Sandra Brown Turner is the Director of the Barbara K. Lipman Early Childhood School and Research Institute and has been engaged with the University of Memphis since the late 1960’s. In addition to numerous donations for various specific purposes over the years, Sandy has made provisions in her will to continue what she calls her “Tiger Legacy.”

In her own words, Sandy describes why she is Empowering the Dream:

The University of Memphis has been an integral part of my life since almost as far back as I can remember. I entered the University (then Memphis State University) in 1969 and had what I feel was the perfect college education and experience. As a major in Child Development, I found my Professors and my Professors and my student peers challenging my youthful beliefs and preconceptions about life and the world in which we live, challenges that altered and permanently shaped my life philosophies. Simply put, it was a great educational experience.

During that time, in 1970, I met a young man named Larry Turner, who was visiting campus from Jackson State, and in 1971 we were married. Larry went on to receive his B.S.Ed. at the U of M. Also in 1971, my mom entered the U of M to fulfill her dream of going to college. As one might expect, this was a very special time for me, and we graduated together with our B.S.Ed. degrees in 1975. She even had better grades than me and went on to complete two Master’s degrees! I later returned to the U of M to complete my M.S. degree in 1987.

In July of 2000, I was fortunate to be named the Director of the Barbara K. Lipman Early Childhood School and Research Institute and what a wonderful time this has been. Being a staff member at the University has been an exceptional experience that has afforded me numerous opportunities to attend outstanding lectures, theater productions, athletic events with our Tigers, and to laugh and cry with campus colleagues and students over evolving world events. In another U of M engagement, in 2009, our daughter celebrated her wedding rehearsal dinner in the Leslie Phillips Outdoor Classroom at the Lipman School.

I am deeply grateful to the U of M as the beacon light on my life’s path. The University gave me my solid education, my endeared husband and family, my meaningful work, countless good memories and lasting friendships, and a place to call my University. I have placed an outdoor stage in the Pecan Grove play area at the Lipman School in memory of my mother. And when I finish my earthly life, I have made arrangements in my will to ensure that the University of Memphis is part of my continuing "Tiger Legacy."

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