One of three brothers, Terry L. Fossum was born into a poor family in one of the poorest cities in America. It was a Texas/Mexico border town where drugs and gangs dominated. His father was killed there while Terry attended public school as a boy. Before that, one of their neighbors told his dad, "I just want to make sure you understand something: Not a single one of your boys will ever grow up to be anything." How wrong could anyone be? One of Terry's two brothers is a successful dentist, and even more of a philanthropist than Terry. His other brother is a former U.S. astronaut and current head of Texas A&M University, Galveston campus, who spends much of his time speaking to youth and adults alike, encouraging them to follow their dreams and never give up. And Terry? As a boy, Terry joined the Boy Scouts, becoming an Eagle Scout. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M. He became an officer in the U.S. Air Force. He was awarded the Officer of the Year for Fairchild AFB, and was the Executive Officer for a Group of Nuclear B-52 Bombers. After the Air Force, Terry founded a direct sales company, and became a traveling public speaker. He also founded the Terry L. Fossum Learning Center in Rwanda and the Terry L. Fossum Scholarships for Underprivileged Youth in McAllen, and he provides agricultural training for Malawi, Africa. He has been named the Strategic Air Command Humanitarian of the Year. Terry produced the film Tiger Lily Is My Little Sister (he also acted in it), and the film Role Prey, both centering on the issue of human trafficking. Terry has continued to be involved in the Boy Scouts, first as a scoutmaster, and eventually as the vice president for programs for the Washington State Inland Northwest Council.
