Turner lawsuit belies philanthropic image

Posted 7:55AM on Monday 12th August 2002 ( 22 years ago )

COLUMBIA, S.C. - It may seem petty for billionaire Ted Turner to sue South Carolina sea island Gullahs about 68 acres of land. But the image is not the one Turner has cultivated in the past 12 years, when he has given millions to South Carolina causes. According to data from the Turner Foundation and the organizations receiving money, Turner and his charitable foundations have committed at least $29 million to South Carolina colleges, environmental groups and social causes since 1990. Those benefiting from Turner's charity range from The Citadel, the state's military college that received a pledge of $25 million, to the Chattooga Conservancy, which has received $200,000 in the past 11 years. "I would not be sitting here today if it wasn't for Turner money," said Chattooga Conservancy director Buzz Williams. He also has been active in preserving ecologically important land along the South Carolina coast, including woodlands and swamps in the ACE Basin nature preserve near Charleston. More than 10,000 acres have been preserved through his ownership. South Carolina is just one state where Turner has doled out millions and protected land. Nationwide, he has acquired nearly 2 million acres of property. And his donations are well documented, including a $1 billion pledge to the United Nations five years ago. So why would this man spend the money and endure the bad public relations of a court fight about overlapping land on St. Helena Island that descendants of a 1920 group of 47 landowners say they own? "It doesn't look good for a billionaire to suddenly decide these 68 acres mean everything to him," said state Rep. Joe Neal, D-Columbia. "I always thought he was a progressive philanthropist who really had an eye for business. "This thing at St. Helena does not mesh well with what I think of him." Locals say the wooded property is part of the heritage of the Gullahs, sea island residents who are descendants of slaves. Many traditions of their African roots still are preserved, and their soft dialect is unique to the islands. Turner was not available for comment to The (Columbia) State, but his son R.E. "Teddy" Turner, who lives in Charleston, and his father's staff said the lawsuit is an attempt to gain a clear title to the property, no matter who wins. Teddy Turner said his father's plan has been to keep the property, which is part of a larger tract Turner owns, in a natural state like other South Carolina holdings. The Gullah descendants say they too have no plans for development of the land. Dana Beach, director of the Coastal Conservation League, said Turner's influence has been substantial in the state's environmental community. "They are undoubtedly one of the top three conservation funders in the state of South Carolina," said Beach, whose group has received $485,000 from the Turner Foundation. South Carolina benefits from Turner's largesse in large part because of his family's longstanding ties to the state. His three sons went to The Citadel in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A native of Savannah, Ga., Turner served in the Coast Guard in Charleston, he once had a business office there and his family long ago owned land near Yemassee, north of Beaufort. "We've been tied to South Carolina all our lives, and most of his life," Teddy Turner said. "I have a great passion for the Lowcountry, and that came from him."

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/8/201979