Native Texan Howard L. Terry was born in Milam County in 1916. He attended the University of Texas on an athletic scholarship and earned his B.B.A. in 1938. He was employed by Proctor & Gamble until 1942, when he entered the U.S. Navy, where he served as a P.T. Boat commander in the Pacific during World War II.
He later returned to Proctor & Gamble, from which he was recruited to set up a chain of appliance stores, where he served as General Manager until 1951. At that time, Terry went into business for himself in lumber, building, and development, building several residential subdivisions in Texas and other states.
Over the following years, Terry founded several businesses in various fields, including Business Funds, Marathon Manufacturing, Crutcher Resources, Allied Bancshares, and Farm & Home Savings. Beginning in 1979, he became a director and chairman of the executive committee of Penn Central Corp., a position he held until 1986. In 1987, he founded the Terry Companies, a multi-state corporation involved in oil and gas exploration and development.
Howard and Nancy Terry are both longtime residents of Houston, Texas. Mr. Terry enjoys golf and is actively involved in the operations of the Terry Companies and the Terry Foundation. Despite his series of remarkable success in business endeavors in many fields, he often refers to the Terry Foundation as his finest achievement.
