Yes, Ted Turner leaves behind a very messy legacy. Like his dad, Ted was very mentally unstable. Ted was (mostly) able to be lithium-managed to control his wild manic/depressive streaks. Although many wished for it, unlike his dad, Ted did not commit suicide.
If Turner didn’t “invent” satellite-broadcast news, someone else would have done so within a short time (think John Malone, etc.). So no big whoop re that. Not that he would be able to think clearly about the matter: but what has it all become today in CNN ??
And don’t bother to ask knowledgeable folks about his family life; or maybe better said family lives.
In his wake, he left a mess of disfunctional people that mostly despised each other.
In the end, it was best for everybody that Ted spent is final days in “happy time” watching sun rises and sun sets on his ranch in solitude.
There was something inspiring about watching people like Ted Turner build vast empires and then turn their hearts toward preserving the land, protecting migration paths, and giving something meaningful back to the world that helped them succeed.
Growing up around the spirit of John Denver and the Windstar Foundation, it’s hard not to wonder where those kinds of empire builders are today, the ones who understand that success means more than accumulation, that it also carries a responsibility to care for people and the planet.
Maybe the most powerful thing any of us can do now is choose carefully where we spend our money, supporting brands that honor the dignity of their employees, respect the rights of their customers, and remember that compassion is just as important as profit.
Apparently, he died of Lewy Body Dementia where symptoms can begin to manifest years before actual diagnosis. That might explain his condition 20 years prior. Unfortunately, I'm all too familiar with that disease from my mother.
Yep, it does explain it. At the time, I just assumed he was older than he was, and that his much younger wife was managing him much like a loyal daughter would an elderly father. I honestly thought he had passed away years ago and was surprised to read about it this week.
A Ted Turner story- maybe a little off topic and a little lengthy.
Turner owned a plantation home in the vicinity of Jacksonboro, SC, which is about halfway between Charleston and Beaufort on US 17. There was a restaurant there, the Jacksonboro Restaurant - now closed - that served a seasonal delicacy, shad roe, the eggs of a shad fish which swims from the ocean upstream of the Edisto river and other local rivers to spawn. In season, there was always a long line of people waiting to dine at the restaurant. The owner was strict about enforcing the no-cutting-in-line rule.
I heard this story from a close friend who heard it from the restaurant owner's daughter.
One evening, Ted showed up the restaurant to dine. He saw the line, and decided to approach the owner. "I'd like to eat at your restaurant."
"That's fine," she said. "We'd love to have you. Just go out there and get in line."
"But... I'm Ted Turner," he said.
She said, "I know who you are. And if you want to eat here, you're going to have to get in line."
Great story. Honestly, I don't think Ted Turner ever matured into a full adult, emotionally and mentally. He was basically a middle-school child in an old body in many ways, and thus never really understood how 99% of people on earth live their lives.
David, that’s about the best “nicest” way to describe Ted Turner. He was not a self-made man; he used & nearly squandered the fortune his dad made and left from advertising via billboards & a/m radio stations.
Hah, “Unwildered Solitude” could just as well be retitled as “Bewildered Solitude” to describe his final years. Other than peeling off some of Ted’s money, much of his family and business associates loathed being around or working for him.
Sure there will be a lot of platitudes for Turner in the next few days. And then, thankfully, he will be mostly forgotten, very quickly.
I was just thinking about Mr. Turner the other day, wondering if he was still alive.
As I understand it, he's been in bad health for quite some time.
I was thinking about Mr. Turner because I knew he was an extra in both of the films _Gettysburg_ and _Gods and Generals_. According to Grok, he played the same character in both films, though I thought he just had a walk on role in _Gettysburg_ (If memory serves, he gets killed with cannon fire.) Col. Waller T. Patton, great uncle of General George S. Patton.
Actually, there were three additional formations below the coal seam. Pictured Cliffs, Basin Dakota, and Mesaverde. There are wells still producing that were drilled over a century ago in that region.
Legend - for all the harm he did to the country
Cause of death:. The sale of CNN to the state TV Ellisons.
LOL
Something tells me he was happy to cash all the royalty and revenue checks he received. Typical limousine liberal.
My mother taught me to remain silent if I have nothing nice to say. 🦗🦗🦗
I'm not sure the story I shared here was really "nice." I just found it an interesting experience.
That's passive aggressive for "I can't stand the guy!" :-)
Yes, Ted Turner leaves behind a very messy legacy. Like his dad, Ted was very mentally unstable. Ted was (mostly) able to be lithium-managed to control his wild manic/depressive streaks. Although many wished for it, unlike his dad, Ted did not commit suicide.
If Turner didn’t “invent” satellite-broadcast news, someone else would have done so within a short time (think John Malone, etc.). So no big whoop re that. Not that he would be able to think clearly about the matter: but what has it all become today in CNN ??
And don’t bother to ask knowledgeable folks about his family life; or maybe better said family lives.
In his wake, he left a mess of disfunctional people that mostly despised each other.
In the end, it was best for everybody that Ted spent is final days in “happy time” watching sun rises and sun sets on his ranch in solitude.
There was something inspiring about watching people like Ted Turner build vast empires and then turn their hearts toward preserving the land, protecting migration paths, and giving something meaningful back to the world that helped them succeed.
Growing up around the spirit of John Denver and the Windstar Foundation, it’s hard not to wonder where those kinds of empire builders are today, the ones who understand that success means more than accumulation, that it also carries a responsibility to care for people and the planet.
Maybe the most powerful thing any of us can do now is choose carefully where we spend our money, supporting brands that honor the dignity of their employees, respect the rights of their customers, and remember that compassion is just as important as profit.
David, I believe you're talking about the San Juan Basin (Pictured Cliff, Basin Dakota, and Mesa Verde). The Raton basin only is only CBM.
Vermejo Ranch is located just west of Raton.
https://vermejo.tedturnerreserves.com/
Yep, but the underground formations aren't limited by geography.
Apparently, he died of Lewy Body Dementia where symptoms can begin to manifest years before actual diagnosis. That might explain his condition 20 years prior. Unfortunately, I'm all too familiar with that disease from my mother.
Yep, it does explain it. At the time, I just assumed he was older than he was, and that his much younger wife was managing him much like a loyal daughter would an elderly father. I honestly thought he had passed away years ago and was surprised to read about it this week.
A Ted Turner story- maybe a little off topic and a little lengthy.
Turner owned a plantation home in the vicinity of Jacksonboro, SC, which is about halfway between Charleston and Beaufort on US 17. There was a restaurant there, the Jacksonboro Restaurant - now closed - that served a seasonal delicacy, shad roe, the eggs of a shad fish which swims from the ocean upstream of the Edisto river and other local rivers to spawn. In season, there was always a long line of people waiting to dine at the restaurant. The owner was strict about enforcing the no-cutting-in-line rule.
I heard this story from a close friend who heard it from the restaurant owner's daughter.
One evening, Ted showed up the restaurant to dine. He saw the line, and decided to approach the owner. "I'd like to eat at your restaurant."
"That's fine," she said. "We'd love to have you. Just go out there and get in line."
"But... I'm Ted Turner," he said.
She said, "I know who you are. And if you want to eat here, you're going to have to get in line."
I asked my friend, what did he do?
"He went back out and and got in line."
Great story. Honestly, I don't think Ted Turner ever matured into a full adult, emotionally and mentally. He was basically a middle-school child in an old body in many ways, and thus never really understood how 99% of people on earth live their lives.
David, that’s about the best “nicest” way to describe Ted Turner. He was not a self-made man; he used & nearly squandered the fortune his dad made and left from advertising via billboards & a/m radio stations.
Hah, “Unwildered Solitude” could just as well be retitled as “Bewildered Solitude” to describe his final years. Other than peeling off some of Ted’s money, much of his family and business associates loathed being around or working for him.
Sure there will be a lot of platitudes for Turner in the next few days. And then, thankfully, he will be mostly forgotten, very quickly.
That's how it works. Sadly.
I was just thinking about Mr. Turner the other day, wondering if he was still alive.
As I understand it, he's been in bad health for quite some time.
I was thinking about Mr. Turner because I knew he was an extra in both of the films _Gettysburg_ and _Gods and Generals_. According to Grok, he played the same character in both films, though I thought he just had a walk on role in _Gettysburg_ (If memory serves, he gets killed with cannon fire.) Col. Waller T. Patton, great uncle of General George S. Patton.
RIP.
✝️
CBM wells. Probably toast by now.
Actually, there were three additional formations below the coal seam. Pictured Cliffs, Basin Dakota, and Mesaverde. There are wells still producing that were drilled over a century ago in that region.
And the ranch was a beautiful place to work!