Exhibit - Ralph Turner
Ralph Turner was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 18, 1917. In 1939, he graduated with a B.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin. Following his graduation, Turner began working as a Laboratory Supervisor at the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, a position he held from 1939 to 1947. During this time Turner received additional training at Boston University Medical School.
Turner married Arnella Klug Turner on June 21, 1941. They had three children: Richard D. (b. August 21, 1943), Georgia C. (b. June 19, 1945), and John F. (b. July 25, 1947).
In 1947, Turner began teaching in the Michigan State University Police Administration and Public Safety Department (now the School of Criminal Justice), focusing on education and research in forensic science, as well as the causes and effects of alcohol abuse. Turner was a pioneer in research on the effects and abuse of alcohol and he performed many studies on the topic. In 1949, for example, he became involved in a year-long scientific study of drinking "under field conditions," funded by the National Traffic Safety Council, which involved creating a social setting for four to six volunteers to gather every Friday evening to play cards, talk, and drink at their leisure. The participants then agreed to have their consumption tracked and periodically submitted to alcohol-blood level testing. Turner worked to increase academic awareness and education by teaching a course at MSU titled, “Alcohol - A Social Dilemma.” His work paved the way toward the establishment of the substance abuse program at MSU in 1976.
While a professor at Michigan State, he continued his own education at the Yale Center for Alcohol Studies in 1955 and the University of Southern California, where he earned his M.S. in Police Administration in 1957.
Throughout his career, Ralph Turner was well known for his numerous contributions to both the university and the academic community. At MSU, he was involved with several overseas programs, predominantly in Asia. From 1959 to 1961, Turner traveled to Vietnam to work on the Vietnam Project as chief police advisor to Police and Security Services of South Vietnam under the auspices of the MSU Advisory Group. Following his work in Vietnam, Turner was honored as a Fulbright scholar in 1963 and spent a year at the Central Police College in Taipei, Taiwan, as a Fulbright lecturer from 1963 to 1964. Appointed by the National Science Council of the Republic of China, Turner returned to the Central Police College to serve as the National Visiting Professor for 1969 to 1970. With this international experience, Turner continued his work on behalf of Michigan State University by overseeing research programs and teaching courses all over the world. This includes countries such as Guam, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, London, and Germany. Additionally, Turner conducted lectures and seminars to overseas visitors hosted by Michigan State University.
Outside the University, Turner was involved with several journals, committees, and associations regarding the research and advancement of forensic science and alcohol studies. His expertise in the field of alcohol studies led to his selection as an advisor on the Drunkenness Taskforce for President Lyndon Johnson’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice in 1965. In addition, he was an active member of the National Safety Council Committee on Alcohol and Drugs, as well as the National Council on Alcoholism.
Most notably, he was a founding member of the American Academy of Forensic Science. Due to his extensive knowledge in the field of forensics, Turner was selected in 1975 to review the assassination case of Robert F. Kennedy and served as an expert in firearms identification and ballistics for the Los Angeles County Court. Turner was an expert witness throughout his career, often testifying in criminal and civil court cases related to firearms, crime scene evidence, and alcohol use. In his police consultant service, Turner worked on more than 500 cases rendered in the area of criminalistics, police science, and alcohol problems. In 1978 Ralph Turner was recognized with the Bruce Smith Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice to award his lifetime achievements and leadership in the field of forensic science.
Turner remained a professor at Michigan State University for 32 years before retiring in 1979. However, he continued to act as an advisor to the Michigan State University Criminal Justice Department for many years after. In 1981, he received the MSU Distinguished Faculty Award.
Carpentry and oil painting were among Turner's hobbies. He was an admirer of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and did much to support the preservation efforts of Taliesin West. An accomplished photographer, Turner presented a show of his work at MSU's Kresge Art Museum in the fall of 1970. He was an active member of Christ Lutheran Church in Lansing. A member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London (Baker Street Irregulars), a group of Sherlock Holmes aficionados, Turner was a founding member of the local East Lansing chapter, The Greek Interpreter Scion. His interest in these groups was born out of an interest in the connection between the world of real-life investigators and the fictional world created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Ralph Turner passed away in 1994.
Exhibit created by Jessica Russell, May 2011
Updated by Alex Conell, 2020.
Related Objects
 |  |  |
 Alcohol Research - Drunk Driving Test, circa 1950 1950 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |  |
 |  Excerpts of comments made about the German Police Program, 1950 June 2, 1950 Text: pdf MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |
 |  Group of German Researchers on MSU Campus with Art Brandstatter and Ralph Turner, undated (circa 1949) Date: 1940-1949 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  Group Portrait at the Police Training School, undated Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
 |  |  Portrait of attendees at the U.S. Secret Service - MSU Criminal Justice Alumni, 1975 September 1975 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
 |  |  |
 Ralph Turner and Family at airplane, undated Date: 1960-1969 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  Ralph Turner at University of Wisconsin Commencement, 1939 June 21, 1939 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  Ralph Turner in a police administration class, 1968. April 26, 1968 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
 Ralph Turner in a police administration class, 1968. April 26, 1968 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |  |
 Ralph Turner investigating in the field August 7, 1943 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |  |  |
 |  |  Robert F. Kennedy Fireworks Review Team (Criminal Investigation), 1975 1975 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
 |  |  |
 |  Vietnam Bureau of Investigation officers' graduation, 1959 October 10, 1959 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
