Long Grove names June Barbara Reed Turner Month

Long Grove is dedicating June to a woman who is a member of one of the village's pioneering families and about to celebrate her 100th birthday.

In a proclamation this week, the village board declared the upcoming month as Barbara Reed Turner Month.

Long Grove praises Turner for distinguishing herself as an advocate for conservation. She's been honored at the national and local levels, with kudos including the 2010 Conservation and Native Landscaping Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Chicago Wilderness.

The document notes Turner will turn 100 on June 13.

Village President Bill Jacob says in the proclamation that Turner is a "beloved and treasured resident, leader and role model in our community."

Her family set aside 36 acres off Old McHenry Road that became the Reed-Turner Woodland Nature Preserve, which is a regional attraction for bird enthusiasts and those who just enjoy the outdoors.

Her parents, Guy and Florence Reed, moved into that natural setting when she was 9 years old. Guy Reed was Long Grove's first village president.

Barbara married Harold Turner, the late WGN musician who played the station's grand pipe organ for everything from old radio dramas to TV's "The Bozo Show." They raised their family in the cabin that now serves as the nature center at 3849 Old McHenry.

As part of Long Grove's salute to Turner, the village will install an honorary street with her name on it at the Ridgeland Lane-Old McHenry Road intersection at the entrance to her longtime home.