Patty. By now you know the tragic story of CDM High School student Patrick “Patty” Turner. Patty took his life on Saturday, Jan 27. The sophomore’s final exams started the following Monday.
Notes he left were beyond articulate and heart-rending, sharing his love for his parents and friends … also sharing there was “so much pressure on the students to do well that I just couldn’t do it anymore.”
Two thousand people came to Patty’s funeral at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach. 600 students.
“This kid was my kid, your kid, not into drugs,” a family friend and neighbor told me. “Patty was a happy, friendly normal kid with a lot of friends. The family did charity work. He was our kid.”
The neighbor coached Patty’s older brother in baseball.
“Patty would come out when we needed an extra catcher.”
It’s said that character’s what you have when nobody’s watching—or everybody, in the case of Patty’s father, John Turner. “JT was an absolute rock when he spoke at the church,” the neighbor said. “‘Don’t be angry, assess blame. We’re going to be part of the solution.’”
Turner is a longtime, successful commercial real estate executive.
By some accounts, suicide here is on a steep ascent—Voice of OC report in ‘16 using CDC figures, cited a 45% increase from 1999 to 2013, highest of 20 largest U.S. counties. That was all ages. OC Health Care Agency in ’09, a study cited by the Orange County Register, said highest rate of self-inflicted wounds was young adults 18 to 24.
The Turners’ wide and supportive NB-CDM community has been writing to each other, posting, offering comfort and searching for answers.
“Let’s try to make something positive out of this tragic loss of this young life,” the baseball coach wrote.
“Let us all get this figured out. Time to change.”
Churm to Chair … solid choice by business-advocacy group OCBC … Steve Churm, longtime publisher, comms chief at FivePoint … sanguine by nature, “walking Hallmark card,” he called himself in a Thursday night speech that hit the mark. So did OCBC’s honorees, “game changers,” including newest Angels import Shohei “Babe” Ohtani.
LA Times sale more than LA story … Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D. buying Tronc’s LA Times, San Diego U-T for $600M, includes Newport’s Daily Pilot, bare-bones OC ops of LAT.
Back when Soon-Shiong and then-Tribune Co.’s Mike Ferro exchanged Xmas cards and went by Tribune Publishing, they were top bidders for OC Register parent Freedom Comms, now likely back for sale as part of So Calif. News Group.
Bankruptcy trustee eliminated that bid in ’16 when Obama Justice Dept. cried antitrust and got an injunction.
That was then.
“Newsonomics” author Ken Doctor notes the News Media Alliance is fighting for Justice to change its antitrust rules, would allow investors like Soon-Shiong to own more papers.
Closing arguments in Jim Mazzo insider-trading retrial start Tuesday.
Toshiba Classic returns in March to NB Country Club, year 23, 20 under Exec. Dir Jeff Purser and Hoag Charity Sports.
Microsemi sponsoring Military Appreciation Day on Saturday. More next Insider on OC’s only pro golf tournament.
Insider Trivia: Who put up all the purse money for OC’s first pro golf tournament, a Pro-Am in ’75?
