Written by
Linda Ayers Turner Knorr
At the age of four, Linda's love for TV's Lassie prompted her parents, Roy and Hazel Ayers, to surprise her with a Collie. Her first times entering the Conformation ring began at age six. From showing her Conrad Collies in Juniors, to judging, to becoming a part of an immediate family of three AKC judges, her life has evolved around the sport of purebred dogs. As a young professional just out of the University of Georgia, Linda served on the Executive Staffs of two Georgia Governors. She moved from serving at the State Capitol to assisting the Chairman of the Hyatt Hotel Corporation. As Chairman and Founder of a family-owned manufacturing corporation and real estate holding company, Linda has overseen operations, acquisitions, and dispositions of considerable business holdings for over four decades. Her diverse companies have manufactured packaged goods for many household products you likely used in your homes, interior components for the automotive industry you enjoy in your cars, and industrial chemical products used in the electric utility industry. She partnered in commercial acquisitions in Washington, D.C. on a 250-million-dollar level. Linda has developed significant properties, delivering hundreds of home sites in Greenville, South Carolina, in conjunction with NVR/Ryan Homes in addition to apartments, an IMAX theater, commercial tracts, and much more. She is the proud mother of one son, Edward P. (Todd) Turner III of Columbia, South Carolina. After retiring from many years as District Director of the Collie Club of America, Linda served for fourteen years as AKC Delegate for the Greenville Kennel Club. She is currently President of the Carolinas Judges Study Group, a Lifetime Honorary Member of the Collie Club of Georgia where she was their very first Junior Member, a Lifetime Honorary Member of the Greenville Kennel Club, and a Quarter Century Member of the Collie Club of America. Her Christian faith is exhibited in her belief: “Time is the most important gift you can share to make someone happy or to make a difference.” Mentoring athletes, from professional to high school levels, has been a huge passion and blessing in Linda's life. At any given time, you may find her in a locker room, on the playing field, or on the court—inspiring winners. "I would rather go to a ballgame than a ball," she affirms. Linda has been on board since the inception of SHOWSIGHT.
