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President Charles Turck
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A thoughtful call from the Turck residence
After returning to the dorm I was surprised to hear that President Turck had called for me. I returned the call to find out that he and Mrs. Turck just wanted me to know that I had left my watch and ring at their home after helping serve at a tea party.
Betty Ellen Engel Ahn
When Turck would tip his hat
It was always a treat when I would see Dr. Turck walking around the campus. He was such a gentleman — smiling and tipping his hat.
Nancy Knauff Waller
Sharing chocolate chip cookies with Dr. Turck
I remember walking back to Rice Hall and meeting Dr. Turck on the way — and sharing a newly received box of home made chocolate chip cookies with him.
Janet Hoppe
Helping with Mrs. Turck’s dinner parties
I remember getting phone calls from Mrs. Turck asking if some of us "Rice Girls" would be able to come over to help with their dinner parties. Of course we said, "Yes!" We loved doing the setting up, serving and clean up. They were a wonderful couple! Another fun thing was getting a note from Miss Doty saying she had tickets to a play, operetta, etc., and wondering if we would like to attend. What a treat!
Janet Hoppe
Dr. Turck cheering up the football team
The saying is that Dr. Charles J. Turck, then President, would go into the men’s football locker room after every game which they had just lost again (Mac suffered many losses over the years), and would pat the players on the shoulder pads and say, “That’s alright men, cheer up, it was a moral victory!” Far off in the distant corners of the shower could be heard (as the story goes) -- the sound of groans and moans!
Samuel Baez
Turck’s dedication to free thinking
When I was at Mac, I worked for the Post Office loading trucks. This was during the terrorist reign of Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin. If you have seen the movie Good night and Good Luck you may have some sense of the intimidation that occurred. I, because I worked for the Federal Government, was the subject of a full security investigation. The FBI interviewed everyone, my neighbors and my professors.
The FBI was more interested in "what kind of questions I asked" and less interested in whether I cheated, stole, or was unethical. My professors were shocked. The professors told the FBI that I asked "good questions." That frightened me and the professors. At the time, Mac was listed in many magazines as a school friendly or supportive of communism. The language used to smear was "fellow travelers and Pinkos." Macalester and other "wrong thinking" institutions were smeared with the accusation of supporting communism.
Charles Turk, the college president, never succumbed to these insidious pressures. I'm eternally grateful for Charles Turk, and the other supportive professors. The school exhibited real courage in its unswerving dedication to the free flow of ideas. I'm still haunted by the specter of the damage that was done during this era by government zealots.
Russell Goodman
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