07/27/2026
It is with profound sadness, heavy hearts, and a deep sense of grief that The Office of Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School announces the passing of our revered teacher, pioneer, and elder, Rev. Dr. William C. Turner Jr. As a community, we bow our heads in sorrow at the earthly departure of a giant who walked among us for over fifty years as a student, athlete, administrator, pastor, and professor. We covet your prayers for his family, his church, our community, and all who have been touched by his life. We will share final arrangements as they are made available by the family.
William Clair Turner Jr., James T. and Alice Mead Cleland Professor Emeritus of the Practice of Preaching at Duke Divinity School, died today, July 26, at the age of 78. Turner was a pastor, preacher, and educator whose decades of service shaped Duke Divinity School, strengthened ties between Duke University and the Durham community, expanded the study and witness of the Black church, and advanced campus civil rights.
Said Duke Divinity Dean Edgardo Colón-Emeric, "W.C. Turner was a triple-Dukie trailblazer, a prodigious Pentecost pastor and pulpiteer, and a scholar on fire with the Holy Spirit. Dr. Turner, as I first called him, was my preaching professor and the first person at Duke Divinity School to encourage me to pursue doctoral studies. We will miss Bill’s magnificent voice, but I believe in the communion of saints where his homiletical life rings in doxology to the Triune God world without end."
Read more about his life and legacy:
https://divinity.duke.edu/news/william-c-turner-jr-pastor-preacher
