There wasn’t much space in the reception room at the Education and Human Sciences Building on the campus of Mississippi University for Women on Tuesday afternoon.
The crowd was sharply dressed and joyful. They came from offices on campus and as far away as Riverside, California.
They were there to honor Dr. Alma Turner, a woman whose impact on local education has been felt by many throughout the Golden Triangle.
She stood in the doorway before the reception, warmly greeting the many who came to visit and share the moment with her.
“She represents the best in education — what we want our students to aspire to be,” said Dr. Sue Jolly-Smith, MUW’s current dean of education and human sciences.
Turner served on the W’s campus with the Demonstration School for many years, helping to guide both students and young student-teachers at MUW. She led the school as principal for a decade between 1985-1995.
Her predecessor, Dr. Ron Towery, was among those who spoke at the ceremony. He talked about how much Turner cared about the students and how, when asked to name a successor as principal when he left the school, he didn’t hesitate.
“I didn’t really need to think about the answer I gave,” Towery remembered. “I said ‘Alma Turner will do the job for you. If she doesn’t, she will die trying.'”
Turner radiated happiness and humility from her seat in a navy blue armchair throughout the praise. Towery spoke of her compassion and commitment to connecting with students.
“She felt she needed to know what these students were like, what their homes were like — to serve them better,” Towery said.
The reception took place caddy-corner from the Demonstration School, where Turner had such a lasting effect. She told The Dispatch sometimes she still drives by the school, just to reminisce on warm memories.
The reception culminated with the unveiling of a portrait. The curtain was pulled away by some of those whose lives Turner has touched, including Mayor Robert Smith.
The portrait, painted by Mississippi School of Math and Science art teacher Angela Jones, revealed Turner beaming a smile and wearing a green dress.
Her real smile when the portrait was revealed was even more radiant than the one captured from her youth. She leaned into a hug with MUW president Dr. Jim Borsig.
She was gracious and overwhelmed by the gesture of the reception and the portrait.
“To be very honest, I feel so undeserving, and that I’m dreaming,” Turner told the crowd.
Borsig said that the portrait will hang in the Demonstration School when the building is restored. Although he did not say when that date would be, he did state that the university is planning to do a renovation of the building.
Jolly-Smith remarked that for educators, the rewards of work aren’t always seen right away — that the impact a good teacher has on a student can take years to truly show. This reception, she said, was an opportunity for Turner to see all the fruits of her labor.
“It brings back so many memories of the students, and the parents and the MUW family,” Turner said.
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