By: Diego Martinez
Yesterday July 13 Write-On-Sports interviewed Vince Turner, former sports writer of The Elkhart Truth, broadcaster at WCTR radio, and worker at Bashor Children’s Home. Mr. Turner grew up in southern California. Turner listened to the L.A. Dodgers and the Anaheim Angels. When Mr. Turner grew up baseball was only televised once a week the rest was on radio so he spent most of his time listening to the radio. Turner later moved to Northern Indiana.
“… I had never seen a cow ,” Turner stated, “and all of a sudden I was living next door to one.”
Turner lived with his grandparents until there were to ill to take care of him. So Turner became a foster child for 2-3 years.
Mr. Turner worked as The Elkhart Truth’s sports writer from 1977- 1985, where he earned an award in 1981. Turner was the sports director for WTRC radio from 1985-1998 where he handled play-by-plays. In 1990 he broadcasted the Indiana state basketball finals Concord V.S. Bedford. Turner has won a total of 47 awards. After leaving WTCR radio in 1998 Turner went to work for Bashor Children’s Home for 10 years the reason he worked at Bashor was because he was fostered as a child and he thought this was his way to return the favor of being fostered for part of his life.
Mr. Turner now is the vice president of MutualBank here in Goshen. Turner says that his grandfather always encouraged him to be a a broadcaster and was always his biggest fan. Turner modeled his work after Vin Scully. Turner remembers that the hardest broadcast he did was in a football playoffs where he sat on top of the press box in 30 degree weather.