COM Outlook - Winter 2016

College of Osteopathic Medicine 9 Maddie Terry evokes a heartfelt image at her great- grandfather’s plaque in the Terry Memorial Garden. Morton Terry celebrates with Aaron during his grandson’s graduation from NSU’s Shepard Broad College of Law. Once again, it wasn’t easy. They received many threats for what they did, but they didn’t back down. Mort and Gerry treated everyone equally. One of my favorite stories recalls what happened when my grandparents invited an African American physician and his children to swim in their pool. Someone called the authorities, saying there were “black people” swimming in a pool in the neighborhood. When the police showed up, Mort angrily sent them away and said, “I can have anyone I want swimming in my pool.” Even though he went through a lot in the pursuit of equality for all people, Mort was very humble about it. When questioned about why he did what he did, he would always give a simple reply: “The people needed care.” One of his proudest moments was when we were able to play golf on a course he hadn’t been able to play on as a young person because he was a Jew. Another time, I recall the two of us looking at the photos in one of the new NSU-COM yearbooks. He told me, “Aaron, when I was in medical school, my class was all white and had one female student. Look at it now. It was always my dream to be a physi- cian, and look at the opportunities all of these young people have now.” I will always be proud of him for those words. Mort went on to have a very successful career in internal medicine from 1949 to 1975 before retiring from practice to pursue his dream of starting a medical school. Many people said it was impos- sible. But SECOM, as Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine was called back then, started its first class in 1981—and the rest is history. When I saw my daughter laying her hand on my grandpa’s memorial, I thought of the quote from Eleanor Roosevelt I had placed in the annual HPD Bal Fantastique ad journal in 2004 to honor him after his passing: “The future belongs to those who be- lieve in the beauty of their dreams.” Mort and Gerry Terry didn’t always have it easy, but they always believed in the beauty of their dreams. Those dreams and values—about respecting all people, fighting bigotry in all its forms, pursuing education as a means to success, and never, ever giving up— have all passed down to their 4 children, 10 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren (and counting). I am proud of them and honored that I am now able to pass these values along to future generations. (Note: Aaron Terry is the grandson of Morton Terry, D.O., M.Sc., FACOI, the founder of NSU’s Health Professions Division, who passed away on January 11, 2004, at the age of 82. Terry left behind an extraordinary legacy that continues to live on through the seven colleges and myriad programs that comprise the Health Professions Division.)