Recommending Ken Turner '28, Magazine Subscription Agent

TO THE EDITOR:

Paralytic poliomyelitis, permanently disabling, struck Kenneth. W. Turner '28 in the autumn of 1954.

Instead of passively accepting his fate with a "the world owes me a living" attitude, Ken and his courageous wife and children determined to support themselves to the best of their abilities. Seeking a business which could be conducted in spite of his illness, the K. W. Turner Agency (Tomkins Cove, New York) was established to solicit and to service subscriptions to "all published periodicals ... at publishers' rates."

This story was effectively told in the ALUMNI MAGAZINE in late 1956, entitled "Where There's a Will. ... At that time, however, it appeared in the Class of '28 news column, and, of course, a whole generation of alumni have attended Dartmouth since '28 graduated. It is for this reason that I am writing about Ken, in the hope that additional Dartmouth men will avail themselves of his services and all will be brought up-to-date, through this "Letters to the Editor" section.

Although I live in California and would not normally use a New York agent for periodical subscriptions, my wife and I were so impressed with the courage and determination of the Turners that we immediately began routing all our periodical subscriptions and renewals through Ken. At that time, we thought that we were doing the Turners a favor, but the reverse was the case: their agency is so good that we were better served than if we had subscribed or renewed directly - and always "at publishers' rates."

The agency has done well in the intervening years, but last summer disaster again struck Ken. Elevated in his orthopedic bed to a standing position, a strap broke and pitched Ken to the floor, resulting in a fractured hip and two fractures of each leg. The lengthy hospitalization and Mrs. Turner's preoccupation with Ken made that much more difficult the conduct of the agency's business.

Ken has been back home and operating the agency for several months now. In fact, I spoke to him on the telephone last weekend. I am writing this letter to acquaint recent alumni with Ken's situation and to urge that their magazine subscriptions and renewals be routed through his agency.

While all subscriptions are welcome, Ken has to advance cash when he enters his orders, so clients who can conveniently send money with their subscriptions are doubly helpful.

San Francisco, Calif.