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| Plaque attached to the front of the Thelma Terry Building on September 27, 2014 |
Thelma Terry was a remarkable woman and athlete in our community, born in 1907. She played basketball at Santa Monica High School and also in 1932 and 1933 at Santa Monica College. She used her love of sports to create recreation programs for the youth of Santa Monica. She advised 9 clubs, including ceramics, for teenagers at Memorial Park as the Recreation Director. She inspired other park facilities in the City to adopt similar programs. In the 1950s she helped 20 girls organize a drill team. They referred to themselves as "The Terryettes." Mrs. Terry passed in 1979 leaving a tremendous legacy to Santa Monica youth.
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| Carolyne Edwards and Mayor Pam O'Connor |
The plaque was funded by the Quinn Research Center, founded by Carolyne and Bill Edwards. Carolyne is the niece of Dr. Alfred T. Quinn, a noted Black educator and leader in the Santa Monica Bay region. The Quinn Research Center funds educational resources that promote study, research, and preservation of Black Family History and Culture in the Santa Monica Bay Area.
The ceremony began at 1:15pm with the Santa Monica Police Explorers Color Guard. Vienna Hayes with the Calvary Baptist Church sang two spirituals.
Speakers for the event:
- Elizabeth Cruz, Chair, Virginia Avenue Park Advisory Board
- Sabrina Fields, Vice Chair, VAPAB
- Carolyne Edwards, Founder, Quinn Research Center
- Commendation presented by Mayor Pam O'Connor, City of Santa Monica
