"Lorenzo Dow Turner"{August 21,1890-February 10,1972)

Was an African-American academic and linguist who did seminal research on the Gullah language of the  Low Country of costal South Carolina and Georgia.His studies included recordings of Gullah speaker in the 1930s.As head of the English department at Howard University and Fisk University for a combined total of 30 years,Lorenzo, strongly influenced their programs.He created the African-Studies curriculm at Fisk,was chair of the African studies program at Roosevelt University,and in the early 1960s,cofounded a training program for Peace Corps volunteer going to Africa.
Born in Elizabeth City,North Carolina.Lorenzo was the youngest of four sons of Rooks Turner & Elizabeth Freeman.His daddy completed his master degree at Howard University,although he had not begun first grade until he was twenty one. His mama gained the education allowed to African American at the time (six years).Two of Lorenzo's brothers earned degrees in medicine & law.His family strong empemphasis on education inspired him and achieve academic success.Lorenzo earned a master's degree from Harvard and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Chicago.He taught at Howard University from 1917-1928,and during his last eight years,Lorenzo served as Head of the English Department.After leaving Howard he founded the Washington Sun newspaper,which closed after one year.From 1929-1946 Lorenzo served as Head of the English Department at Fisk University.There he designed the curriculum for the African Studies Program.
In 1946 he began teaching at Roosevelt University in Chicago,where he was chairman
of the African Studies Program.Lorenzo retired from Roosevelt in 1967.Lorenzo is best remembered as the daddy of Gullah studies His interest in the Gullah studies.His interest in the Gullah people began in 1929 when he first heard Gullah speakers while teaching a summer class at South Carolina State College (now University).Established scholars then viewed Gullah speech as a form of substandard English,Lorenzo sensed that Gullah was strongly influenced by African languages.He
set out to study the language.For the next 20 years,he made trips to the Gullah region in costal South Carolina and Georgia,interviewing Gullahs (often in isolated locations) and making  detailed notes on their language.Lorenzo also made recordings in the 1930s of Gullah speakers talking about their culture,
folk stories,and other aspects of life.
As part of his studies,Lorenzo traveled to several locations in Africa,specifically Sierra Leone,to learn about the development of Creole languages,as well as to Louisiana and Brazil,to study Creole and Portuguese,respectively.Lorenzo did research at University of London School of Orienttal and African Studies (on various African languages systems).He wanted to be able to provide context of the "obvious "Africanisms" he discovered in his Sea Islands research."Such depth and breadth
allowed Lorenzo to locate Gullah culture and language within the broader complexities of the African diaspora in the New World,...firmly outside  the reductionist theoretical model of cultural assimilation.
When Lorenzo finally published his classic work Africanisms Gullah Dialect in 1949,he made an immediate impact on established academic thinking.His study of the orgin,
development and structure of Gullah was so convincing that scholars quickly accepted his thesis that Gullah is strongly influenced by African languages.He showed the continuity of language and culture across the diaspora.Many scholars have followed Lorenzo over the years in researching the African Roots of Gullah languages and culture.He created a new field of study by his work and an appreciation for a unique element of African-American culture.Lorenzo was strongly influenced by the American linguistic movement,which he joined at its inception.
Through his Gullah research,he gave shape to several academic specialties:
Gullah studies,dialect geography and creole linguistics,as well as being an important
predecessor to the field of African American Studies,which developed in the 1960 & 70s.He died of heart failure at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago,Illinois.