Dr. Deborah Ann Turner — a League member since 2010 — served as our president from 2020-2024.
A fearless advocate for voting and women’s rights, she devoted her life to empowering voters across the nation. As a gynecologist, teacher, associate medical director for Planned Parenthood of the North Central States, and the 20th president of our 103-year-old organization, Dr. Turner fought for a more compassionate, representative, and equitable union.
To honor Dr. Turner's lifelong work to create a more just, fair, and representative democracy, her family invites you to consider donating in her name. Thank you for helping us continue her legacy of advocacy.
Below are a few of the many messages that League members, partners, and supporters have shared about her impact. If you have a tribute to Dr. Turner, email it to [email protected].
For more, read some of our favorite quotes from Dr. Turner, watch her 2022 speech to members, visit her Marquis Who's Who biography, or read her obituary from the Washington Post. In partnership with her family and the Iowa State University Memorial Union, you may also watch her funeral service.
Even in the darkest times, she was a beacon of light.
[Dr. Turner's] tireless work toward ensuring a more equal, just, and fair voting process will never be forgotten.
[Dr. Turner was] down-to-earth, friendly, warm, and always interested in the voices of others. Despite our national president being so very approachable, warm, and responsive, one inevitably experiences the feeling of being in the presence of greatness...
Recalling Dr. Turner, the word “joy” registers in my mind. Although dealing with very serious and profound issues, she approached her work with a joyfulness that was delightful and contagious. Doubtless, her legacy of “Keep on Keeping on” will remain with us through the next 103 years of the League as we empower voters and defend democracy coupled with a sense of determination and JOY inspired by this extraordinary woman and leader!
As LWV's president, she was the voice of hope and goodness we all needed in this uncertain world.
Dr. Turner’s unwavering dedication to voting rights was a guiding light illuminating the path toward a more equitable and just society. Her leadership and partnership embodied the essence of civic engagement and inspired countless individuals.
Dr. Turner was a tremendous champion for democracy and we will miss her strong leadership and voice...[w]e will be eternally grateful to her.
The best of Midwest strong.
Her strength, leadership, and commitment to public service inspired all of us to be better people.
The transformative leader we needed during a time when voter rights have been under attack.
She dedicated her entire life to service to others, and truly led by example.
President Turner moved the LWVUS forward in a way that has not been accomplished in many years. She was fearless in her efforts to bring League members across the nation to action.
Her memory will remain a model for our creed of democracy and freedom.
I never encountered Dr. Turner online or in person when she was anything less than joyful and optimistic about the people she cared for and the organization she was devoted to advancing.
[W]hether you met her one time or one hundred times, she left a mark and her legacy lives on through all the acts of warmth and kindness she bestowed while walking the earth.
[Dr. Turner was] an awe-inspiring, warm, caring humanitarian. She filled the room with her presence, and yet was approachable, authentic, and earnest. As one who led by example, she was truly a source of motivation to our team.
Thank you, Dr. Turner for your years of dedication to democracy. Your memory and your legacy are a blessing.
She was a delightful person, kind, caring, smart, and compassionate. Deb, Deborah, Dr. Turner, Dr. T — she was someone to look up to, learn from and a woman who made a difference.
Dr. Turner embodied all of what makes the League best: courage, generosity, leadership, intelligence, and care — not just for us as members, but for the greater community of our nation.
The space that she embodied as a black woman, who was a leader in the medical field, a lawyer, and a servant leader- is deeply inspiring to me. Her rallying cry for justice, equality, and freedom continues to ring true.
Dr. Turner was a remarkable woman & leader. Brilliant. Brave. Kind. Indefatigable. She lifted others up and held space for the less empowered.
I met Dr. Turner in 1988 when she performed surgery on my 30-year-old sister, giving her 33 more years. My sister saw her children graduate, marry, and have children. I had visited with Dr. Turner as a professional with my sister, and in 2010 when I joined the League in Iowa we discovered a renewed friendship of both history and activism. We never greeted without a hug...[s]he was an inspiration to our members. Thank you Deb for all you have done in my life and the League.
Dr. Turner was a tremendous influence and advocate for the benefit of all. She was, and will remain, a true inspiration to all LWV members and a North Star for future generations!!
Dr. Turner was a unique person who somehow combined the kind, trusted feeling of a personal physician with a fierce devotion to justice and the strength and vigor to pursue the League's goals — and the best goals for the country — by fearlessly and eloquently "keeping on keeping on."
One of my fondest memories of Dr. Turner was dancing with her in the rain on the steps of the Supreme Court during the Moore v Harper rally. What a perfect encapsulation of her life and spirit- fighting for the core of our democracy in miserable conditions but still radiating such great joy.
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