During Robert Turner’s final week at WCCUSD, at least 10 students stopped by his office in the span of an hour — to say hello, ask for advice or simply spend time in the safe space he had created.
Every student who walked through the door was greeted with a wide smile and an affectionate nickname. When Turner told them to come back later, many groaned, and a few returned anyway, hoping he had finished talking to Richmondside about his decision to retire after 45 years with the district.
Turner, who most recently was a safety supervisor at several middle schools, knew details about their home lives, their crushes and their class schedules. He was more than a security guard. For decades, he had become a trusted adult students sought out when they needed advice, encouragement or simply someone to listen.
Throughout his career, Turner wore many hats. He began as a football coach at Kennedy High in 1981, later became a campus police officer and eventually served as a safety supervisor. No matter which campus he worked at, he made it a point to know students and staff by name.
“Kids know when a person cares for them,” Turner told Richmondside before the school year ended, sitting in his office at Helms Middle School. “A dog can smell fear, and (kids) know when you’re real.”
Meet Your Neighbor: Robert Turner
Who: Robert Turner, a former WCCUSD football coach and campus security professional for 45 years.
Neighborhood: Born in North Richmond in 1949
Richmond resident for: All of his life
He said: “I have a physical list of people I pray for. And it keeps getting longer.”
Richmond is home to 40+ distinct neighborhoods, a fact that some residents have told us makes them feel disconnected to the city as a whole. This story is part of an occasional series to help Richmonders get to know their neighbors. Do you know someone we should feature? Email hello@richmondside.org or post a tip here.
Turner saw his role as much more than enforcing rules.
He organized trips to the beach or Golden Gate Bridge, places some students had never been despite living only miles away. Or he would take them to San Quentin to help inspire them to stay out of trouble. He trained students on conflict resolution and hosted mediations. He even took it upon himself to talk to parents, to help support them as well.
“It got to a point where you’ve seen all these people in the family here,” Turner said, noting that he remembers many of the parents from when they were students. “Then all of a sudden, I didn’t think it was a job for a while … it was just (community) support.”
On his desk was a T-shirt made by colleague and longtime friend John Iwawaki, the science and engineering coordinator for WCCUSD. The T-shirt had dozens of signatures and kind comments scrawled on it from staff who attended his retirement party. Some were still stopping by his office to sign it.
Iwawaki met Turner 30 years ago at Adams Middle School (which is now closed). Turner was a campus security officer, and Iwawaki had started as a substitute science teacher.
“We had different roles, but we were on the same team,” Iwawaki told Richmondside. “As an instructor, he carried weight for us too. He was always so dependable and present. He made our jobs and our lives easier.”
He said Turner modeled to all staff how to build relationships with students and families. At 6 feet tall, Turner could physically stop a fight between students if he needed to, but his words often carried more weight, Iwawaki said. And that was because Turner earned the respect and trust of families because he sincerely cared.
“I don’t want to say it was effortless for him, but he obviously has a gift, and he has history here,” Iwawaki said. “He builds relationships. He’s earned respect by his commitment to this community, and he’s earned trust. And so I think you can say once you’ve built trust, you can say hard things … you can speak more truth, and people are more receptive to that.”
Iwawaki and Turner, along with other staff they worked with, call themselves the “Adams family” because they became so close.
Iwawaki said when he first started at WCCUSD, Turner made him feel safe and welcomed him into the community. And as the years went on, they worked together to help some of the most troubled students.
“There’s a student in school right now who needs a little extra attention, and we remember the student’s parent from the old days,” Iwawaki said. “And we just had a good laugh about that, because there was so much overlap between the two people, but that’s fun too.”
He said Turner wasn’t about the paycheck and described him as irreplaceable.
“Any school where he is is automatically like a safer, more caring, more loving space,” Iwawaki said.
Growing up in Richmond taught Turner the importance of giving back
The trust Turner built over four decades at WCCUSD grew out of his experiences growing up in Richmond and the mentors who shaped him.
Turner was born in North Richmond in 1949. He said at that time it was one of the roughest neighborhoods in the country. He went to Verde Elementary and graduated from Richmond High as a wrestling champion and honors student in 1967.
He played college football for two years at Contra Costa College before transferring to Sacramento State to study urban planning. After graduating he played for the Raiders’ semi-pro team.
He then bounced between a couple of different jobs, trying to find one that inspired him. When a football coaching gig became available, it felt like the right fit because he loved the sport.
But after his coaching days ended Turner found it difficult to leave. He said the school community became like a family. In fact, he has tried to retire several times before, but his heart kept bringing him back.
The more years he stayed in the district, the deeper the connection grew.
“It was here that I learned a lot about helping people, because when I grew up, we were poor and broke,” Turner said. “A lot of people on my way, growing up, helped me to get past where I was.”
He said everything he became is a credit to everyone who mentored and invested in him.
“And they always told me, ‘The way you pay me back, you got to help somebody’ ” Turner said. “And that’s exactly what I tell other people — the way you pay me back is you got to help somebody.”
Michael Van Hook, vice president and a long-time football coach for the Richmond Steelers Youth Football and Cheer nonprofit, said Turner embodies that motto sincerely.
Turner was Van Hook’s football coach when he was in high school almost 40 years ago.
“Coach just inspired me to be better, you know,” Van Hook told Richmondside. “Some of us come from dysfunction, and then you run into people like Coach Turner that come from the same places that you come from, but you see what they do, you see the impact that they have. So, honestly, Coach inspired me to be the person I am.”
Van Hook said Turner became his mentor, father figure and role model. He decided to be a campus security officer and worked alongside Turner for a couple of years at Pinole and El Cerrito High schools.
Now Turner calls up Van Hook to help connect students to the local football program. He often asks Van Hook to waive fees for students who can’t afford it, or will even cover costs himself, especially if the student will benefit from a structured and healthy outlet, Van Hook said.
“Coach, don’t ever stop trying to help these kids, and that’s why he inspired me,” Van Hook said, fighting back tears.
“Right now it’s kind of calm (in Richmond), but like Coach was in there in the trenches with us when things were rough, and you know it didn’t matter what side of Richmond we was from, Coach could be there,” Van Hook said. “I’ll be 57 in a couple of months, and if Coach blew his whistle right now and made me do up and down, I would try my best.”
Turner did put himself on the front lines when things were rough. In his first few years at the district he worked at the continuation school, now known as Greenwood Academy. He said some of the most troubled students were enrolled there and he often had to step in to stop a fight.
Doing that had its costs. He had to get emergency surgery for a spinal injury after trying to stop “some knucklehead kids” who tried to rob a 70-year-old man of $6.
After that, Turner worked at Adams Middle, and then his role changed, requiring him to visit multiple school sites throughout the week.
Turner said while he is happy that Richmond is a safer place to live, he is sad to see how schools have changed. People used to work at a school for decades, but now staff turnover is common and comes at the expense of students.
“People and programs leave after one year sometimes,” Turner said. “How can a student build trust?”
He also said schools are often the catchall for any student problems. Turner didn’t just enforce the rules because he believed students were breaking them for other reasons.
He said students would often share the most harrowing stories with him. The violence around them also took many students’ lives, Turner said.
“The worst part is I’ve been to over 300 funerals (of students throughout the 45 years),” Turner said. “And I guess that’s part of the reason I do it, because you know, I want people to understand these people are here to help them.”
“But you also got to pay attention to the 4.0 students too because they look for attention too,” Turner said. “They need some type of attention too.”
Turner said the job did take a toll on him. By the time he got home, he was often too tired to be the attentive father and husband he wanted to be.
Now, he handles the stress by going to the gym a few times a week and starts his day with morning prayers.
“I have a physical list of people I pray for,” Turner said, noting there are about 200 to 300 people on that list. “And it keeps getting longer.”
Turner is retiring to take on another “very special job” — being a grandfather.
Throughout his life, Turner said he has won more than 200 awards and recognitions, some for sports and others for his community work, such as the distinguished Non-Certificated Employee Award in 2009. On Aug. 16 he will be recognized by Alamo Brown, whose annual Soulful Softball Sunday event honors community members who’ve made a difference.
“My best prize though was working with these kids,” Turner said. “I think this love (from the community) is part of my blessing. I feel so lucky. I really am so blessed.”
Editor’s note: The story was updated to reflect the correct title for John Iwawaki.
Robbie is an Amazing Man !