Lorenzo Dow Turner

Lorenzo Dow Turner (1890-1972), son of Rooks Turner and Elizabeth Freeman Turner, was born on August 21, 1890, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Recognized as the father of Gullah studies, the African American linguist received an A.B. in English from Howard University in 1914 (cum laude), an A.M. in English from Harvard University in 1917, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Chicago in 1926. Turner was one of the first scholars to recognize the importance of documenting the Gullah-speaking communities in South Carolina and Georgia. His pioneering field work and research there and in Brazil and Nigeria provided an intellectual foundation for later scholars interested in studying African American culture and the survival of elements of African culture in the western hemisphere.

Sources: Lorenzo Dow Turner Papers, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Lois Turner Williams; Marvin Joseph /The Washington Post