Educator and Advocate: Dr. Jack Turner, 1942 – 2024
For generations of schoolchildren, some of their earliest lessons about South Carolina’s ecosystem came from USC Upstate’s Watershed Ecology Center. That center was the beloved creation of Jack Turner, its longtime director, who died May 2.
Turner was a Colorado native who came to Spartanburg in 1974 to teach in USC Upstate’s sciences department. During his 38-year tenure, he taught microbiology to thousands of students who would go on to become nurses, doctors, dentists, and scientists. He was a passionate advocate for women in science, and his mentorship was what set some mentees on their career paths.
He was also dedicated to teaching students about the environment and inspiring them to love it as much as he did. In 1999, he formulated the idea to create programming for children that would give them a greater appreciation of the natural world. With a $5,000 grant and one educator, Turner launched the Watershed Ecology Center in 2001. That first year alone, he reached 3,800 students, and by 2018, that number had grown to 23,500. The center continues to visit schools and teach students in first through sixth grades about the Upstate watershed, with the help of some of the creatures in its collection (such as turtles, lizards and frogs). Turner continued in the role of director until his death.
Turner was a passionate advocate for the environment. He and others successfully lobbied for the preservation of the greenspace behind the Burroughs building on campus. The effort ensured the land would remain undeveloped and serve as a learning laboratory for biology classes for years to come.
Turner also secured approval from the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to apply the name Persimmon Creek to the stream that runs through the Arboretum. Nor was it the only waterway he named – he was responsible for renaming Nasty Branch with the much more poetic Butterfly Creek, when it was opened up on Spartanburg’s Northside.
Turner’s legacy can be found in the generations of students who have learned about the beauty of the world around them and gone on to become educators themselves.
Turner is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Jane; daughters Cathy Turner and Jennifer Fetterman; and two grandchildren.
A Life in Picture: Les Duggins, 1954 - 2024
Wherever photographer Les Duggins went in the Upstate, he was certain to be greeted by the many people he’d photographed over his 50-year career. School athletes, business leaders, married couples, teachers, politicians, musicians – Duggins photographed them all, and more.
For more than a decade, Duggins captured key moments in the history of USC Upstate. His photographic legacy includes the construction of the George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics; three chancellor investitures; the opening of Magnolia House; multiple commencement ceremonies; new student move-in day; and countless campus events. He also left a wealth of photos depicting the beauty of the Upstate campus, from brilliant spring flowers in the arboretum to a quiet snow-covered Quad in winter.
Duggins had a seemingly inexhaustible work ethic. He would often arrive at campus when most people were still waking up, just to capture the mist hanging over the pond in front of campus at dawn or the light hitting the fountain in just the right way as the sun rose. Many an evening he’d stay late to capture images of campus buildings bathed in a twilight glow. He took great pride in producing photos that would reflect well on his clients, but was ever modest about his work.
Duggins began his photography career in 1973, as a staffer for B&B Studio and the Spartanburg Herald-Journal. He went on to become manager of the creative services photography department at Spartan Foods, a team photographer for the Carolina Panthers, and photo editor at the Herald-Journal before joining USC Upstate in 2009.
Although he officially retired in 2022, Duggins continued to take on photography projects for local schools and organizations. No matter who he was photographing, he treated everyone with kindness and respect, and could put even the most self-conscious of subjects at ease with his sense of humor.
Duggins is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Sandra; their two sons, Les Jr. (Cassidy) and Jon Paul (Nicole); and six beloved grandchildren.