Debbye Turner

{{Short description|American TV anchor, veterinarian, talk show host and beauty queen}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Debbye Turner

| image = Debbye Turner headshot.png

| alt =

| caption = Turner in 1990

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|09|19}}

| birth_place = Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

| death_date =

| death_place =

| body_discovered =

| death_cause =

| resting_place =

| resting_place_coordinates =

| nationality =

| citizenship =

| other_names =

| known_for =

| education =

| alma_mater = Arkansas State University
University of Missouri

| employer =

| occupation = Veterinarian, talk show host, pastor

| years_active =

| title = Miss Missouri 1989
Miss America 1990

| term =

| predecessor = Gretchen Carlson

| successor = Marjorie Vincent

| party =

| opponents =

| boards =

| spouse = {{marriage| Gerald Bell|2008}}

| partner =

| children = 1

| parents =

| relations =

| callsign =

| awards =

| signature =

| website = {{URL|http://www.debbyeturner.com/}}

| footnotes =

}}

Debrah Lynn 'Debbye' Turner Bell (born September 19, 1965 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American television anchor, veterinarian, talk show host, former beauty queen and winner of the 1990 Miss America pageant.

Early life and education

Turner was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Turner earned a Bachelor of Science in agriculture from Arkansas State University, and attended the University of Missouri. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Turner also spent a couple of years honing her public service skills working for Safeway Stores.

In 1991, she received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.{{cite web|title =Debbye Turner (1965– ) |first=Nancy|last=Hendricks |publisher=Encyclopedia of Arkansas| url =http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2607 |access-date =2011-01-08}} She became a spokesperson for Purina and pursued a career in veterinary medicine before going into television.

Pageantry

Turner was the first runner-up at the Miss Arkansas Pageant, a state preliminary competition for the Miss America program in 1988.

In the summer of 1989, she won the Miss Missouri title and went on to win the 1990 Miss America crown. Turner is a singer, pianist, and skilled percussionist, evidenced by her marimba rendition of '"Flight of the Bumblebee"' in the talent portion of the 1990 Miss America contest. Turner was the third African-American national titleholder and the first—and as of 2019, the only—Miss Missouri to be crowned Miss America.{{cite web|url=http://www.pageantrymagazine.com/magazine/features/2000/d00/debturnerd00webint.html |title=Miss America 1990 Debbye Turner: A Profile of Success |publisher=Pageantrymagazine.com |date=1989-09-16 |access-date=2011-02-01}}

Career

Turner's first hosting job came at the St. Louis NBC affiliate KSDK, on a show called Show Me St. Louis in 1995.{{cite web|first1=Michelle |last1=Tauber |first2=Mike |last2=Neill |first3=Lisa |last3=Russell |first4=Joanne|last4=Fowler |first5=Julie |last5=Dam |first6=Alex |last6=Tresniowski |first7=Samantha |last7=Miller |first8=Steve |last8=Dougherty |first9=Ting |last9=Yu |title= American Beauties: 80 Years |work= People |url=https://people.com/archive/american-beauties-80-years-vol-54-no-16/ |date=October 16, 2000}}

Six years later, Turner joined CBS News as a feature correspondent then became their "resident veterinarian" and a fill-in anchor. Turner was also a fill-in anchor on the CBS Morning News. Turner left CBS in 2012. She has appeared on Animal Planet's Cats 101 and Dogs 101 series. She was the host of Arise America, on Arise News. She is currently the Leadership and discipleship leader {{Cite web |title=Staff |url=https://kentwoodcommunitychurch.com/our-team |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=kentwoodcommunitychurch.com}} at Kentwood Community Church, located in Grand Rapids Michigan.

Personal life

Turner is the daughter of Frederick C. Turner, Jr. and Gussie Turner.{{cite web |title=SHE'S A WINNER! |url=https://www.faithprofiles.org/faith-story/shes-a-winner/ |access-date=7 February 2022 |date=February 18, 2010}} Turner married Gerald Bell in 2008. The couple has a daughter.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bell-welcomes-baby-girl/ |title= Bell Welcomes Baby Girl |work=CBS News |date=February 4, 2010}}

Turner's older sister, Suzette, is married to megachurch pastor, Kirbyjon Caldwell.

References

External links

[http://www.debbyeturner.com/ Turner's official website]
[https://twitter.com/DebbyeAtArise Debbye's Arise News Twitter]
[http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2607 Turner biography] at The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture

{{succession box

| before=Gretchen Carlson

| title=Miss America

| years=1990

| after=Marjorie Vincent

}}

{{succession box

| before=Heather Smith

| title=Miss Missouri

| years=1989

| after=Pat Meusburger

}}