Jim Turner, Historian 

My family moved to Tucson in 1951 as a cure for my asthma. As the Turner kids were growing up, Mom and Dad took us to many of the unique sites that Arizona is famous for, thus began my fascination with the Grand Canyon State and its history.

I continued to study Arizona's past over the years, and began my lectures in 1998. I received my masters degree in U.S. history in 1999, and taught Arizona history as an adjunct professor for the University of Arizona the following year.

In 2001, I began my career as historian for the Arizona Historical Society, where my chief duty was to support non-profit history museums throughout the state. I taught many classes in Arizona history for the museum docents and the general public, and continued to create and present PowerPoint presentations ranging from the American Southwest to the history of Mexico.

Click here to see my full resume

The work at hand . . .

My travels through Arizona over the years impressed on me how many different histories there are in every community.

More than 135 museums throughout the state do a yeoman's job of preserving and presenting that history, and many have written it down for posterity. It is my hope to combine these histories in to providing a wider audience for the local history books, and the stories yet unpublished.