Clyde Louis Turner

Clyde Louis Turner was born in Scott County, Mississippi on April 13, 1951 as the middle child of 13 children to Esaw and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Turner.  The family migrated to Urbana, Ill. in 1965 to provide a better life for their children.

Clyde began playing basketball in the Champaign-Urbana area and soon his talents and basketball skills were noticed by all, including Coach Lee Cabutti, who recruited him to Champaign Central High School.  The young man became a three-year varsity starter, beginning in his sophomore year and led Central to the 1969 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Tournament, and graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer, a feat that still holds today.

Clyde matriculated to Robert Morris Junior College in Carthage, Ill. where he became a JUCO standout.  Bill Musselman recruited him to play at the University of Minnesota.  There he was the Golden Gophers leading scorer, led them to the 1971-72 Big Ten championship and earned all-Big Ten honors.  He graduated with a bachelor’s of science degree in 1976, was drafted in the third round by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1973.  He also played two professional seasons in Europe before returning to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Clyde spent the rest of his life pouring our love for his adopted hometown through his community outreach efforts and fueling his passion for bettering the lives of children and families, and stressed the power of education.

Clyde began his career at Big Brothers Big Sisters where he was the first African American male hired by the organization.  While there, he founded his Clyde Turner Educational Basketball Camps in 1985, which mainly focused on basketball instruction, personal development and career planning.  He ran his camps all over the Twin Cities each summer thereafter for nearly 35 years as the area’s longest continuous summer basketball camps.  He also started and operated holiday camps based on the seven principles of Kwanzaa for over a decade.

Now with a masters of social work degree from the University of Minnesota, Clyde became nationally renowned for his work with children and families when he joined Family Alternatives, a local private adoption agency.  There he pioneered the recruitment of families for foster children of color to be place in foster care homes with families that best reflected the population they were serving.

Clyde later joined Ramsey County to work as the manager of family support division, which composed of child foster care, adult foster care, adoption child protection and guardian units. While with the county, he led an anti-racism initiative funded by the Bremer Foundation, and chaired the national Break Through Series on ending racial disparities funded by the Casey Family Foundation.

Clyde also was director of Sabathani Community Center for a couple of years before he retired to focus more on his community work, including co-founder and director of PACE (Past Athletes Concerned about Education), which since 1994 served over 2,400 primarily African American youth grades 5-12 through in-school and after-school mentoring programs on critical thinking, decision making and leadership development.

Clyde received numerous awards and accolades.  He also was on several boards including the Phillis Wheatley Community Center, YMCA, Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota and the National Foster Parent Association, and a longtime member of the Kiwanis.

Affectionately known and beloved by his first name, Clyde Turner went home to be with the Lord on August 9, 2022 at 4:10 am.  He now rejoined his parents and four siblings: Joe Lee Turner, Annie Jewell Turner, Aaron Turner and Leroy Turner who all have preceded him in death.

Clyde is survived by his significant other, Ms. Judy Miller-Thomas and six daughters: Camelia McNeal-Collins, Champaign, Ill; Rosie Tolliver, Minneapolis; Matasha Turner-Clay, Fayetteville, NC; Yim Jackson, Macon, GA; Anastasia Dobs, Inner Grove Heights, Minn., and Jade Smith, Minneapolis.  Eight siblings: Johnnie Turner, Carl Turner, Deloris Senter, Betty Turner-Shaw, Mack Ray Turner, Earnest Turner, Terry Turner and Barbara Turner.  His lineage includes 16 grandchildren, three great grandchildren, a host of nieces and nephews, mentees, colleagues, and lifelong friends.

Clyde truly will be missed by his family, significant other, children, grandchildren, friends, co-workers, thousands of children who attended his camps over the years and the community at whole.

His motto and legacy – Work Hard. Play Hard.  Study Hard. Excel in Life. Beat the Odds.  No deed too small, no detail overlooked, no rock unturned.  He now earned his wings and eternal rest.

A Celebration of Life will commence at 1pm, Saturday, August 27, 2022 at Leek & Sons Funeral Home- Urbana IL. A visitation will begin at noon until the start of the service. Officiating Pastor Larry Simmons. Burial Lincoln Cemetery. 
Condolences and memorials may be sent by accessing www.leekandsonsfuneralhome.com
 

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