Decherd Turner

Decherd H. Turner (1 September 1922, Pike County, Missouri – 7 July 2002, Austin, Texas) was an American bibliophile, ordained Presbyterian minister, director of S.M.U.'s Bridwell Library, and director of U.T.'s Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, known for acquiring rare books, manuscripts, and other archival materials.

Dechard H. Turner
Born(1922-09-01)September 1, 1922
Pike County, Missouri
DiedJuly 7, 2002(2002-07-07) (aged 79)
Austin, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Occupationlibrarian and educator

Career

Turner grew up on a Missouri farm[1] and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri in 1943. He studied theology at the Vanderbilt University School of Religion, earning another bachelor's degree, and then became an ordained Presbyterian minister. Turner was director of the Bridwell Library in Dallas, Texas from 1950 to 1980. As director of the Bridwell Library, he made many acquisitions and assembled what is now, thanks to his successor Valerie Hotchkiss, the American Southwest's largest collection of 15th-century books. Turner also acquired vellum copies of such rare books as the Kelmscott Chaucer, the Doves Press Bible, and the Ashendene Dante.[2] In 1963, while continuing to serve as the Bridwell director, he became editor-in-chief of the Southwest Review.[3] In 1980 the Harry Ransom Center hired Turner to direct the Center and its acquisitions program. Before retiring in 1988,[4] he acquired the Uzielli Collection,[5] the Wolff Collection of 19th-century fiction,[6] the Pforzheimer Collection,[7] the David O. Selznick archive,[8][9][10] and a number of other notable collections.

Notes
  1. Sue Brandt McBee; photographs by David Sprague (1982). "Decherd H. Turner, Alcalde's 1982 Sampler of Interesting Campus Intellectuals". The Alcalde. 70 (3): 12.
  2. "Former Bridwell Library Director Dies at Age 79". S.M.U. News. July 11, 2002. Archived from the original on May 15, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  3. "The First One Hundred Books: A Brief History of Southern Methodist University Press: 1937 – 1964 by Allen Maxwell" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-05-15. Retrieved 2013-01-28.
  4. "Ransom Center will lose Decherd Turner to retirement". The Alcalde. 76 (3): 26. Jan–Feb 1988.
  5. "Rare classical collection comes to Ransom Center". The Alcalde. 75 (2): 28. Nov–Dec 1986.
  6. "Wolff fiction collection is best in 19th century". The Alcalde. 74 (1): 34. Sep–Oct 1985.
  7. "World-famous Collection Finds New Home at UT". The Alcalde. 74 (4): 18–19. March–April 1986.
  8. "Movie studio archives acquired by UT". The Alcalde. 69 (2): 22. Nov–Dec 1980.
  9. "Gone With the Wind sheltered on campus". The Alcalde. 80 (3): 30. Jan–Feb 1992.
  10. David O. Selznick Collection - Harry Ransom Center


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