By Susan Motander
Journalist and commentator Cameron Turner died on March 12 and services were held for him last Friday at the First A.M.E. Church in Pasadena. A native of Pasadena who attended school there before going on to earn a degree in Journalism from Stanford University, he is remembered in that city for his opinion pieces in several local papers including the Pasadena Journal, Pasadena Now, and the Pasadena Weekly, as well as for his work in broadcasting and other media. There he is also remembered for his tireless work for his alma mater, John Muir High School, and his church, First A.M.E.
But in Monrovia, where he lived with his wife, Mignon, and two daughters, he is best remembered as Jordan and Jasmine’s Dad, the always present PTA Dad. Founding President of Monrovia Reads, Joanne Spring, said that he never failed to volunteer for the Read Across Days in Monrovia, always reading at Monroe School, his daughters’ alma mater. Alex Zucco, now a member of the Monrovia Board of Education, recalled that when she became active in PTA at Mayflower, Tuner was her counterpart at Monroe School.
Turner was born April 20, 1963 in Los Angeles, CA. His parents Mildred and Raymond raised him in Pasadena where he attended Audubon and Edison Elementary Schools, Pasadena Alternative School, and Eliot Junior High School. He was a 1981 graduate of John Muir High and as an adult worked hard there as the mentoring programs coordinator for John Muir’s Mentoring and Partnership for Youth Development (MYPD).
He received his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in communications and put his degree to full use working in both print and broadcast journalism. He was a regular contributor to local programming and speared often with NBC’s “Fred Roggin on the Filter” and “Going Roggin.” He may be remembered for his Turner’s Two Cents or for his contribution to the websites Urban Thought Collective and Electronic Urban Report. He owned Hollywood Hotwire, which provided content to more than 600 radio stations.
Turner was hospitalized in December of last year with severe pneumonia and ultimately had lung surgery. He had been unable to work for some time when he was hospitalized again earlier this month. Ultimately he succumbed to septic shock.
He is survived by his wife Mignon (nee Bolivar), and his beloved daughters Jordan and Jasmine, now a senior at Monrovia High School. He is also survived by his father, Raymond, his brother Kevin, and virtual siblings Arnold Hackett and Maria Jimenez. He mother Mildred died in 2013. The family has asked that contributions in his memory be sent to Monrovia High School for a scholarship to be established in his memory.
In an on-air tribute to Turner, Fred Roggin reminded everyone: “If there is someone you hold dear in your life, please tell them while you can.” Cameron Turner was only 52.
