Ted Turner, 87, controversial former Coasty reservist, dies
Ted Turner, famous (or infamous) for a host of reasons, died at the age of 87 today.
Like him or not, Mr. Turner has had a strong effect on our society in general. Notably, he founded the Cable News Network, which brought the concept of a 24-hour news/commentary channel into play, and also pioneered cable “superstations” with WTBS. It all started the old-fashioned way, when he inherited his father’s million-dollar outdoor advertising firm. His bio reads pretty typically for a child of privilege:
Turner attended Brown University and was vice-president of the Brown Debating Union and captain of the sailing team. He became a member of Kappa Sigma. Turner initially majored in classics.
Turner later changed his major to economics, but before receiving a degree, he was expelled for having a female student in his dormitory room.
Expelled from Brown just as tensions in Vietnam were beginning to escalate, Turner joined the United States Coast Guard Reserve in order to fulfill his service obligation before he ended up getting drafted. Honored by the United States Navy Memorial with its Lone Sailor Award in 2013, Turner told The Washington Post, “I liked boats”, and ended up getting “deployed to some pretty sweet places – Charleston and Fort Lauderdale.”
Believe it or not, apparently at this point Turner was “following in his father’s footsteps” and was associated with the Young Republicans. It should also be noted that ‘liking boats’ went well for him and he won the America’s Cup in 1977.
Known for his ownership of the Atlanta Braves, whom he admittedly turned into a powerhouse team in later decades, CNN, WTBS, Turner Classic Movies, The Cartoon Network and numerous conservation causes such as buffalo herd restoration, Turner’s arguably most controversial move was marrying the woman he said he would always love, Jane Fonda, in 1991. (His second most controversial? Possibly colorizing the entire MGM library of black-and-white movies.)
Turner’s cause of death hasn’t been released yet but he did disclose years ago he was suffering from Lewy body dementia Mayo Clinic
Category: Coast Guard
