COMMUNITY & CULTURE
TAKE IT FROM ME…
with Barbara Turkington
PROUD VETERAN. ADAPTABLE RISK-TAKER. FOCUSED.
By Diane Kline
A
s a little girl, Barbara Turkington idolized her father. In
fact, it’s an adoration that still endures.
One of seven children, she credits her father, James
Bartley, for being a strong role model who shaped her
thinking and behavior, while pushing her to excel.
Following in his footsteps, Turkington joined the United States Air
Force, where she spent 20 years and reached the rank of lieutenant
colonel. She was stationed around the world, from Germany to
Guam, and while serving at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, she
interacted with President George H. W. Bush.
Turkington calls herself a “serial retire-er” who has had multiple
careers following her military service. She created Media Link, a
public relations and marketing firm, and after that, she was co-owner
of Newco Flooring Systems. She then turned to the nonprofit field,
first as executive director of OASIS, and for the last six years, as
assistant director for advancement at the St. Louis County Library.
She and William, her husband of 29 years, met when they were
both stationed in Washington, D.C. They’ve raised two sons, who
are now in their 40s. Turkington is a risk-taker whose decisions have
taught her many lessons, some of which she freely discusses below. Women in the Air Force had a hard time.
Appreciate where you are and what you have to do. Women are stuck in the “prom syndrome.”
Two days after graduating from college – while I was waiting to get into
Air Force Officer Training School – my father said, “Are you planning
on working? Hardee’s is hiring.” I got a job making French fries. My dad
told me, “When they find out about your education, they might put you
in hamburgers.” I can always get a job because I’ve got skills! We’re always waiting to be picked – for the prom, for a job or for a
promotion. Then once a woman is chosen, she often doesn’t care
about the others. In my Officer Training class of 27 women, we really
understood that if one of us did well, she’d help other women get ahead.
In those days, women comprised only 2 percent of the Air Force, and
they were limited mostly to traditionally “female” jobs in education,
training or logistics. You couldn’t have children, and if you became
pregnant, you were forced to leave the service. The sexism didn’t faze
me, though, because as an African-American woman, I knew intrinsically
that life wasn’t going to give me anything more than I had seen.
Work for the “A.”
In fifth grade, I thought I deserved an A on a test, but I got a B+ instead.
I was upset, but my father explained, “You don’t always get what you
perceive you deserve. People won’t give you your due. But you still need
to work for the A.”
There’s always somebody faster, prettier and smarter.
Set your own goals and stay on your own path, because there’s enough
success for everyone. It’s important to find a “supporter” to help you.
While a mentor will review your resume or give you career advice, a
supporter is somebody who goes to the mat for you. A supporter says,
“Hire this person. She’s the one you need. Pick her!”
The hardest words to say are “I’m sorry.”
If you keep your mouth shut, do your job and don’t kill
anybody … they’ll make you captain.
My father taught me how to succeed in the military. And following his
advice, I actually made captain. When that happened, he said, “You’re
operating two octaves above your potential. Keep working!” I ended up
retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
Every morning, I medit ate and pray to God that I will do no harm to
anybody. But a rite of getting older is that I can say what’s really on my
mind. Make no mistake of that. If I do hurt somebody, I now have the
capacity to say I’m sorry and mean it.
The fact that you don’t like me doesn’t affect me.
If somebody likes me or doesn’t like me, it won’t change who I am. I
believe in allowing people to be who they are, as long as they don’t
interfere with my life. People can take your money and your time, but
you don’t have to give them your head or heart.
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GAZELLE