Larry Turner, who passed away on April 22, 2025 and served as a Williamson trustee from 2003 to 2025, received Williamson’s Board of Trustees’ prestigious Isaiah Vansant Williamson Award during the Founder’s Day celebration on Feb. 5 in the Clara Schrenk Memorial Chapel.
The award honors those who exemplify in their life and work the ideals of the founder of Williamson College of the Trades, whether they are an alumnus or not.
In his introduction of Turner, trustee John DiNome, representing the board of trustees, said “Larry was a good friend to all who knew him and he was known for his outstanding character, integrity, and humility. He was a devoted father, a distinguished attorney, and an outstanding member of Williamson’s Board of Trustees. He spent 22 years doing everything he could for Williamson and for the young men who are students here.”
“He was most recently chair of the Governance Committee and member of the Personnel Committee, and earlier was on the Student Recruitment Committee. He recently was voted the prestigious designation of trustee emeritus.”
Turner joined Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads in 1986, became a partner in 1994, and left in 2001 to be a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, where he was a partner in Labor and Employment Practice. He also was co-leader of the firm’s Workplace Culture Consulting and Training Practice and former co-leader of the Diversity Committee. He retired from practicing law in 2024.
As an attorney, he was an expert in corporate diversity and labor and employment law, and handled many complex commercial litigation matters before transitioning to employment counseling and litigation, including discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination claims.
He served on many legal and academic councils and committees, spoke at conferences, created continuing legal education programs, and wrote articles and papers for legal publications.
He was selected numerous times to receive the title of Pennsylvania Super Lawyer. He won achievement and service awards from the National Diversity Council, Litigation Counsel of America, and other groups. He was a founding board member of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group and active with the Barristers Association of Philadelphia.
In 1989, at his urging, the Barristers Association of Philadelphia began hosting a breakfast honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The event has grown into a major annual gathering. A recent breakfast attracted over 700 guests.
He believed very strongly in the importance of education and giving back to his community and also served on the board of directors of several educational institutions, including the William Penn Charter School and the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.
Turner was born in rural Elizabeth City, N.C. He served as class president in high school and was the first person in his family to continue his education after high school, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and speech communication at the University of North Carolina in 1981 and a law degree at Georgetown University Law Center in 1984.
He enjoyed football, fencing, martial arts, yoga, tai chi, photography, reading, and watching sports.
He is survived by his wife, Cynthia; four children: Hillary, Nicholas, Alexander, and Grace; and two grandchildren: Elizabeth and Charlotte.
