Kith and Kin of Callaway: Terry Nash

Terry Nash is a native of Milwaukee and has been living in Fulton since August. He works as a learning specialist at William Woods University and additionally assists with the men's basketball team.
Terry Nash is a native of Milwaukee and has been living in Fulton since August. He works as a learning specialist at William Woods University and additionally assists with the men's basketball team.

This column serves as a spotlight, highlighting the everyday people who work and live in Callaway County. The Fulton Sun takes a moment with someone who is not usually featured in the news, but is just as instrumental in making our community the strong and beautiful place we all know and love.

Terry Nash is a native of Milwaukee and has been living in Fulton since August. He works as a learning specialist at William Woods University and additionally assists with the men's basketball team. Nash attended Northern Michigan University, where he graduated in 2016 with his major in business. Nash lives in Fulton with his girlfriend and has family in the Milwaukee and Chicago metropolitan areas.

Q. What was your first job?

A. My first ever job was working for the Salvation Army. I was basically a camp counselor for kids ages 5 and 6 all the way to 11. I basically worked with them and did fun activities with them. It was a pretty neat experience for me.

Q. Who most inspires you (living or dead)?

A. I would probably say two (people); my father, who passed away, inspires me a lot and then my mom is an inspiration for me as well. She's been a single mom since my dad passed away when I was a junior in high school. She's remarried now, but the way she put me under her wing and helped me get through college and even went back to school and got her master's degree, (which) showed me how hard she works. And that inspires me and makes me want to continue to do great things. My dad was one of the greatest fathers ever, and I got to have him for 16 years. A lot of young men don't actually have fathers in their lives so I use that and think, "At least I got my dad for a little bit." That just makes me want to be a father one day and be as great, if not a greater father than he was.

Q. What have you done in life that was most fulfilling?

A. Definitely coaching basketball. I played basketball, but through coaching I have been able to give young men opportunities, especially coming from inner cities, like I'm from - whether it's giving certain scholarships or being able to go to school for free. Those moments, when you see them pay off through graduation and become better players on the court, those are the most rewarding and most fulfilling things I've done in my life so far.

Q. What is something that you are proud of that you have been recognized for?

A. When I was actually a player - I don't like to talk about myself much because I like to help others - I actually was the 2015 "humanitarian of the year" award winner for Northern Michigan's athletic department. That was a pretty cool award I've gotten, and of all the other ones I've won, that was most fulfilling. My community service and the off-the-court work I did were recognized, whether it was inner-city Detroit kids that came up to school to take college courses or some of them coming on tour to see if college was actually for them. Being able to be around and mentor them and show them that they can have this opportunity that a lot of inner-city kids don't get, but they can take advantage of it and can do it just like me.

Q. What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?

A. Maybe one day be like a cook or something. I'm not the biggest cook, but I like eating food and the preparation that goes into it. It'd be fun to try and go in and be a chef and cook foods that I've never cooked. That would be really cool.

Q. What profession would you not like to do?

A. Probably being a doctor or something (laughs). I'll leave that to the experienced and talented doctors we have. There's too much responsibility to that (profession). That would be one I'd stay away from.

Q. What is something that nobody would be able to assume about you?

A. I'm very caring and emotional. If you just look at me I'm a pretty quiet guy, but I care a lot about the people around me. Whatever I'm doing, I put my 100 percent (effort) into it. If you didn't know me, you'd see me walking around and not know I'm a very caring, easy-going and easy-to-talk-to kind of person. Once people get around me, they understand.

Q. What is your favorite thing about Callaway County?

A. Definitely the weather (laughs). The weather here is much warmer from where I'm coming from. Around this time of year (in Chicago or Milwaukee) the windchill can be around negative 40 (degrees), and just two days ago, I was able to walk outside with shorts and a shirt on. Definitely the weather (is a favorite), and the people around here are nice and accepting. I'm glad to be a part of the community. I have no complaints. I love the county and am looking forward to being here for however as long as that will be.