Edwin Turner (athlete)

Edwin Turner
Personal information
Born(1912-09-15)September 15, 1912
United States
DiedAugust 17, 1967(1967-08-17) (aged 54)[1]
Sport
SportMiddle-distance running
Event800 metres

Edwin Thomas Turner Jr. (September 15, 1912 – August 17, 1967) was an American middle-distance runner. He competed in the men's 800 metres at the 1932 Summer Olympics, finishing fifth in the final.

Personal life

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Turner was born in 1912 and grew up in Casper, Wyoming, the son of a wool buyer. He attended Natrona County High School, where he played in the school's state football championship-winning football team in 1928. He graduated in 1929.[2][3][4]

Turner attended the University of Michigan. While at Michigan, he served as president of the inter-fraternity council,[5] junior class president,[6] and a member of the Sphinx honor society.[7] He was a candidate for the Rhodes Scholarship.[8][9]

Turner married Ruth Stevenson in 1935. He was an officer in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war he worked in Kalamazoo, Michigan as a business executive.[9] He had three children with his wife; Thomas Edwin, Stevenson, and Constance Jean. Thomas and Stevenson, the oldest, were born in New York, whereas Constance was born in Michigan.[10]

Athletics

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At college, Turner competed in the half-mile races. As a sophomore in 1932, he helped lead Michigan to the Big Ten Conference indoor and outdoor championships.[11][12] He competed for Michigan through 1933.[13][14][15]

In 1932, Turner finished third in the final trial to make the United States Olympic team.[9] At the games, he finished third in his semi-final to progress to the final. He finished fifth in the final, seven tenths of a second behind the bronze-medal runner.[11][16]

References

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  1. ^ Edwin Turner at Olympedia
  2. ^ "Tense moment at tenth Olympiad described by Ned Turner here Tuesday". Casper Star-Tribune. Casper, Wyoming. August 23, 1932. p. 1–2. Retrieved January 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Ned Turner Prepared to Bid for New Laurels in Track Season Just Opened". Casper Star-Tribune. April 23, 1933. p. 10. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  4. ^ "State Football Champions" (PDF). Wyoming High School Activities Association. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  5. ^ "Violators of Rushing Code Are Warned". The Michigan Daily. September 28, 1932. p. 1.
  6. ^ "State Party Wins Junior Elections by Narrow Margin: Edwin Turner Wins Presidency of Class". The Michigan Daily. October 29, 1931. p. 1.
  7. ^ "Edwin Turner Initiated Into Honorary Society". The Michigan Daily. May 29, 1931. p. 2.
  8. ^ "Ned Turner wins chance at Rhodes Scholarship". Casper Star-Tribune. Casper, Wyoming. AP. December 11, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved January 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c Doherty, Dan (July 27, 1952). "Casper's Ned Turner ran in 1932 Olympics". Casper Star-Tribune. Casper, Wyoming. p. 8. Retrieved January 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "1950 Census - Kalamazoo, Michigan - Enumeration District 39-51". 1950 United States census (Kalamazoo Census archive). April 1, 2022. p. 34.
  11. ^ a b Charles A. Baird (April 19, 1933). "Ned Turner Has Made Enviable Record As Wolverine Half-Miler". The Michigan Daily. p. 2.
  12. ^ "This may be Turner's turn". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 26, 1933. p. 23. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  13. ^ "Turner Shows Instinct Of Statistician In Daily Practices". The Michigan Daily. March 30, 1933. p. 4.
  14. ^ "Ned Turner Accepts Millrose Games Bid". The Michigan Daily. January 24, 1933. p. 3.
  15. ^ "Turner ideal 'dark horse' to win 800-meter race". Casper Star-Tribune. July 28, 1932. p. 6. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  16. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Edwin Turner Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
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