Thomas S. Terrell
1/21/1936 - 1/19/2024

My loyal and pretty wife, Elaine, has been after me for two years to write my obituary. So, I am doing it. I am 82 and this is the year 2018. I will try to make this interesting.

l. College Station
When I was one, we moved to College Station. My father was an associate professor in the Texas A&M Civil Engineering department. He taught Mechanics, Steel Design and Concrete Design.

I grew up during World War II. After school, my friends and I would play one of our most popular games. It was called "war." We dug fox holes in the vacant lot across the street. We had real steel helmets. So, each side would hunker down in their fox holes, and throw rocks and clods at the other side. One of our opponents found a nice flat rock. It sailed right up under my helmet and cut a bloody gash in my forehead.

I love football and started playing organized football in junior high - the A&M Consolidated Kittens. Our Boy Scout Troop 411 ushered at the A&M games. I remember one game in particular. A&M had a star running back named Bob Smith; SMU had Kyle Rote. A&M kicked off to SMU and Kyle Rote ran it back for a touchdown. SMU kicked off to A&M and Bob Smith ran it back for a touchdown. The score was 7-7, without a play from scrimmage.

During these games, we noticed that people who had sneaked in these little bottles seemed to have more fun than anybody else. After the game, we helped clean up and decided to investigate these mysterious drinks. We got one bottle and poured the dregs of 10 or 11 other bottles into the one bottle. So, we ended up with about a pint of rum, vodka, gin, scotch, and bourbon. We got out back behind our garage to sample the mysterious elixir. I went first. It burned so bad - how can people drink this?

2. Spring Branch and Rice Institute
When I was 16, we moved to the Spring Branch area of Houston. I played football for the Spring Branch Bears: No. 30 fullback on offense and linebacker on defense. I was too slow, however, to play in college.

I had always wanted to be a Fightin' Texas Aggie, but my mother forced me to go out to Rice. I was admitted, which our principal thought was a really big deal. Rice was tuition-free in those days. So, I went to Rice.
My freshman year, I lived at home and, at the end of the semester, I had the following grades:
Calculus 100 F
Physics D
Chemistry D

I had no idea what was going on, but, luckily, after that first semester, my parents moved to Syracuse, New York, and I moved on campus to the old East Hall Tower (now Baker College). My roommate was Robert Mitchell from Dallas. He made good grades. At least I had the good sense to know that if I didn't change my ways, I was on the way out. I began to work and raised Calculus to a D, Physics to a C, and Chemistry to a C. I hung on and finally got my BS in Civil Engineering.

3. Military
I was in ROTC at Rice. So, when I graduated in 1958, I received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Army and went on to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, for "BOMOP" - Basic Officers Military Orientation Program. Then to Fort Devens, Massachusetts, with the 20th Engineer Battalion. One day, the Battalion Commander called me to his office. He said something like: "We watch the progress of our young officers. We like you. We will offer you a commission in the regular Army - just like the cadets at West Point get." I was gung-ho and really interested. But, I turned it down. My MOS (military occupational specialty) was 1331 - Small Unit Combat Leader. If I had accepted, I am guessing my bones would now be resting in Vietnam.

4. Employment
After I got off active duty, I gave up my New England girlfriend and returned to Houston. I had a job in the plant engineer department of Champion Paper - out on the ship channel. My main job was to survey the elevations of the "sludge pit." Sludge was the waste product from the cooking process that separated the paper fibers from the wood. This waste was called "black liquor" and pumped to the "sludge pit." So, we took elevations on the surface. After evaporation, the pit had a crust on top. It was important to know how fast the sludge pit was filling. My salary was $500 per month.

Brown and Root was doing some work in the plant. Their job superintendent was an Arkansas graduate named G.G. Ross. One day, G.G. came up to me and said: "Tommy, I'm going out on my own. I think I can make some money doing construction work for these companies out along the channel. Why don't you come with me?" So, I said okay. Then, I quit my job. So, now we had the Ross-Terrell Construction Company. We operated out of G.G.'s home. Our assets consisted of a pickup truck and a welding machine.

We had contracted to build a package sewer plant at Missouri City. This consisted of a big steel tank with a sloping concrete floor inside. We had poured the concrete too high, so it was necessary to remove some. I figured we would get us a jack hammer, but no. G.G. brought out these two huge sledge hammers that had teeth on them. So, in July, our hand, Joe, and I began beating out the excess concrete. It sure was hot inside that tank. One day, we were eating lunch. Joe said to me: "Mr. Tommy, I don't believe you're cut out for this kind of work." I said: "Joe, you are 100[[][%]] right." So, I resigned from construction.

5. Elaine
Every Sunday, my great aunt, Mary Souter, and I would go to the First Methodist Church, in downtown Houston. I went to the graduate and professional class. Elaine made an impression. Elaine had just graduated from SMU, was a school teacher, and very pretty - red-blond hair, blue eyes, and slim and trim. She would always come in about 15 minutes late. Our first date was to the Rice Blue-Gray game.

If you can imagine, there were 20,000 - 30,000 people at the Blue-Gray game. Afterwards, I couldn't find my car. Elaine always claimed it was because I was so smitten, I couldn't remember anything. Next was the old Rendezvous Lounge on Shepherd. Elaine was not impressed. One evening, I went to the Werlein home on North Boulevard to pick up Elaine. Mrs. Werlein said: "Tom, what have you been doing today?" I said: "Well, G.G. and I have been building a chemical sewer out at Rohm and Haas." Mrs. Werlein said: "Oh, my conscience!" About two years later, Elaine and I were standing in the Guadalupe River at the Werlein Hunt house. One of us said what do we do next. I said: "I guess we'll get married." Elaine said: "Okay" and that was that. We were married at First Methodist Church, in Houston, on December 28, 1962.

6. Law School
So, I then looked around for something interesting and decided to go to law school. I was worried about the law school aptitude test because I had been out of college for three years. But, I made an excellent 83 percentile and was admitted to UT Law, Austin.

People love what they are good at. So, I loved law school. After five years in engineering at Rice, I knew what to do. I graduated in 1964, with honors, Order of the Coif, Law Review, and Quizmaster for the Constitutional Law professor, Charles Wright. After some interviews, I got a call from Ted Riggs. The firm was Ben Sewell, Ted Riggs, and Bill Junell. He offered $500, and I said "Baker and Botts is offering $600." He said okay, so I went to work for Sewell and Riggs for $600 per month.

After seven years, I made partner and the next year made the huge salary of $30,000. I was doing trial work - mostly insurance and railroad defense. The only fly in the ointment was that I began to realize I sure didn't want to be 60 and still answering docket call.

7. Kerrville
One day, Jack Moore called up and said there was a lawyer in Kerrville looking for someone to come in with him. It was Gerald James. So, I talked to Gerald. We picked up our two little girls and moved to Kerrville. Gerald had one substantial case - a shareholders action over the Plummer-Fair Funeral Home (now Grimes). I tried the case, and we won. We got about a $200,000 judgment. But, then what? We were in the old Kellogg Building and I really didn't have anything to do. It was depressing.

Gerald and I split up. My brother-in-law, Kit Werlein, and I bought the two buildings at the corner of Jefferson and Sidney Baker. I have had my law office there ever since and have been able to make a living.

8. The Clarinet
Our daughters, Evelyn at about 15 and Elizabeth at about 13, played the clarinet. I required them to play the clarinet in the Tivy High School band. I began taking them to San Antonio for lessons with Larry Mentzer, the principal in the San Antonio Symphony. They got pretty good. Evelyn was first chair in the band for four years and, when she left, Elizabeth was first chair for her last two years. Both made All-Area a couple of times, but neither quite made All-State.

I had played the clarinet in high school. It became obvious that I was more interested in the clarinet than the girls were. So, for several years, we would go to San Antonio and take three lessons at the same times. Every instrumentalist has dreams. My dream was to play in a fine symphony orchestra. I realized my dream and played for 12 years in the Symphony of the Hills. I loved everything about it. But, finally, in September 2017, I could no longer play well - because of age. So, I had to resign. It hurt.

In the meantime, Larry Mentzer, had retired from the San Antonio Symphony, but wanted to keep playing. So, he formed a quintet of clarinetists and we called ourselves "Klarinetten Kunstler" - "clarinet artists." We got together every week or two and had great fun. We played at various events: parties, church, and weddings. Old age also forced me to give that up.

9. Backpacking
I loved backpacking. We usually stayed out for 5 days and 4 nights. It was a great feeling of freedom and adventure. We could see great scenery without being overrun by tourists.

My old Rice roommate had a hide-away near Marble, Colorado. So, Robert let me and Arthur Bell out at the bottom of a mountain. We were going to hike up and over, then back into Marble. We made it to the top at the end of the second day. I was so exhausted, I went to bed at 6pm. The next day, things were going great. All we had to do was to hike downhill to Marble. Unfortunately, the trail disappeared. I got out the map and said to Arthur: "Look, no problem, all we have to do is to keep going downhill and follow the water and we'll get to Marble." That night we camped out in the rain. The next day, we began following the water, but the valley kept closing narrower, and we ended up walking 3-4 miles in a creek. Finally, we came to a dirt road. I waved down a pickup truck and asked which way was Marble. He said: "You're in Marble." So, on to Marble we go, ate barbeque at a barbeque joint and talked about how this was really fun. We did not see one single person on the trail.

10. Epitaph
So, now its 2018. The best thing I ever did was marry Elaine. We have two beautiful daughters, and four granddaughters. The granddaughters are, obviously, more beautiful and talented than anyone else’s. I will stop here, because no one wants to hear about the accomplishments of your granddaughter.

As for my funeral, I don't much care. I do request, however, that there be no services at a funeral home and no recorded music. A woodwind ensemble would be nice.

Thomas Souter Terrell, 87, died at home in Kerrville surrounded by loved ones on January 19, 2024. Tom was born in El Paso, Texas on January 21, 1936. He married Elaine Werlein Terrell on December 28, 1962 in Houston, Texas.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Katharine McKenna Terrell and Thomas Henry Terrell, son-in-law, Richard Andrew Somerville, and by his nephew, Marsh McCall.

Survivors include his beloved wife Elaine, daughters Evelyn Terrell and Elizabeth Somerville, granddaughters Olivia Shamaly, Katharine Somerville, Helen Shamaly and Arden Somerville, sisters Martha McCall and Nancy Weight, brothers and sisters-in-law Ewing and Kay Werlein, Jr. and Kittredge and Linda Werlein, nephews and nieces Terrell Curtis, Richard Weight, Katharine Orr, Thomas McCall, Ross McCall, Kenneth Werlein, Emily Pierce, and Kendra Werlein, along with their spouses and many great nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Tom's dear friend and work colleague Kathleen Kilgore, long-time friend and "extra daughter", Jamy Rathke, and long-time friend and "extra son", Dennis Fillmore. Thanks also to the office of Dr. Lawrence Alder, New Century Hospice, and to Angela Soto, Irene Munoz, Maria Rios and Janie Lopez for their constant and loving care.

Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 27th at Glen Rest Cemetery, Kerrville, Texas.

Memorials may be given to Playhouse 2000, the Salvation Army, or Symphony of the Hills.

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