Turner, A. Richard 'Dick' 1932-2011

TURNER

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 10/24/2012 at 08:47:10

The Grinnell (IA) Herald-Register; Sept. 22, 2011

A. RICHARD 'DICK' TURNER

A. Richard "Dick" Turner, 79, of Cape May died peacefully on Friday, Sept. 9, 2011, following a battle with cancer.

A memorial for family and friends will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Cape May Bird Observatory, 600 Route 47 North (Delsea Drive), Cape May Courthouse, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to New Jersey Audubon, 9 Hardscrabble Road, Bernardsville, NJ, 07924, or at njaudubon.org.

He was born in New Bedford, Mass., in 1932, and received bachelor's, master of fine arts, and PhD degrees from Princeton University. He was a Fulbright scholar, and held a number of academic appointments during his career. He was an instructor in fine arts at the University of Michigan; professor of art and archaeology at Princeton University; dean of the faculty and professor of fine arts at Middlebury College; and president of Grinnell College, from 1975 to 1979.

He finished his career at New York University, where he held a number of positions, including director of the Institute of Fine Arts, dean of the faculty of Arts & Sciences, professor of fine arts, director of the New York Institute of Humanities, and the Paulette Goddard professor chair in arts and humanities.

Turner was a Leonardo da Vinci scholar, an expert on the Florentine Renaissance, and the author of a number of books, including "Vision of Landscape in Renaissance Italy," "Art of Florence," "Inventing Leonardo," "Renaissance Florence: The Invention of a New Art," and "La Pietra; Florence, a Family, and a Villa."

He was very active in a number of organizations, serving on th board of directors of New Jersey Audubon and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. He was a member of the College Art Association, the Century Association; Phi Beta Kappa, and Princeton Project 55.

Photography and birding were two of Turner's greatest passions. He honed his skills as an amateur photographer over the years, and was an avid bird watcher and devoted to the Cape May Bird Obsevatory, where he volunteered countless hours and made many friends.

In addition to his wife Jane of 56 years, he is survived by sons Louis of Minneapolis, Minn., and David of Sarasota, Fla.; a sister, Betsy Turner of Newfoundland, Penn.; and eight grandchildren and stepgrandchildren.