There are some residents who have spent most of their lives in Cañon City, and a few have dedicated themselves to the running of local government, organizations, and nonprofits for the betterment of the community.
George Turner is one of those people.
Born and raised in Cañon City, Turner grew up on his family's dairy farm -- El Cañon Holsteins -- and learned early on the value of dedication and hard work. In addition to helping his parents run the dairy, he successfully raised and marketed Holstein bulls who earned a pretty penny thanks to Turner's efforts.
He graduated from Cañon City High School in 1958 before spending several years at Colorado State University Fort Collins. He returned to Cañon City to run the family dairy and did so from 1960 until 1975. A variety of events took place at the dairy -- and not just milking cows. According to Turner, he hosted several chambers of commerce meetings, as well as a wedding or two.
He was surprised with a diagnosis of tuberculosis in 1968 and spent seven months in and out of the National Jewish Hospital in Denver -- it was a defining time in his life.
"They said that I either had lung cancer or tuberculosis," Turner recalled. "They saved my life ... I was very fortunate, I was one of the first people to actually be cured of tuberculosis."
Because of the remarkable care, he received at National Jewish, Turner exited the hospital weighing more than when he went in and returned to his busy life of managing employees, overseeing milking operations of 110 cows, and keeping the family business afloat.
After selling the dairy in 1975, Turner's sites turned to local government and a variety of other outlets and interests. His father had served on the City Council of Cañon City, and Turner happily followed in his footsteps -- serving for four years. His father had been the one to make the motion for the Royal Gorge Bridge to be built in 1929.
"I thoroughly enjoyed city council," he said. "I had never been involved with something like that in my life."
A passion of Turner's was born during this time -- motorcycles. He happened to see a TV advertisement that featured motorcycles one day and went out to purchase his first bike. Though he didn't know exactly how to ride it, he took a 3,100-mile road trip to Fairbanks, Alaska, to visit the doctor that had once treated him at National Jewish. Accompanied by his nephew, he learned the ins and outs of riding a motorcycle.
After his years on the city council ended, he was elected to three terms as Cañon City Mayor and served three stellar terms. During this time, he and the council tackled a variety of projects, such as:
- Replaced First Street bridge and the Fourth Street viaduct
- Computerized the finance department
- Secured a grant with which they paved streets, replaced water mains, and established a low-interest loan program for housing rehabilitation in South Cañon.
- Successfully challenged the D&RGW railroad's efforts to eliminate multiple railroad crossings in Cañon City, and instead convinced the railroad to make substantial crossing improvements.
- Did extensive improvements to the water treatment plant.
It proved to be a remarkably busy time for Turner as he also joined the Cañon City Rotary Club in 1980 (and served as its president from 1988-1989) and was a candidate for House District 44 in 1986.
He served as the town's mayor until 1985 and, as seen above, worked on numerous projects to better Cañon City.
"I enjoyed my time as mayor," he said. "Cañon City is a good town."
He served on the St. Thomas More Hospital Board of Trustees and also served on the Cañon City Planning Commission for 24 years. Additionally, he was a member of the Pueblo Community College Fremont Campus Advisory Council, Cañon City Chamber of Commerce, an engineer of the Royal Gorge Scenic Railway and still serves on the Community Relations Board of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. His life has been anything but boring.
He was also the secretary/treasurer of the Cañon City Oil Creek Ditch Company for 37 years, as well as the treasurer of the Pueblo Pachyderm Club for 14 years.
Because of his long and very involved history in Cañon City, Turner has also had the pleasure of earning a variety of community awards and appreciations, some of which include:
- 1960 – Outstanding Achievement in Animal Science – Presented by District VII Colorado Veterinary Medical Association.
- 1976 – Award for Devotion to 4-H – Presented by Fremont County 4-H Families.
- 1985 – Visitante Distinguido Award – Presented by Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
- 1985 – Good Neighbor Award – Presented by Bahais of Fremont County
- 1986 – Jaycees Presidential Award of Honor – Presented by Colorado Jaycees
- 1986 – Citizen of the Year – Presented by Cañon City Elks Lodge #610
- 1989 – Distinguished Citizen – Presented by the Cañon City Chamber of Commerce
Currently, in his 80s, Turner finds enjoyment in attending the Cañon City Cowboy Church and having dinner every Monday night at El Caporal with his beloved niece, Annie, and her husband.
A gifted amateur painter, Turner also enjoys creating works of art and is currently working on a piece for Annie to take home to the ranch she currently owns in Guffey. He has had the opportunity to travel to numerous places in Europe and has completed paintings for churches in Germany as part of his travels.
It's difficult to whittle a lifetime down to a single newspaper page (or perhaps two) so, those who happen across Turner either at El Caporal or out and about in Cañon City, be sure to inquire about his remarkable life.
No comments:
Post a Comment