Ted Turner has been a TIME Magazine Man of the year and cable television's Man of the Century, and the billionaire businessman and philanthropist has received many honorary degrees, lifetime achievement awards and other prestigious honors.
On Monday, Feb.
26, he'll add another in the city where he went to boarding school and where he developed some of the sailing skills that eventually took him to America’s Cup victory in 1977 and other achievements.
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III, 79, will receive a President's Special Recognition at the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet. He will be represented by his son Rhett and his grandson, also Rhett — a McCallie School senior — at the 6:30 p.m. event at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
The champion sailor, former Atlanta Braves and Hawks owner and innovative media tycoon also attended McCallie and got his business start with his father’s Savannah-based billboard company that had a presence in Chattanooga.
“The Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame is thrilled to recognize and honor Mr. Ted Turner,” president Catherine Neely said. “Our Hall of Fame strives to honor the best in their field, and Mr. Turner certainly deserves the recognition because of the tremendous influence he has had in athletics not only locally but nationally and internationally. We are proud of him and delighted to honor him.”
Seventeen new inductees and six special award winners previously were announced for the banquet, and tickets will be available through Feb. 19 by calling Neely at 423-842-7274. They cost $40.
Mr. Turner not only gave the world a huge cable television empire, including the first 24-hour news network and an impressive marriage of his “Superstation” with his Braves, but he is known for extensive philanthropy and environmental protection.
“I think he’s one of the two or three most transformative figures on the American scene, if not the most transformative,” said Brainard Cooper of the Privateer Yacht Club in Hixson, where Mr. Turner used to sail while at McCallie and into his adult years.