Newarker Earns Top Prize in Senior Writing Contest

When she was a little girl in Georgia in the 1940s, Sara Turner decided to explore a cabin near her home, shocked to discover it was being used by men wearing white sheets and pointed hoods.

When the members of the Ku Klux Klan discovered their meeting had been witnessed by an African-American child, they showed up at the Turner family farm and warned them to mind their own business -- or else. 

That harrowing encounter, which Turner said changed her life, was described in “The Cabin,” an essay she wrote that was awarded a top prize in the Essex County Senior Citizens Legacies Writing Contest. A luncheon honoring Turner and the other awardees was held last week in Cedar Grove.

“It was a joy to participate in this years’ writing contest and I was so surprised to find out I received the Director’s Award,” said Turner, who now lives in Newark.

Turner was among several older county residents who shared stories culled from their decades of life, including a Nutley man who described watching a football game that would prove to have a lasting impact on his family and a Montclair woman who made it to Hong Kong after escaping from mainland Communist China. 

“Our Senior Citizen Legacies Writing Contest is a unique way for our older population to share their life’s stories and describe the people and events that helped to shape their lives,” said Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo said.

“Our seniors’ stories make you laugh and they touch your heart. They provide us with a different perspective on historical events and what our society was like.”

Begun 17 years ago, the contest is run by the Essex County Division of Senior Services. Winning entries will be published in the agency’s newspaper, The Essex Advisor.