It is with great sadness that I inform you of the passing of Francis C. "Frank" Turner, former Federal Highway Administrator (FHWA), on October 2, 1999.

Frank Turner began his exemplary career with the FHWA in 1929, immediately after graduating from Texas A & M University. In 1969 he was appointed the Federal Highway Administrator, the only administrator in FHWA's history who rose through the ranks. He retired from the FHWA in June 1972, but remained active in highway transportation issues.

As one of the namesakes of the Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, Virginia, Frank Turner is best remembered for his extraordinary leadership and accomplishments in the development and construction of the U.S. transportation system. He is regarded as one of the "fathers" of the Interstate Highway System and was integral in establishing the Highway Trust fund and the current system of federal-state highway funding.

He received numerous honors and awards for his service, including the Transportation Research Board's first Frank Turner Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Transportation in 1999.

In 1996 he was one of four people honored by Vice President Al Gore as being "A Visionary of the Interstate".

In 1994, American Heritage magazine celebrated its 40th anniversary by naming 10 people who, although completely unknown to the public, had changed life for all in America. Frank Turner was one of the 10 "agents of change."