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
If having a female in one’s dormitory room was enough to get thrown out of a fancy place like Brown, I can only imagine what would have happened at one USAF base to which I was assigned. ‘twould have been hard to get any work done when a whole bunch of us Airmen got discharged for the same thing.
There’s a navy joke in there, somewhere.
Believe it or not, back in the day CNN was a pretty straight shooter. I don’t remember them being political one way or the other. I particularly remember their reporting during the first Gulf War. Bernie Shaw reporting the first attacks on Baghdad from his hotel room stands out for me. Too bad they went to shit.
Yep I remember tuning into CNN in the 80’s while getting ready for work. I don’t know who is responsible for turning it into a left wing fecal show (probably jane I suppose) but they deserve to be thrown into an active volcano. Especially if it was jane. Oh hell, just throw jane into the volcano anyhow.
I was attending the degree completion program at the Monterey Institute of International Studies from ’85~87 and the school had pretty much a Peace Corps type of vibe from (most) faculty and students. I was the only student (I knew of) who liked CNN. Everybody else derided it as conservative junk …. much like they deride today’s Fox News.
Too bad Ted didn’t take Traitor Jane with him.
If I were Ted I would not take her either.
WTF did he see in her?
Barbarella.
In the arena of the bedroom, politics are irrelevant.
My uncle also liked boats… but the USCG recruiter in 1968 told him to take a hike as he had a 10+ month waiting list.
In 1968 and 1969, there was no shortage of young men wanting to enlist in some branch or reserve component to avoid what I did in the Viet of the Nam in infantry companies.
One of my classmates in high school did exactly that, got in Coast Guard and was promptly sent to Vietnam! Curiously enough, when got out he ended up becoming a Presbyterian minister.
My BiL joined the Navy to avoid the Army and Vietnam. Ended up on a LST running up and down the coast of Vietnam.
I don’t suppose that Jane is legatee. Buffalo is little lean for my preference. Ain’t nothing a little Tabasco can’t fix. Wonder what Trump may have to say about him.
On a local Omaha radio station it was revealed that old Ted was the single largest landowner in Nebraska! This is due to his extensive purchases of ranch-lands in the sand hills area of Nebraska.
Until early 2026 he was also the largest land owner in New Mexico. He also had significant holdings in Montana and South Dakota (100k+ acres each).
Most of his efforts were for conservation and bison reintroduction.