"Ebenezer Tousey Turner, 80, member of an old Ithaca family and one of the city's most philanthropic citizens, died today, Sept. 22, 1942, in Hartford, Conn.
He was born in 1864 in the old Williams house at 113 E. Seneca St., the son of Ebenezer T. Turner, a founder and first president of the First National Bank, and Mrs. Elizabeth Williams Turner. He was graduated in electrical engineering from Cornell in 1883. Mr. Turner married Miss Martha Mairs, and after her death in 1916, he lived with his cousin, F. W. Phillips.
For 10 years Mr. Turner was associated with the U.S. Meteorological Service at Ithaca, and was one of the experimenters who worked with Marconi on wireless. During this period, Mr. Turner wrote a book on the technical aspects of weather recording
Gave Centers to City
Among Mr. Turner's many gifts to the city and University are the West Side House, built in 1916 in memory of his wife, and the North Side House, given later when he saw the growing need for another service center. He was one of the largest contributors to the Community Chest each year. When questioned about a gift to a needy individual, Mr. Turner once expressed his attitude in the reply, 'This money is not mine. I feel that it has only been lent to me.'
When the Morse Chain Company was organized, Mr. Turner was an associate in the enterprise.
Served as Librarian
For many years, Mr. Turner was librarian of the Cornell (City) Library and ex-officio member of the board of trustees of Cornell. He was a former vicepresident of the First National Bank of Ithaca and a vestryman of St. John's Episcopal Church.
Mr. Turner left Ithaca in January, 1942, to reside in Hartford. Funeral services will be held in Springfield, Conn., Thursday, followed by cremation, and a later service and interment will be held in this city."
"E.T. Turner, Former Ithacan, Dies," Ithaca Journal, September 22, 1942, 3.