In memoriam: Richard Turner, director emeritus, College of Science
Richard Turner, former director of the Macromolecules Innovation Institute, died Oct. 16 at the age of 82.
Turner will be fondly remembered by family and friends from throughout his life and the Virginia Tech community. Turner was a prolific polymer scientist and well known for his service to the Macromolecules Innovation Institute.
Turner grew up in Old Hickory, Tennessee, a small suburb of Nashville, and went on to study chemistry at Tennessee Tech University. After an impactful education there, he went to graduate school at the University of Florida in Gainesville. There, he started working in polymer synthesis, which became his professional passion.
Following his graduation from the University of Florida and postdoctoral work in Germany, Turner started his industry career. He worked at several different companies including Xerox, Exxon, and Eastman Kodak. Despite his success, teaching was always Turner’s goal — which he satisfied by working as an adjunct professor at the University of Rochester.
In 2004, Turner “retired” into higher education when the perfect opportunity opened up. That year, Turner became the director of the Macromolecules Innovation Institute at Virginia Tech. With him came a fresh mindset and tons of new ideas for the program.
Over the course of his 10-year tenure, he brought the institute to further international recognition and acclaim. Turner officially retired in 2018 but was still active and engaged in the university community as Macromolecules Innovation Institute director emeritus.
Turner will be remembered by the countless students whose lives and learning he positively impacted and by his colleagues as both a mentor and friend.
