Turner retires from industry after masterful 40-year career

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Looking back over his career, Turner said “most of the big stories are all branches from the explosive growth of Northwest Arkansas.”

But for his specific reporting experience, he remembers being the first to break the confirmation of the Arkansas Razorbacks moving from the old Southwest Conference to the Southeastern Conference.

Another memory is reporting the plan to tear down Carnall Hall on the U of A campus, a building where he had attended class as a freshman. The structure had been closed and was in poor condition after a history as the first women’s dorm, a fraternity house, a sorority house and a classroom facility. The initial reporting played a part in a decision to renovate the building as a hotel and restaurant as part of an academic hospitality program at the university.

Turner also has vivid memories of visits to Northwest Arkansas from President George H.W. Bush President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush. He was photographed while attending the latter visit and made the front page of the New York Times as part of the crowd laughing at a joke told by the president.

Looking to the future of newspapers, Turner said subscription revenue has to be a bigger piece of the puzzle.

“That seems to be the key to surviving in this type of environment. We remain a trusted source of information. Our news stories are produced by people who are a part of the community. That’s a story we need to be telling more often. We are the ones who are writing about our friends and our neighbors and our local businesses.

“We also are the ones doing the work to hold local government accountable. If no one is watching the store, something bad is going to happen.”

Turner thinks the role of the Arkansas Press Association is vital. He served as president of the organization from late 2019 to the summer of 2021, most of that period during the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the APA “has always been very important in providing training and support” for newspapers and staff. But he believes an even more critical function in the past five to ten years has been working at the state legislature to keep public notices and legal advertising in newspapers and also to fight off challenges to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

Turner said the APA has been successful in those areas when compared to other states, attributing that to the hard work of the association staff and the input of local newspapers from around the state.

“It is vital that we continue to defend the public’s right to know,” Turner said.

“There are no adequate words to express how valuable Rusty Turner has been to the Arkansas newspaper industry and our trade association,” said Ashley Kemp Wimberley, executive director of the APA. “He served for two years as president of the Arkansas Press Association board of directors, has testified numerous times during legislative sessions to protect the state’s FOIA, has emceed numerous events, served as moderator of political debates – all while continuing his work as one of the state’s best newspaper editors.

“I joked with him that his retirement won’t keep him off my speed dial. I always appreciate his wise counsel, dependability and friendship.”

In retirement, Turner plans to travel more, especially to see his two grandchildren in Wichita, Kan., where his son Stephen (a Wichita State graduate and aerospace engineer) and wife reside. His other son, Matthew, and wife live in Springdale. Matthew has an engineering degree from the University of Arkansas and works for J.B. Hunt Transport Services.

Turner and his wife, the principal at Northside Elementary, are active in the Central United Methodist Church in Rogers. He also is a member of the Rogers Downtown Rotary Club.

He serves on the board of Arkansas Public Theatre in Rogers and is involved in both performing and working backstage.

Turner plans to “enjoy life” in retirement and hopes to stay involved in the industry by pursuing freelance writing and possibly teaching journalism classes.