letter we had written to King George,” Turner told Quimby, referring to the American Revolution. “It was nice to see that she had forgiven all our past foibles.”
Aside from all his accomplishments, he was also a great person. My parents worked for him in his law office for a while and spent much time with him and my great aunt. He was a storyteller, too, and regaled us with tales from China, or of his days as a lawyer or judge.
Tuesday’s Panama City News Herald has a teaser headline for tomorrow. It reads “Local Judicial Icon Judge Fred Turner, Dead At 81.” I’ll post a copy of the article here once it runs.
Uncle Fred was a colorful man. He lived an amazing life, overflowing with achievements. Through it all, he never lost that smile, or his ability to tell a joke. There was always a twinkle in his eye.
So long, Uncle Fred. We’ll miss you.
