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Philanthropy Takes Root to Span Generations
The Legacy of Family Philanthropy Continues into the Next Generation
The legacy of the Turner Family’s multigenerational philanthropy can be traced back to Edward “Ajax” Turner, the figure behind a renowned family beverage distributorship established in 1961. His son, Jack B. Turner, a prominent businessman from Clarksville and a dedicated Board of Trustees member at Community Foundation (CFMT), took that legacy forward.
“He never accepted an award like this,” Jack Turner said of his father in accepting the annual Joe C. Kraft Humanitarian Award from CFMT in 2016 “because most people in the state didn’t know him. He was always in the shadows.
“But his clients knew him and appreciated him,” his son recalled. “And he taught us that what was important in life was to be nice to everybody and to be friends with everybody. … And we should always do our best in whatever we do because you never know who’s measuring you for a bigger task.”
That bigger task has resulted in a lifetime of community service for the gregarious Clarksville native and his extended family. A longtime insurance executive, Jack and wife Margie established the Jack and Margie Turner Advised Fund 30-plus years ago. That was not long after Community Foundation was established in 1991, thanks partly to a $50,000 gift from Jack Turner that put the organization over its original $1.5 million fundraising goal.
Jack and Margie’s four children also established charitable funds. His grandchildren have begun setting up funds, as well.
A proponent of Middle Tennessee regionalism, Jack fostered the creation of the Ajax Turner Senior Citizens Center, the Fort Campbell Historical Foundation, Leadership Clarksville, and Leadership Middle Tennessee, to name just a few of his many philanthropic passions. A key figure in the creation of Community Foundation and as a nationally recognized estate planner, he has helped scores of others find their own singular ability to make charitable gifts that matter to them and others.
The spirit of philanthropy that took root in Ajax Turner now spans multiple generations, and his family learned the patriarch’s lessons well: Be nice. Do your best. Make friends. Give of yourself.
