Dr. Frank Robert Turk Sr., ’52 & H-’97, and Marlene Hestness Wagner Turk: An Appreciation

Dr. Frank Robert Turk Sr., his wife Marlene Hestness Wagner Turk, and their Miniature Schnauzer Jenny died on March 12, 2025 at their home in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Dr. Turk was 95 years old, and Marlene Turk was on the cusp of her 89th birthday. 

The cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.

See related article.

Dr. Turk worked at Gallaudet University and what is now the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center for a total of 38 years. He was a teacher at Kendall School, a faculty member, a coach for football and wrestling, Dean of Men for the preparatory program, and Director of Youth Relations in the Office of Alumni and Public Relations. 

He then became Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Dean of Student Life. In these roles, he expanded the hiring and development of deaf people to leadership positions and created robust paraprofessional programs. Working with his doctoral advisor, Dr. Bernard A. Hodinko at American University, he laid the foundation for the university’s student judicial program, now known as the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices.

As Dean of Student Life at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf in the mid-1980s, Dr. Turk was responsible for five residence halls and all their programming, and oversaw the school’s extracurricular activities. As he did at Gallaudet, he emphasized the importance of hiring deaf staff to serve as role models.

Dr. Turk was one of three staff representatives on the 16-member Deaf President Now Council in March 1988. It is perhaps serendipitous that his death occurred during the 37th anniversary of Deaf President Now.

Dr. Turk retired from Gallaudet in 1989 with 37 years of service – but his career was far from over. He became superintendent of the South Dakota School for the Deaf in Sioux Falls, a position he held for two years. In 1991, he was appointed director of the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DSDHH). In his eight years there, he oversaw the three North Carolina Schools for the Deaf campuses in Greensboro, Morganton, and Wilson; seven regional centers, and an early intervention program. 

Dr. Turk returned to Sioux Falls in 1999 and joined Communication Service for the Deaf. At CSD, he was responsible for Deaf youth initiatives, including the National Middlers Leadership and Literacy Camp (NMLLC) sessions at Camp Lakodia. He returned to the Model Secondary School for the Deaf for one year, 2008 to 2009, to oversee its residential program on an interim basis.

While Dr. Turk worked with people of all ages, he was best – and universally – known for his dedication to Deaf youth. In the days since his passing, literally hundreds of his proteges have posted fond remembrances on social media. Nearly all of them cited Dr. Turk’s words of wisdom, encouragement, and inspiration. In many cases, they described a single encounter as life-altering. Many – not a few, but many – became leaders in their own right – in Deaf education settings, nonprofit organizations, telecommunications, business, industry, and law. 

In his later years, which no one who knew him would describe as retirement, Dr. Turk wrote a book, presented widely at schools and consumer and professional conferences, and devoted time and energy to the Youth Leadership Camp Alumni Foundation. He was a lifelong believer in the benefits of diet and exercise, and was known for doing one hundred push-ups daily into his 90s.

Frank Robert Turk was born on September 22, 1929 in Hibbing, Minnesota. His father, Frank William Turk, was a Slovenian immigrant. His mother, Mary Pintar, died when he was very young, and he was raised thereafter by his grandmother, Caroline Kozina.

Frank became deaf at age 4 due to spinal meningitis. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Leonard M. Elstad, G-1923 & H-’52, superintendent of the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault, learned about Frank and drove 240 miles to meet Frank and his father. Frank subsequently enrolled at MSAD. He graduated in 1947 as valedictorian of his class, and excelled in athletics as well.

(Dr. Elstad served as Gallaudet’s third president, from 1945 to 1969. Elstad Auditorium, the university’s performing arts venue, is named in his honor.)

Frank came to Gallaudet in 1947 and graduated in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in education. He played football and was a member of the wrestling team that won the Mason-Dixon conference championship in 1950. He was inducted into the Gallaudet University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995.

While working at Gallaudet, Frank earned his master’s degree from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1969 and a Doctor of Education degree in educational administration and student development from American University in 1983. He was the first deaf person to receive a doctorate in this field at AU, and paved the way for several other deaf people to earn master’s and doctoral degrees in counseling and student development at AU.

Frank’s lifelong passion was Deaf youth. According to an appreciation on the National Association of the Deaf website, he “was involved in volunteer work, particularly in developing future Deaf leaders. His early commitment to nurturing youth led him to become the National Director of Junior NAD from 1966 to 1980). In 1968, Frank, supported by Gary W. Olsen, ’65 & G-’67, founded the NAD Youth Leadership Camp (YLC) – a pioneering four-week summer program that has since shaped over 3,000 Deaf youth into strong, confident leaders. Under Frank’s leadership, YLC grew into a legacy-building program that inspired self-identity, leadership skills, and community involvement among Deaf high school students.” 

Following this early success, Frank and the late Donald O. Padden, ’45, purchased a campsite in Hibbing, Minnesota, called Swan Lake Lodge. This site served as the home for YLC for two decades. In 1990, YLC relocated to Camp Taloali in Stayton, Oregon, where they have been save for two years in the early 2000s.

With the creation of the Office of Alumni and Public Relations at Gallaudet in the early 1970s, Frank found a new base. As the university’s Director of Youth Relations, he worked tirelessly to enhance the YLC program, and also worked closely with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to identify and recruit prospective students. 

Dr. Turk wrote a history of the Deaf youth movement, From Oaks to Acorns: Promoting Deaf Youth Leadership Through Multigenerational Engagement.

Dr. Turk was married three times, to Bernice (Barlow) Turk, ’53, Marilyn Zahrbock Grenell Turk, and Marlene Hestness Wagner Turk. He is survived by three children: Frank W. Turk, Jr. (Rosa); Marianne Turk Doremus, ’16 (Erik); and Michael Turk (Brenda); and seven grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on March 20 at 4:15 p.m. Central Time at Peace Lutheran Church, 5509 West 41st Street, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Arrangements are being handled by Kober Funeral Home, which is owned and operated by Gallaudet alumni Lori Kober, ’90 and Thomas Kober, ’88. A celebration of life will be held at Gallaudet University later this spring.

Contributions in honor of Dr. Turk may be made to:

Gallaudet University

In memory of Frank, ’52 & H-’97, and Marlene Turk

https://gallaudet.edu/development/in-memory-of-frank-and-marlene-turk

National Association of the Deaf

Frank R. Turk Leadership and Scholarship Fund

https://www.nad.org/donate/

Youth Leadership Camp Alumni Foundation

https://ylcafoundation.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/ylcafoundation/donation.jsp

Marlene Turk’s family is preparing an obituary for her, which will be shared here once it becomes available.