Douglas Turner, former NPC governor, dies at 86
Olympic rower. Top editor of Buffalo’s underdog morning paper. And a fixture in Washington journalism who served on the National Press Club’s Board of Governors in the turbulent 1980s.
Douglas L. Turner, longtime Washington bureau chief for The Buffalo News, fulfilled all those roles during his life – and was a lively, unforgettable presence in each of them. Turner, 86, died at his home in Springfield, Va., on Nov. 4 after a long illness.
Brilliant, voluble and hilarious, Turner was a frequent presence at the Club throughout the first few decades of his nearly 40 years in Washington journalism.
“He was a strong contributor to Club policy-making when on the Board of Governors in the mid-80s,” Club Fellowship Committee Chairman Kenneth Dalecki said. Turner was also an Army veteran and a member of NPC American Legion Post 20.
But longtime Club members likely will remember his nightly breaks at the Reliable Source bar, where he frequently held court on the issues of the day, diet Coke in hand.
“He had a quick, sharp mind, and was a man of many talents with more than eight decades of knowledge,” Warren Colville, publisher and president of the News, said in the paper’s obituary of Turner. “Combined with his impressive recall abilities, he was an endlessly interesting companion and conversationalist – the type of colleague you only wish you had known much sooner in life.”
Born in Buffalo, Turner rowed in high school and at Brown University, which led to his service on the U.S. Olympic rowing team at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games. Returning to Buffalo, he joined the Courier-Express, Buffalo’s morning paper, and made a lightning-quick rise from reporter to executive editor.
“He was mercurial and confident and whip smart,” recalled Erik Brady, who worked as a sports reporter at Turner’s paper before joining USA Today. “He was aggressive, and I do think the paper reflected the personality of the editor.”
Assigned to the Courier’s Washington bureau in the late 1970s, Turner carved out a role he carried with him to The Buffalo News after the Courier’s demise in 1982: Churning out hard-hitting news stories and columns that challenged politicians of every political persuasion.
“I have sparred, debated, agreed and disagreed with him for decades,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York told The Buffalo News. “But every day I have known him, I have deeply respected him and his fierce commitment to his profession.”
Turner stepped down as bureau chief in 2007 but continued writing his column until August.
A longtime member of the Gridiron Club, Turner lent his powerful baritone to many tunes at the Club’s events as well as at the NPC Silver Owls’ hoots.
“He had a quick wit and it was always a delight to see him at the Club,” Dalecki said. “We loved calling each other 'governor’ years after our stints on the Board during what were some tumultuous years in Club governance. I'm one of the many Club members who will dearly miss him.”
A Mass of Christian Burial was offered for Turner in Buffalo on Nov. 10. Friends are planning a memorial service for Turner at the Club early next year.