Turnerhills’ legacy lives on at Hendrick Home for Children

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The Hendrick name is well known in Abilene, from the hospital to the nonprofit Hendrick Home for Children, but many may not realize the Turnerhills were the driving force behind the organization in its early years. As the first employees of the nonprofit, they lived on the grounds until their passing, leaving an impact that spans generations.

Willie Turnerhill came to Abilene at just 17 years old in search of a job. Tom Hendrick hired him as a chauffeur, a role that eventually led him to oversee the grounds at Hendrick Home for Children while his wife, Margaret, took charge of housekeeping and cooking. Despite the challenges of segregation, Erin Seabourne, CEO and president of Hendrick Home for Children, said the children’s love for the Turnerhills transcended racial barriers.

“Willie and Margaret would travel with the kids, and because during that time, blacks could not eat in the same place as whites, they didn’t do that. They stop on the side of the road. They packed lunches,” Seabourne said. “They stop on the side of the road so that Willie and Margaret could see could eat with the group, with the family.”

The family of Willie and Margaret visited the nonprofit Sunday, reconnecting with the past and inspiring the future lineage. The oldest nice of the Turnerhills, Anner Davis, said she loved taking a trip down memory lane and truly seeing the legacy of love her aunt and uncle left.

“He enjoyed working here because he had all those kids. They said he didn’t have any kids, but he had many kids. He had so many that loved him dearly,” Davis said. “It gave me joy just to see his picture from way back when I was a little girl and to see it now that he’s already lived his life and gone on.”

Andrew Penns, nephew of the Turnerhills, said that even though his aunt and uncle had their hands full, they always made sure to include their family.

“Sundays, we would come out, and that was one time you would see more than just whites on the playground. You’d have blacks and whites. It would be our families that were playing on the playground,” Penns said.

Willie and Margaret were both active members at New Light Baptist Church, where Margaret was a musician. Willie was known for his locally famous barbeque. Seabourne told KTAB/KRBC that the nonprofit still holds some of their recipes.

“We have a cookbook that is coveted here. There are only a few copies left because so many of Margaret’s recipes are in it. And the kids, even as they’ve grown much older, talk about Margaret’s cooking and Willie’s barbecue,” Seabourne said.

The Turnerhills lived on the grounds of Hendrick Home for Children until the day they died. Their history can be found at the Hendrick Home for Children Museum.