Oral history with Mr. Maurice Turner

              Oral history with Mr. Maurice Turner
F341.5 . M57 vol. 687
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Biography
Maurice Guyton Turner was born on April 29, 1912, on a farm owned by his father just outside of Leakesville, Mississippi, Greene County. Maurice was the youngest of ten boys born to Sylvanus Turner and Louise E. ( Kittrell) Turner. While growing up he worked on the farm with his brothers and dad. He graduated from Greene County Agriculture High School in 1932. After staying out of school for a year he worked in his brother's grocery store. He received an athletic scholarship to Hinds County Junior College. He went on to Mississippi State College, graduating in vocational agriculture. After teaching vocational agriculture at Richton High School for three years, he served in World War II for three and a half years, where he was a meat and food inspector in the Veterinary Corps. After the war he married Rhoda M. Pohlman. Coming back to Mississippi, they taught school in Jones County for five years. In 1950 he moved back home to Leakesville taking over his brother's store. He operated the store for twenty- three years. In 1952 Maurice bought out the Ford dealership, which he operated for thirty- two years before selling it and retiring. In 1953 they had a son born, Maurice Guyton Turner Jr., who graduated from Mississippi State in electrical engineering. His son also completed his master's degree in computer science and is currently living in Los Angeles, California, as a computer programmer for Xerox. Mr. Turner has served in various positions in the community: president of Greene County Farm Bureau, president of the Rotary Club, Leakesville school board, deacon in the First Baptist Church, and director of the First State Bank. Maurice has served as an alderman for the town of Leakesville for twenty- eight years. He is still very active in the community.
Table of Contents
I. Personal and family background
II. Farming and cattle drives
III. Floating logs; Bear Creek and Rose and Berry
IV. Family life
V. Hogs; sheep; farming
VI. Timber and logging mus- coh. turnerm. doc Page 1 of 50