About the Author
ROSALIE T. TURNER
Award-winning author, Rosalie T. Turner, is a civil rights historian who writes stories that embody the struggles of African Americans. Her book, Sisters of Valor, received the Military Writers Society of America Bronze Award for Fiction. Her book March With Me, was both a 2013 INDIES Winner and USA Best Book finalist and her book Freedom Bound received the Florida First Coast Writers’ Award.
An Endowed Professorship at Texas A&M University – Commerce has been named in honor of Frank and Rosalie Turner for their work in Race and Reconciliation. Rosalie and Frank have been leading pilgrimages of students from the university to Alabama and Mississippi, reaching many hundreds of students. These have been developed into 3 credit hour classes. The university has expanded the idea of exposing students to the civil rights struggle in our nation hoping to empower them to move forward with some kind of action.
Rosalie is a graduate of Mary Washington College, which at that time was the women’s college of UVA. She has worked as a juvenile probation officer and as a Director of Christian Education. Rosalie was fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom but worked through volunteer activities, including Headstart Program, Habitat for Humanity, a jail ministry, teaching adult literacy and English as a Second Language, and tutoring in the inner city.
While living in Jacksonville, FL, Rosalie received the JC Penney Award for establishing a summer reading program in the inner city. Rosalie has always been very active in her church wherever she has lived. Her family has moved 18 times due to her husband’s career.
Rosalie is married to Frank Kile Turner, and they are soon celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. The Turners have two sons, Kile who with his wife Sara (both attorneys) live in Birmingham, Alabama. Joel along with his wife Kelly, live in Durham, North Carolina. Joel is a homicide detective and Kelly is a public health nurse. Rosalie and Frank lost a third son, Terry, to leukemia when he was ten years old. Rosalie and Frank have 6 grandchildren.
Follow Rosalie on Facebook.