Tupelo, Mississippi, is the proud birthplace of Mack Arthur Turner the second, oh, and Elvis. Turner, a Delta lawyer, has an established career that began in Memphis and now covers the Delta. But the accomplished lawyer and Shannon High School Red Raider only had a small taste of high school.
“As a youth, I made some pretty bad decisions and basically dropped out of school in the 10th grade. As a consequence to that, I had to go get my GED and I went from there to Itawamba Community College,” Turner explained.
But it was that community college opportunity that turned his life around.
“I would have never gone to college at all if it had not been for this program that they had at Itawamba Community College where they offered a GED program. And because I did so well, particularly in the English part, they offered me a free college course. I heard the word free and I had to just go check this class out. And I ended up taking this class. Long story short, I became the student body president and ended up graduating from Itawamba Community College with special honors.”
Opportunities at ICC included being a photographer and writer for the newspaper.
“I was just thinking about going from not going higher than the 10th grade to graduating and giving the graduation speech at my graduation. It was just a big jump.”
The former high school dropout then turned his sights to Oxford and Ole Miss where he stayed from 2010 until 2016 picking up a bachelor’s degree and a law degree.
“I had a double major in English and Spanish. But that later transitioned to English and basically a major in cinema studies in film school, but I maintained a minor in Spanish. I actually got a chance to study Spanish in Ecuador in that program, but my major, my degree, is in English, but I have a very extensive study past in Spanish and cinema.”
Doors continued to open due to his diligence, hard work and studying. He got into the Ole Miss Film School just as it was beginning.
“They’d just got a new director and not much funding, but enough to have a few classes kind of under the umbrella of the theater department. They had a film study class where you watched movies and you wrote essays about the film from basic perspectives and philosophies. You would pick out the philosophical tools that were used in films and how, historically, people used films to influence a particular group of people. For example, think about World War II, right? Before you saw a movie, when that period was happening, there would be media pieces of these Army guys who were these great men and it basically was a way for them to recruit soldiers.”
In his class filled with English majors and film school students, they broke down the films.
“The class was offered to English majors because we could write essays about watching movies. And I thought that was a great class. I needed some easy classes. So I watched Psycho and Shane and The Shaft, The Godfather – a lot of these classic movies I’d watch and write essays about them and give my perspective of what I thought the writers and directors were trying to achieve. There were more classes like screenwriting, which I took because I was already taking poetry classes and screenwriting. I took all the screenwriting classes. And before you know it, I'm hanging around all these filmmakers and theater students. And so basically, I just started taking more classes. I took directing. I took acting. I took hair and makeup. I took – you name it. I went through the whole film school and took every class that they had. And long story short, I ended up making over 16 movies, two documentaries, and features and shorts.”
He enjoyed being around theater majors who had an energy he wasn’t familiar with. His English major friends were mostly serious and just wanted to be teachers.
The film school brought in major talent such as one of the True Blood series’ writers, Chris Offutt. Turner enjoyed the tutelage.
“They brought him in to teach. And he was like a rock star on campus. He also wrote short stories and novels, too. But he was one of my professors when I was in that school,” he said.
When his time as an undergrad was coming to an end, Turner saw film students who thought they’d become the next big star or director, but the former high school dropout had a more realistic view of his future.
“Most of the people that I was in film school with had these grandiose ambitions, right? They were going to leave college, go to Hollywood, and just be the next George Clooney or Brad Pitt or what have you. And I thought it was great. But for me, I was like, ‘what are the chances of that?’ I've heard stories of people going to L.A. with these grand ideas, and they're homeless, or they're working at Applebee's waiting for that break that may or may never come. For me I had all of these student loans, and I was like I need something that is going to pay the bills in case I don't make it in entertainment. In fact, I never really thought entertainment was something that I could do realistically. I just enjoy doing it because I'm creative. But I never looked at it as if, like, this is my thing. This is my journey. This is what I wanted to do. part of it, but it's not who I am.”
While in film school, Turner applied to NYU and Ole Miss Law schools. He finished his film school work and was accepted into the Ole Miss Law School.
“I just looked at it like this is a job where I could live comfortably based on what I do. And there's some guarantee. Not everyone needs a movie but a lot of people need lawyers.”
Growing up, his dad was a major influence as a community activist.
“He was and is an activist for the community and seeing him selflessly do for others and he continues to do that. I've also grown up and saw him be a part of the political process and working with leaders and working with lawyers. And I've always been intrigued or impressed by the attorneys because they seem like they were the ones that got things done. A lot of times when you have people get together in a living room or in a church or what have you, at a park, it's a lot of ideas but the ideas really don't come to life. With the lawyers, I saw that they were able to take ideas and make it happen and make an idea law.”
With his law degree in hand, he landed a job in Memphis working as a public defender in Shelby County. He worked on major cases in the felony division.
“I worked with cases from the time a person was arrested through preliminary hearings all the way up to trials. I've done murder trials, rape trials, capital murder, and capital offenses. That was my experience right out of law school. They dunked me in quick. I ended up working in the juvenile area. They had started a new juvenile defense area, so I started doing that. And I don't know, I kind of got burned out with that. Those are some tough cases, especially cases dealing with children who are abused or murdered. And having to go home with that on your mind every night is a lot. It's taxing. I took a break from that and got an opportunity to come to the Delta to Greenville, working for a judge. Not in the criminal area, but in the civil area, in Chancery, which deals with family law and land law.”
He also noted that he went “from one evil to another one – divorces. I don’t know which is worse – a murder trial or a divorce. The thing about a murder trial is that they are quick. You're on trial for murder. You go to trial. you're found guilty or not guilty and that's it. But even after a divorce, it's not over. That's just the beginning because now you've got to deal with alimony and child support and visitation and all of this other stuff. It's like the gift that keeps on giving.”
Now living in Greenville, Turner spends a lot of time in Sunflower County and especially Indianola working on cases.
“I've gotten the most support from Sunflower County,” he said. “I do a lot of criminal law. I serve as prosecutor, public defender, things in different areas. I do a lot of family law. Divorces, custody, guardianships, conservatorships, and juveniles. Those are probably the bulk of my practice now. And I've gotten into bankruptcy as well. But as far as my focus and the area that I feel as if I'm probably the best or the most knowledgeable would be real estate and business and government. Those areas, for me, are the most enjoyment. In fact, I even teach business law at Delta State University. And that's a real joy teaching there – just talking about business, talking about government.”
He explained that he believes everyone is great and everyone has a talent.
“We all have abilities that God has given us and it's a wonderful thing when you tap into that. But it's a tragedy when you don't. When you live your whole life and die, and you never tapped into your purpose or your talent. That's the curse, in my opinion, because that person has an unfulfilled life and cannot be happy. It's kind of like a polar bear in the desert, in the Sahara Desert. Just imagine that. That's got to be pretty uncomfortable. And that's how I see it. But for me, I saw myself as a polar bear in the Sahara Desert who found his way to Antarctica. That's what I hope my story, whether it's in a journalistic piece or what have you, I hope that it's a thing to show people who maybe have gotten off track, especially younger people, and just kind of show them through hard work and dedication and prayer and having a support system, you can find your purpose and you can live the life that was intended for you.”
When he’s not practicing law, he spends time with his two children and enjoys photography and cooking and some fancy footwork.
“I like cooking. I don't cook as much but I do like cooking. In college, I was a bartender, a cook, and a photographer. That's kind of how I kept money while in school. I worked at so many restaurants as a bartender. But I also enjoy ballroom dancing. I considered myself a macho tough guy, at least portrayed to be tough, even if you weren't. But most times when guys went out they didn't really dance. They just kind of moved a little bit to the music. But ballroom dancing is like really jumping into the deep end when you're doing the waltz or a foxtrot.”
To stay in shape, he enjoys running and competes in half marathons.
“Trying to stay active; trying to live to be 100.”
The multifaceted lawyer from Tupelo feels right at home in the Delta and is thankful for the blessing he’s received there.
“I do know the people of Sunflower County and Indianola are very, very special people to me. And not only professionally because they have supported me and my family. The whole county since I've been practicing law, some of my first cases, if not my first case, was in Sunflower County,” he explained. “And it really helped me cut my teeth. And I'm very appreciative in serving and working for the community. And I just want to say thanks for that. Second, I want to say that just in my time in Sunflower County and working in the courts, I've grown to learn and appreciate and respect the people of that county. What I found about the people of Sunflower County, particularly in Indianola, is that you have people who are dedicated people, especially a lot of the younger people who could be anywhere. They could be in Jackson. They could be in Southaven. They could be anywhere in America but they have dedicated themselves to the community. And I really admire that. And there's a sense of resiliency. For the leadership and the people that are in the community, that is very impressive.”
With his career in full swing, he’d like to see more folks invest themselves in the Delta.
“And I would love to see more people, particularly younger people, get involved in the process of the community. Whether that's getting in an organization like the Rotary Club or serving in some capacity. But I really know that's what's needed right now more than anything. Not just in Sunflower County but all over. I just would like to see younger people and all people. I don't want to exclude anyone but there's no age requirement for leadership. What we see in the Delta throughout is population decline. A lot of people are relocating. A lot of people are going to college and going to greener pastures and more opportunities. But I hope that we can find a way together to keep people in Sunflower County, to keep people in Indianola and continue to grow, not just there, but throughout the Delta. I do not intend on leaving. I'm here. I'm dedicated. This is a part of my journey. It's part of my purpose. And if I can help anyone in any kind of way, I would do my best in doing that. And if I fail, well, at least I've tried to do my best.”
As his career continues to climb, he hopes to find time to build upon his own film school dreams. Perhaps the next Denzel Washington will write and star in a John Grisham-esque film.
“I've written several screenplays and I've actually got a couple that I'm hoping to finish and shoot one day. If I ever get a big law case, I may take a few months out and finish it and maybe even start shooting it,” he said. “But when I retire, I'm going to write about my legal journey as much as I can without disclosing confidential information. I’ve got some very interesting stories that I think would be good for a Netflix miniseries, at least.”
Mack Arthur Turner, esquire – looking to make a difference, and hopefully a documentary and more.
