The keeper of treasures

A reception was planned for Aug. 24 to honor Bruce Turner upon his retirement after 33 years as archivist at UL Lafayette, but a tribute of a much different sort has, sadly, had to take its place.
Dr. Ian Bruce Turner died peacefully at home on Aug. 9. His official title was University Archivist and Assistant Dean for Special Collections. I called him the keeper of Acadiana’s attic, where all sorts of treasures are stored. Many of these columns and other things that I have written over the past several decades have come from the rich trove of materials carefully kept in the archives that he built and nurtured.
He was not a native of this area, born on Independence Day 1946 in Monmouth, Illinois, but became a walking encyclopedia on the history and culture of Acadiana — mostly through painstaking cataloging of the original documents that are the true records of people and places, and through a lifelong habit of listening as much as speaking, of learning as much as teaching.
He was a scholarly man of many talents and interests. His undergraduate degree was in history with a minor in music. That came from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, where his father was president and presented his diploma. He earned master’s and doctorate degrees in American history from the University of Illinois, and then a master’s of library science at the University of Kentucky.
He came to UL in 1983 as associate professor of library sciences and head of archives and special collections. Over the next three decades he became a full professor and assistant dean, published articles in scholarly journals, held leadership positions in academic associations, made presentations at gatherings of the learned, and earned the esteem of his peers. But that was not even half of who he was.
He loved music and was an accomplished musician. When he and musician and teacher Sue Ann Steck were married, friends said the wedding ceremony “rivaled a good concert.” He sang with Chorale Acadienne and with the Acadiana Symphony Chorus, and was a faithful member of the choir at First Presbyterian Church in Lafayette. He played cello with the Acadiana Symphony for 13 years, then continued until recently to play with the ULL Symphony Orchestra and the Lafayette Community Strings.
He had been an active church member since childhood, and when he and Sue moved to Lafayette, they joined First Presbyterian, where he became an ordained elder, served on the governing body of the church, and taught Sunday school classes. He was also president of the Wesley campus ministry at UL and active in Presbyterian affairs throughout south Louisiana. He volunteered weekly for the Communities United in Prayer and Service Basket Ministry. Once a month, through Meals on Wheels, he brought meals to people unable to leave their homes. He didn’t talk much about what he regarded as his service ministry, he just did it.
It is no surprise that he would be an avid and eclectic reader. He listed authors as varied as JRR Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Dr. Seuss, Ernest Gaines, Roald Dahl and Robert Ludlum among his favorites. He loved to travel, especially with his family, visiting most of Europe and most of the 48 continental United States. Wherever he went, his camera traveled with him, his favorite subjects being interesting buildings and historic places.
He had a quick wit, but a dry sense of humor; one of the many things that we shared was a love of really bad puns. He also had an indifferent eye when it came to matching neckties with the checked shirts he often wore, another shared trait.
Bruce Turner was a kind and caring man, a scholar, an archivist and historian, a gifted musician, curious traveler, talented photographer, whimsical collector of things ranging from coins to toy chickens, a man of faith, loving husband and parent, an interesting man who was interested in everything around him, my esteemed friend, and an invaluable help to me and to many, many others.
His death notice suggested several places that would welcome memorial donations, including Otterbein University, First Presbyterian Church, the National Park Foundation, the American Diabetes Association, UNICEF, National Public Radio, and the Smithsonian Institute.
Mine will be to the UL Foundation to help fund a scholarship in his name.
A collection of Jim Bradshaw’s columns, Cajuns and Other Characters, is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.