Joyce Marie Huntsberry Turnley Scholarship Fund

This scholarship fund has been established to honor the memory of Joyce Marie Huntsberry Turnley, March 25 1935 – January 20, 2021.

Her love of Southern University was matched only by her lifelong commitment to education. Joyce was born in Abbeville, Louisiana. She matriculated to Southern University at the precocious age of 16, earning her Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education in 1956. After which she began a 30-year career as a teacher in the Vermillion and East Baton Rouge Parish school systems, Mid-way through her career, Joyce returned to Southern to earn a Master’s degree in Elementary Education. She cherished the privilege of teaching the next generation of the communities she called home.

During her undergraduate years at Southern, Joyce met the love of her life, Richard Turnley Jr. They were married in 1958 and enjoyed 54 years of marriage, during which she supported her husband’s political career as a Louisiana State Representative and State Senator, and raised three children, Tamara Turnley-Robinson (Southern University Spring 1981), Sharon Turnley-Turner (Southern University (Fall 1982) and Richard Turnley III (Florida A&M University 1990)

It is the fervent hope of her children that this fund named in her honor will enable deserving future students to successfully matriculate at Southern University and pursue a career in education.