by senior contributor Brendan Kownacki
Photo credit: Brendan Kownacki
Rancher, industrialist, media mogul and friend of the planet – those were the messages being evoked to a crowd of more than 400 people as Ted Turner was honored at the National Portrait Gallery this week. Many people know Turner for starting CNN but his legacy is a broader and richer one and that was being celebrated as his portrait was being added to the museum.
Ted Turner
The evening was festive and akin to “this is your life” as a diverse crowd gathered in the beautiful atrium of the museum, including family, friends, current and former CNN employees, entrepreneurs, leaders from the philanthropy and non-profit sectors and dignitaries – all energized to toast a man who almost needs no introduction.
Family and Friends
The portrait itself is bold and colorful and definitely stands out for its realism. Artist Jon Friedman delivered more than just a glimpse at Turner’s physical presence, but also his spirit, depicting him on horseback under a bright blue sky with bison behind him and rolling mountains off in the distance. Throughout the night, speakers highlighted Ted’s love for the land which drives his environmentalism.
Speakers for the evening included Tom Wheeler, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, Sam Nunn, Co-chairman of Nuclear Threat Initiative, Kathy Calvin, President and CEO of the UN Foundation, Senator Tim Wirth and more—all on hand to emphasize Turner’s leadership and vision through the years. His impact is immense and he never takes the small, easy route to tackling what he wants. Turner essentially created the 24-hour news cycle with the founding of CNN. He has given hundreds of millions of dollars to the environment and to tackle the issue of nuclear proliferation. Of course there was also his historic one billion dollar gift to the United Nations in 1997 that gave life to the UN Foundation. If we listed all his accomplishments, the list could go on for days.
Grandson John R. Seydel
Even with the world at his fingertips, Turner is still a dedicated and humble family man. His children were on hand for the affair and it was his grandson, John R. Seydel who introduced him, harkening back to nights under the Montana sky howling into the darkness and just soaking in nature.
Turner himself was at a loss for words by the time he made it to the microphone, only offering thanks and leaving the parting words “go planet.” It’s clear that among all the accomplishments, Turner just wants to leave this world better than it was before.
