Ted Turner

Earlier today we lost a very important fellow named Ted... He was born in 1937 and died today at age 87.. In between he was a Son, a Husband to three Women a Father to five children, he became a Grandfather and a Great Grandfather..

He was a businessman - he took over the failing family billboard company after his Father committed suicide when he was just 24 years of age, he banged on doors himself selling advertising space on those billboards and he turned the company around. He purchased radio stations and then TV stations.. He used new technology to lever his TV stations to nationwide distribution and called that station TBS... He purchased and owned the Atlanta Braves and the local basketball team as well.. he founded the Cable News Network CNN... Later he re-invented himself and became I believe the second largest landowner in the USA, he restored bison herds and opened a chain of restaurants called Teds Montana Grill... reportedly he had over fifty thousand Bison on his land... He saved Bison from near extinction by himself..

But to me, Ted was a sailor, a very good one. I learned from him, I met him, I raced against him (he won).. He was really good at it, like in business he worked hard at being a great sailor..... Winning the Americas cup in 1977 sailing on a very pretty twelve meter class - Courageous ... He had a string of Ocean racers - the one I was given a tour of was a Sparkman's and Stevens design .. the 61 foot Tenacious

I am going to miss him The world is going to miss him.. I was profoundly fond of him and his work ethic and the results he produced... He showed us by his personal example how one man can change the world..