Norwich family honored for work in South Sudan
By Jim Dunne
Sun Contributor
NORWICH – A prominent Norwich family, a “Lost Boy,” the newly-minted country of South Sudan, and Rotary International have combined to write a story of saving lives by providing one critical ingredient – clean, pure water.
The present adult generation of the Turner family received the “Long Walk Award,” presented by Salva Dut, founder of Water for South Sudan, in Rochester on Sunday, October 8th. The 4 siblings, children of the late John B. and Carol Turner, spent their early years in Norwich, where their father and uncle owned and managed the Bennett-Ireland Co. After the company was sold in 1969, the family moved to Rochester, where John founded a new retail business which is still run by two of the children.
After retirement, John, who had been an active member of Rotary since 1955 where clean water was a funding priority, became involved in the fledgling Water for Sudan project, along with other fellow Rotarians.
The story of Water for Sudan began in 1985 when 11-year-old Salva Dut was forced to flee for his life from his village in southern Sudan, leaving his family behind. Marauding soldiers from the north prevented his return, and he began a ten-year exile, walking first east to Ethiopia where they stayed for six years, then were forced out by civil war in Ethiopia. They walked back through southern Sudan, finding refuge at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, where they would stay for another four years. During this ordeal Salva led over 1500 “Lost Boys” like himself; 500 perished along the way due to starvation, soldiers and wild animals. (The story of Salva Dut’s life is detailed in a best-selling book, A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park.)
After spending 10 years walking or in refugee camps, Salva was chosen as one of 4,000 Lost Boys resettled in the US with the help of many relief agencies, including the Episcopal Church. Now 22, he relocated to Rochester, where he lived with a host family in Penfield, the Turners’ community.
After learning to speak English and taking courses in business at Monroe Community College, he realized that what he wanted to do most was to make clean, potable water available to the people of his native country. (With the secession of the non-Muslim southern portion of the country in 2003, a new country was born in 2011, called South Sudan. Likewise, Water for Sudan became Water for South Sudan.)
During his time in Sudan, Salva had witnessed the severe deleterious effects on the health of the people of drinking contaminated, often muddy, surface water, which contained not only dirt, but harmful organisms and parasites. It was the only water available, and many died from its effects.
With the help of his host family, Salva began speaking to local groups, explaining his plan to drill wells. It was at this time (2003) that John Turner became involved in the Water for Sudan project, joining the board of directors and soon being named chief operating officer.
John’s engineering background enabled the new organization to make rapid progress toward attaining its goal of drilling wells. In addition to being a savvy fundraiser, he urged WFSS to purchase its own drilling rig. He visited South Sudan with Salva to arrange the acquisition of equipment, and to establish a Rotary Club there. At the age of 80, he represented WFSS at the World Water Conference in Istanbul. He brought Salva to Norwich and introduced him to several local people. Nearly 30 people from Norwich, as well as the students of Holy Family School, have supported WFSS. One of them, Howie Sullivan, said, “Water for South Sudan is an organization that I know will use my donation to provide life-saving water for people who need it.”
John B. Turner, Jr. passed away in 2011, but his family continues his work with Water for South Sudan. After his passing, his daughter Anne joined the board of directors, and headed a campaign to raise the money to replace the original drilling rig. His wife, Carol, made a leading gift to the campaign, encouraging others to participate. Both his sons, Josh and Charlie, have continued to raise money for WFSS through their respective Rotary clubs.
Thus, the Long Walk award that Salva Dut presented on October 8th was to The Turner Family. It was only the second time that the award has been presented. The Turner family has a long history of involvement and support of the Norwich community. John’s father, John B. Turner, helped organize and lead the Bennett-Ireland Company, and served as a director of The Norwich Pharmacal Company and the National Bank & Trust Company (later NBT). He served several years as chairman of the Norwich YMCA board of trustees, and was active with the Boy Scouts and the Community Chest. John’s mother, Katharine Kent Turner, served on the board of the Chenango Valley Home for over 50 years, and as a trustee of The Greater Norwich Foundation, helping ensure its early success.
John’s grandfather, Joshua (known as JB) Bennett Turner, was president of The National Bank & Trust Company from 1917 to 1938, and chairman of the board thereafter. He was also chairman of the board of The Norwich Pharmacal Company for several years. He served as president of The Norwich Knitting Company, the Norwich Wire Works, and Bennett-Ireland. He was chairman of the board of trustees of the Norwich YMCA during a time of extensive remodeling of its facilities.
The present generations of Turners, who maintain their summer home at Chenango Lake, have continued to support, both financially and with advice, several local institutions. Kent Turner, John Jr.’s brother, is a significant supporter of The Greater Norwich Foundation and the Northeast Classic Car Museum. John’s children, Anne Turner and Jennifer Turner Deuel, as well as his sister, Mary Turner Cattan, are annual benefactors of the Y’s Open Door Scholarship campaign. Kent, Mary and sister Barbara are also substantial supporters of Water for South Sudan, honoring John’s legacy.
Water for South Sudan drilled 5 wells in 2005, the first year of operations. Since then, over 300 wells have been drilled, each serving 1,000-1,500 people. It costs WFSS about $15,000 per well. Native Sudanese form the drilling crews, and WFSS trains villagers to operate the wells. In 2015, the first formal well evaluation was conducted; 80 wells were visited and all were found operational, validating the process of empowering the villages.
When Salva Dut presented the Long Walk award to the Turner family, he emotionally mourned the loss of John and Carol Turner, whom he called “very dear friends.” “I cannot express just how important John’s work was to Water for South Sudan in the early days. He used his expertise to really help us simplify and streamline operations. He urged us to buy our own drilling rig, and then helped us raise the money to pay for it. John was like another father to me, and your mother was so wonderful too. I would call him in the middle of the night with drilling problems and he’d calm me down and talk through solutions so we could keep drilling. They were so important to me and I will never forget them. Thank you for continuing their work in each of your own ways.”
For more information on Water for South Sudan, visit the website at http://waterforsouthsudan.org.
Photo: The Turners with Salva Dut when he presented them with the “Long Walk” award on 8 Oct 2017; pictured are Charlie Turner, Jennifer Turner Deuel, Salva Dut, Anne Turner.
Sun Contributor
NORWICH – A prominent Norwich family, a “Lost Boy,” the newly-minted country of South Sudan, and Rotary International have combined to write a story of saving lives by providing one critical ingredient – clean, pure water.
The present adult generation of the Turner family received the “Long Walk Award,” presented by Salva Dut, founder of Water for South Sudan, in Rochester on Sunday, October 8th. The 4 siblings, children of the late John B. and Carol Turner, spent their early years in Norwich, where their father and uncle owned and managed the Bennett-Ireland Co. After the company was sold in 1969, the family moved to Rochester, where John founded a new retail business which is still run by two of the children.
After retirement, John, who had been an active member of Rotary since 1955 where clean water was a funding priority, became involved in the fledgling Water for Sudan project, along with other fellow Rotarians.
The story of Water for Sudan began in 1985 when 11-year-old Salva Dut was forced to flee for his life from his village in southern Sudan, leaving his family behind. Marauding soldiers from the north prevented his return, and he began a ten-year exile, walking first east to Ethiopia where they stayed for six years, then were forced out by civil war in Ethiopia. They walked back through southern Sudan, finding refuge at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, where they would stay for another four years. During this ordeal Salva led over 1500 “Lost Boys” like himself; 500 perished along the way due to starvation, soldiers and wild animals. (The story of Salva Dut’s life is detailed in a best-selling book, A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park.)
After spending 10 years walking or in refugee camps, Salva was chosen as one of 4,000 Lost Boys resettled in the US with the help of many relief agencies, including the Episcopal Church. Now 22, he relocated to Rochester, where he lived with a host family in Penfield, the Turners’ community.
After learning to speak English and taking courses in business at Monroe Community College, he realized that what he wanted to do most was to make clean, potable water available to the people of his native country. (With the secession of the non-Muslim southern portion of the country in 2003, a new country was born in 2011, called South Sudan. Likewise, Water for Sudan became Water for South Sudan.)
During his time in Sudan, Salva had witnessed the severe deleterious effects on the health of the people of drinking contaminated, often muddy, surface water, which contained not only dirt, but harmful organisms and parasites. It was the only water available, and many died from its effects.
With the help of his host family, Salva began speaking to local groups, explaining his plan to drill wells. It was at this time (2003) that John Turner became involved in the Water for Sudan project, joining the board of directors and soon being named chief operating officer.
John’s engineering background enabled the new organization to make rapid progress toward attaining its goal of drilling wells. In addition to being a savvy fundraiser, he urged WFSS to purchase its own drilling rig. He visited South Sudan with Salva to arrange the acquisition of equipment, and to establish a Rotary Club there. At the age of 80, he represented WFSS at the World Water Conference in Istanbul. He brought Salva to Norwich and introduced him to several local people. Nearly 30 people from Norwich, as well as the students of Holy Family School, have supported WFSS. One of them, Howie Sullivan, said, “Water for South Sudan is an organization that I know will use my donation to provide life-saving water for people who need it.”
John B. Turner, Jr. passed away in 2011, but his family continues his work with Water for South Sudan. After his passing, his daughter Anne joined the board of directors, and headed a campaign to raise the money to replace the original drilling rig. His wife, Carol, made a leading gift to the campaign, encouraging others to participate. Both his sons, Josh and Charlie, have continued to raise money for WFSS through their respective Rotary clubs.
Thus, the Long Walk award that Salva Dut presented on October 8th was to The Turner Family. It was only the second time that the award has been presented. The Turner family has a long history of involvement and support of the Norwich community. John’s father, John B. Turner, helped organize and lead the Bennett-Ireland Company, and served as a director of The Norwich Pharmacal Company and the National Bank & Trust Company (later NBT). He served several years as chairman of the Norwich YMCA board of trustees, and was active with the Boy Scouts and the Community Chest. John’s mother, Katharine Kent Turner, served on the board of the Chenango Valley Home for over 50 years, and as a trustee of The Greater Norwich Foundation, helping ensure its early success.
John’s grandfather, Joshua (known as JB) Bennett Turner, was president of The National Bank & Trust Company from 1917 to 1938, and chairman of the board thereafter. He was also chairman of the board of The Norwich Pharmacal Company for several years. He served as president of The Norwich Knitting Company, the Norwich Wire Works, and Bennett-Ireland. He was chairman of the board of trustees of the Norwich YMCA during a time of extensive remodeling of its facilities.
The present generations of Turners, who maintain their summer home at Chenango Lake, have continued to support, both financially and with advice, several local institutions. Kent Turner, John Jr.’s brother, is a significant supporter of The Greater Norwich Foundation and the Northeast Classic Car Museum. John’s children, Anne Turner and Jennifer Turner Deuel, as well as his sister, Mary Turner Cattan, are annual benefactors of the Y’s Open Door Scholarship campaign. Kent, Mary and sister Barbara are also substantial supporters of Water for South Sudan, honoring John’s legacy.
Water for South Sudan drilled 5 wells in 2005, the first year of operations. Since then, over 300 wells have been drilled, each serving 1,000-1,500 people. It costs WFSS about $15,000 per well. Native Sudanese form the drilling crews, and WFSS trains villagers to operate the wells. In 2015, the first formal well evaluation was conducted; 80 wells were visited and all were found operational, validating the process of empowering the villages.
When Salva Dut presented the Long Walk award to the Turner family, he emotionally mourned the loss of John and Carol Turner, whom he called “very dear friends.” “I cannot express just how important John’s work was to Water for South Sudan in the early days. He used his expertise to really help us simplify and streamline operations. He urged us to buy our own drilling rig, and then helped us raise the money to pay for it. John was like another father to me, and your mother was so wonderful too. I would call him in the middle of the night with drilling problems and he’d calm me down and talk through solutions so we could keep drilling. They were so important to me and I will never forget them. Thank you for continuing their work in each of your own ways.”
For more information on Water for South Sudan, visit the website at http://waterforsouthsudan.org.
Photo: The Turners with Salva Dut when he presented them with the “Long Walk” award on 8 Oct 2017; pictured are Charlie Turner, Jennifer Turner Deuel, Salva Dut, Anne Turner.
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