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Gerald A. “Bud” Turner, 91, died May 8, 2006. A 50-year member of GCSAA, Mr. Turner was born March 5, 1915, and joined the United States Marines in 1934 after high school. He served aboard the USS Arizona from 1935 to 1937. His service during World War II included tours in China and the Philippines, where he was held in POW camps for two-and-a-half years before being transported to Japan. Upon returning to the U.S. in 1945, he married Mary Phares, and the couple had their first and only child, Jack. To heal injuries he sustained during the war, Mr. Turner received rehabilitation training as a golf course greenkeeper. He started a job managing the maintenance operations for Hazelden CC in Brook, Ind., but ultimately was called to golf course construction. From 1951 to 1954, Mr. Turner built and maintained the nine-hole Center City GC in Oceanside, Calif. He then went to work at Almansor GC in Alhambra, Calif., from 1954 through 1956, a stint during which he began his involvement with GCSAA. His next golf course construction project was The Hesperia (Calif.) G&CC from 1956 until 1961. He also assisted in the creation of several golf courses on military facilities. In 1961, he completed the construction of The Tropicana GC in Las Vegas, which has since been replaced with the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino on “The Strip.” In 1962, he built an original course at Rancho Bernardo for two years, after which he moved to Maui, Hawaii, to complete the original Royal Lahaina course at Kaanapali from 1963 to 1964. That year, Mr. Turner moved back to Indiana to work as course professional, manager and superintendent of a semi-private course at Curtis Creek near Rensselaer. In 1967, Mr. Turner moved back to Oceanside, Calif., and entered semi-retirement. He later moved to San Antonio to be closer to his son. He is survived by his son, Jack; a daughter-in-law; two grandchildren; a great granddaughter; and his wife, Mary Turner, 12706 La Cueva Street., San Antonio, TX 78233.
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