News
Contact: Rebecca Finley
615.321.4939
rfinley@cfmt.org
October 28, 2008
15th ANNUAL JOE KRAFT HUMANITARIAN AWARD HONORS CAL AND STEVE TURNER
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Pays Tribute to Turners at November 19 Luncheon
NASHVILLE, TN – The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s annual Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award will be presented to Cal Jr. and James Stephen “Steve” Turner for their visionary leadership and devotion to the community.
The Turners will be honored during the Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award Luncheon on November 19, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $60 per person or tables can be purchased for $600. Reservations for the event can be made online at The Community Foundation’s Web site www.cfmt.org or by calling 615-321-4939.
The Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award was created to perpetuate the memory of a remarkable person who contributed to the Middle Tennessee community with strength of character and unwavering integrity. Joe Kraft was devoted to making the lives of others better through hard work, bold dedication to service and strong faith in the human spirit. Annually, the Kraft Humanitarian Award recognizes Nashville leaders who share Kraft’s same philanthropic passion.
“Through their business and civic efforts, Cal Jr. and Steve Turner have worked to enhance our community,” said Ellen Lehman, president of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.“Cal’s dedicated work to better education and Steve’s involvement with local arts and environmental organizations have made a positive impact on the quality of life for all Middle Tennesseans. With deep appreciation for their commitment to Middle Tennessee, we are proud to present the Kraft Humanitarian Award to Cal and Steve.”
A veteran of the United States Navy, Cal Jr. has contributed throughout his life to civil and community service. Currently he serves on the boards of numbers of Nashville nonprofit organizations including the Easter Seals Society of Tennessee, Inc., Fisk University, the PENCIL Foundation, and the YMCA of Middle Tennessee. In addition he serves on the Board of Trustees of Vanderbilt University. He has also been recognized for his commitment of time, service and faith to the Methodist Church.
For nearly 40 years, Cal Jr. served in leadership positions at Dollar General Corporation, a pace-setting chain of discount general merchandise stores founded by his father, Cal Turner, Sr. He retired as chairman in 2003 after leading the company to a position of great success. Cal Jr. is a graduate of Vanderbilt University.
Also a Vanderbilt University graduate, Steve Turner spent 20 years in management at Dollar General before founding Marketstreet Enterprises in 2000. Through his company, Steve has spearheaded the development of THE GULCH, a planned $400 million, 30-acre mixed use development in downtown Nashville.
He is chairman of the board for the Vanderbilt Center for Nashville Studies and the Country Music Foundation. He is also a member of numerous boards including the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, the Nashville Symphony Association, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville’s Agenda, the Mayor’s Green Ribbon Committee, Cumberland Region Tomorrow, the Nashville Downtown Partnership, and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. Steve is also chairman and chief executive officer of FNB Financial Corporation in Scottsville, Kentucky.
About Joe Kraft
Joe Kraft, whose parents were Russian immigrants, was a Davidson County
native and graduate of Vanderbilt University. Prior to receiving
his degree, Kraft put his athletic scholarship on hold to enlist
in the Army Air Corps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. During
the war, Kraft flew 31 missions over Italy, Germany and Czechoslovakia
as a navigator on a B-17 bomber. He graduated from Vanderbilt
in 1948, and received a law degree from what is now Nashville School
of Law in 1958. Kraft then founded one of Nashville’s
largest certified public accounting firms, Kraft Bros., Esstman,
Patton & Harrell.
About The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee oversees more than 670 charitable funds. In the past seventeen years, The Community Foundation has distributed more than $408 million to community programs and institutions. Currently, The Community Foundation manages endowment, unrestricted and memorial funds totaling $431 million. It is located at 3833 Cleghorn Avenue, #400, Nashville, Tennessee 37215. For more information, call 615-321-4939 or visit www.cfmt.org.
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