news-record.com

Gail Severance Turner of Eden was installed Aug. 13 as the 59th president of the N.C. Association of Assistant and Deputy Clerks of Superior Court.

She is the third person from Rockingham County to hold the position. The others were former Clerk of Court Frankie C. Williams and Assistant Clerk of Court LuAnne McKinney.

“It was an honor to be installed as the new president. I feel like it is a tremendous opportunity to further the education and training of clerks across the state,” she said in a telephone interview.

“It is an opportunity for all the clerks in the state to come and learn new state programs and policies,” Turner said.

An assistant clerk for Rockingham County Superior Court, Turner has been a member of the organization for 30 years and has been its historian, secretary, second vice president and first vice president.

“Gail is very knowledgeable and is a big asset to our office and the Superior Court division,” said Clerk of Court Mark Pegram. “I am very proud that Gail is president of her statewide organization, and she will bring a world of knowledge to that organization to help it grow even more. ”

During the three-day conference  this year in Wilmington, the approximately 500 clerks in attendance heard John C. Smith, director of the Administrative Office of Courts, explain new legislation affecting their jobs. They also attended classes on state, civil, criminal and bookkeeping procedures, participated in question-and-answer sessions with the AOC legal staff and worked in labs.

“It is an opportunity for all the clerks in the state to come and learn new state programs and policies,” Turner said.

Turner, a native of Reidsville, is the daughter of Bill and Betty Severance. She graduated in 1976 from Reidsville High and earned a degree in business from Rockingham Community College, after which she was offered a position in the clerk’s office by then Clerk of Court Frankie Williams.

She is married to Robert K. “Rocky” Turner, an Eden native. They have two children: Clark, 22,  and Leigh, 18. She is a member of the Eastern Star and attends Leaksville Moravian Church, where she is secretary-treasurer of the mission committee.

Ann Fish is a Reidsville native but has lived in Eden since 1979. She is a retired newspaper editor and reporter. Contact her at annsomersfish@yahoo.com