Obituary of Jessie R. Turk

Dr. Jessie R. Turk, 89, of Maplewood died on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009, at St. Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston. A memorial service will be held at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Essex County, 35 Cleveland St., Orange, on Monday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. For more information or to send condolences, please visit prestonfuneralhome.net. The dear godmother of Judith Liguori, Dr. Turk was born in Newark and lived in Vailsburg before moving to Maplewood 10 years ago. She was a professor of geography at Trenton State College from 1947 until she retired in 1982 as professor emerita. She joined the Trenton faculty after teaching at Montclair State. She served as Trenton State's representative to the N.J. College Faculties Association, during which she fought for and won sabbaticals for state college faculty members. Dr. Turk finished first in her class at Montclair State Teachers College, class of 1942. She received a B.A. majoring in social studies, and minoring in geography and geology. She received a master's degree in education at Oberlin College, Ohio, and her Ph.D. from Columbia University. She was on the board of directors of the Unified Vailsburg Services Organization and a board member of Vailsburg Block Association Council. In 1999 Dr. Turk was named "Person of the Year in Vailsburg" and received the prestigious Brennan Award, named for the late Supreme Court Justice William Brennan Jr, for her longtime activism in the Vailsburg area. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Unified Vailsburg Services Organization, Attn: Robert M. Farley, 40 Richelieu Terrace, Newark, N.J. 07106.