William David Turnbull was awarded the 2009 Clan Member of the year award for his outstanding service to the clan. Below he tells us a little about himself and why TCA is important to him:
“I grew up in Albany and Rensselaer, NY (which are across the Hudson River from each other); my father managed a hardware store in Albany and my mother was a (head) nurse in the Albany Medical Center. I studied in college to become a teacher and taught in public school for a year, but within that year decided that I was called to “something more,” as to my involvement in people’s lives. So, I entered seminary and spent 6 years there in Rochester, NY, ordained on 20 May 1967 in Albany. Much to my surprise, I was immediately assigned to TEACHING, and spent the next 30 years, all but 2 in Troy, NY, teaching high school as a priest - mostly Church History (my first academic “love” is history), but also for shorter periods of time, Latin and Psychology. I “retired” on 1 January 2007, and have been busier than ever since!! When I was a pastor, I had responsibility for one parish; now, as “retired,” I help out in (on various schedules) SIX area parishes. But. . . I have never been happier!! (I have a hard time saying “No,” which I think may be an inherited Turnbull trait!!
I was born in Albany, as was my father (William); my grandfather (also William) was born in Scotland, came over as a little boy in the early 1880’s (to Troy), returned to Scotland as a young boy, and came back to the US around 1900, when he married my grandmother in Albany. As I have no ‘direct descendants,’ the monument has meant a lot to me ever since I first heard of it. Even though my name isn’t on it, in a sense it IS, isn’t it!”
