Zatella Rowena Turner was born 15 December 1904 in Kansas City, Kansas to Rhodes and Alice (Bailey) Turner. She attended Sumner High School in Kansas City, Kansas and then attended the University of Kansas, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1929 and her Master of Arts degree in 1932, both in English literature. She also studied for a year at the University of London, specializing in Shakespearean Drama; her experiences abroad led to her book My Wonderful Year, published in 1939. Upon her return to America, Turner was a professor and chair of the Department of Languages and Literature at Houston College. In 1940, Turner became a professor of English at Virginia State College. While at VSC, Turner began the annual "Shakespeare Hour" program in 1944, served on various school committees, published a number of articles and presented various papers on Shakespearean drama. By her retirement in 1973, Turner had been listed as an Outstanding Educator of America and profiled in Role Model Blacks .
Turner was member of numerous organizations, including Alpha Kappa Alpha and the First AME Church. She was a member of various honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa (to which she was only the third woman elected from KU), Kappa Delta Pi, and Alpha Mu Gamma. Turner died on 24 March 1996 at Kansas City, Kansas.
From the guide to the Zatella R. Turner papers, 1915-1987, (University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kansas Collection)
