Eldridge Turner

Eldridge Oliver Turner (born June 4, 1931; died May 24, 2024) was a coach and educator who served on the Fairfield Board of Education and as president of the Fairfield City Council.

Turner was the son of Robert and Laura Foster Turner of Fairfield. His family relocated to Cropwell for several years before returning, and he graduated from Fairfield Industrial High School in 1950, having captained coach James McWilliams' undefeated 1947 Fairfield Industrial Hornets football team and been selected for the Alabama State High School Football All-Star Game as a senior.

Turner attended Alabama A&M University on a football scholarship. After graduating he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served for two years in Berlin, Germany, where he starred as a lineman for the Army's "Berlin Bears" football team.

In 1957 Turner joined the faculty of Norris High School in Attalla while completing his masters in education at Indiana University. In 1959, at the invitation of E. J. Oliver, he came to Robinson Elementary School. In 1961 he joined McWilliams' staff at Industrial High School, coaching football and basketball. From there he was hired to coach at Wenonah State Junior College, which became Lawson State Community College. He was promoted to director of athletics in 1969 while also coaching part-time for the Miles Golden Bears.

Turner was inducted into the Alabama Junior College Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Alabama A&M University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993. He was appointed to the Fairfield Board of Education in 1992 and was president for 5 years. He was then elected president of the Fairfield Industrial High School Alumni Association for two years. In 2004 he was elected to the Fairfield City Council and then chosen by his colleagues to serve as president. He survived a challenge from Darnell Gardner in the 2008 election.

Turner served as a deacon at First Baptist Church of Fairfield. He and his wife, Eva, had two daughters. Turner died in 2024.

References

• "Eldridge Oliver Turner" obituary (June 15, 2024) Legacy.com