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private landowners in the U.S., he dedicated over 2 million acres to conservation, focusing on habitat restoration, protecting endangered species like trout and birds, and reintroducing bison, which brings us to Ted’s Montana Grill.

When my husband and I visit Atlanta for a day, we often dine at Ted’s Montana Grill. Gene usually orders the bison meatloaf, and if I don’t get a bison burger, I get the trout. Ted Turner and two business associates launched the restaurant chain in 2002 to generate attention and demand and to help stop the extinction of the American bison. The number of bison herds has increased (I’ve read that they have doubled), thanks to his raising public awareness.

Turner was also concerned about population growth, climate change, and the protection of natural resources, as I am also. To summarize, he used his fortune to serve causes he cared about and leave his fingerprints on the world.

This week, a former coworker shared that Turner kept a sign on his desk that read, “Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way.” Whether he was revolutionizing television, saving the bison, or pledging a billion dollars to the United Nations, that’s exactly what Ted Turner did—he led.

I imagine his son, Teddy Turner, probably had a difficult time growing up in his father’s giant shadow. My husband still maintains that the young man deserved that punch at McCallie all those years ago. Maybe he did. Maybe he didn’t. But the father? Ted Turner deserves every honor, every headline, and every bison burger named in his memory. The world will be a little quieter, a little less fun, a little less caring without him in it.