Schools supporter Turner dies at 70

Kathryn “K.” Turner, the beloved education booster who served on the school board for 12 years, died Saturday. She was 70.

Arrangements for services are pending. The Rev. Diane Borchckowski of the United Church of Religious Science will officiate.

“Sadly, our beloved Dr. K. Turner passed quietly this weekend after a courageous battle with ALS [ amyotrophic lateral sclerosis],” said Theresa Daem, superintendent of the district. “She will be remembered not only for her great intellect and compassion, but for bringing wisdom, humility and enthusiasm for the entirety of her 12-year tenure as a member of the Laguna Beach Board of Education.”

Tributes were paid to Turner at a January luncheon in her honor at the Hotel Laguna.

“She most reminds me of Theodore Roosevelt,” board chair Bob Whalen said at that luncheon. “She speaks softly but carries a big stick. In an era where politicians talk much and accomplish little, she is refreshing. But when she does talk, you better listen.”

Turner offered one instruction: “No tears.” Thurston Middle School Principal Joanne Culverhouse, a longtime friend and professional associate of Turner, said: “But that was a celebration. This is a loss, and with loss comes tears.”

School board members paid their respects to Turner at Tuesday night’s meeting, observing a moment of silence and then sharing memories.

The meeting was the first that Turner missed due to the physical ravages of her ailment, better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Turner had already resigned from the board, as of June 1 or her death, “whichever comes first,” she said.

Turner died mid morning Saturday at Culverhouse’s Aliso Viejo home.

Turner’s life partner, Bivens Hunt, was at her side.

Hunt and Turner were the second couple and the first lesbians to register in Laguna as domestic partners.

Turner spent much of her professional life in the closet, coming out when a close friend was dying of AIDS in 1990-91. She made no secret of her sexual orientation when she first ran for the school board first in 1994.

Turner was born Feb. 3, 1936, on a farm in Maine. After serving in the U.S. Women’s Army Corps, she earned a bachelor’s degree at UCLA and a master’s in nursing at Columbia University in New York. She added a law degree in 1982. She also earned a pilot’s license.

Daem said Turner’s memory will be cherished for her commitment to children, her fervor for providing them with quality education and a willingness to keep an open mind.

“She was a true feminist pioneer,” said friend Anne Johnson, also a retired educator. “She lived and died with integrity, strength and a profound commitment to education ? a child of Maine, with the wonderful characteristic bravery and dignity.”

Turner was admired and liked not only by her contemporaries but also the younger generation to which she was devoted.

Laguna Beach High School students pushed to have the school library named for Turner.

Turner also was committed to her church.

“This isn’t easy for me to talk about,” Turner told an audience at a Laguna Beach Woman’s Club meeting on spirituality.

Turner was raised Baptist, but the church teachings conflicted with her sexuality. From the age of 19 to 46, Turner said, she sought a spiritual home. She found it 1983 after a serious automobile accident on Laguna Canyon Road in which the driver of the other vehicle died. She served her church as practitioner and later international director of education until December when her health forced her resignation.

In addition to Hunt, Turner is survived by brothers Stephen, Clark and Todd.

In lieu of flowers, Hunt requested donations be sent to the ALS Assn., 2230 W. Chapman Ave., Suite 123, Orange, CA, 92868. Donors are quested to have the checks earmarked for research.cpt.28-kturner-obit-CPhotoInfoGP1QCU5S20060428isy8j6ncMARK DUSTIN / COASTLINE PILOT(LA)Rev. Marcia Anderson, left, of the United Church of Religious Science in Burbank has a brief chat with K. Turner during a January luncheon in honor of Turner at the Hotel Laguna. cpt.28-kturner-obit-2-CPhotoInfoGP1QCU5Q20060428isn1opncDAN BEIGHLEY / COASTLINE PILOT(LA)Kathryn Turner beams as the Laguna Beach High School library is named in her honor at a school assembly Thursday.