Terry was the BEST of El Dorado.
Donna Schafer
Terry genuinely cared for the kids and wanted them to do well. I will always remember the start of every school year with Terry marching his classes through the office, stopping by every door, introducing each of us and giving us an opportunity to explain what we do and why we are here. Terry understood very well. We are here for the kids. My memories of El Dorado will forever include Terry’s face, his whistle and his blue truck.
Nina Brick
How he knew the title of every song and who sang it as well. Amazing!!!!!
Melanie Spickelmier
My favorite memory of Terry happened at my wedding. As Brian and I pulled up to the reception, we ran into Terry and Mary Anne. In the midst of all the ruckus of a wedding, there was Mr. Conley and HE WAS WEARING PANTS! Real dress pants with dress shoes! It meant a lot because it showed he really cared. Terry always did stuff like that to show he really cared. And it was genuine. Real. Terry was real. I miss him. It is too quiet in PTown without him. There are certain voids which cannot be filled and Terry was such a man. One of a kind and I am so blessed, truly blessed, to have known him (and seen him in pants).
Amanda Wolf
El Dorado is built on a firm foundation. Joe Raya, Connie Grosse and Terry Conley will always be the key to this bedrock. Terry was a selfless giant. He never had a bad word to say about anyone and his altruistic legacy will live forever in the hearts of those he touched.
Jim Disbennett ( Jimmy D).
Coach Conley was always able to motivate the underachiever. He had a special education student a few years back, who had failed P.E. four semesters in a row. Terry took this student “under his wing” and worked with him in his Racquet Sports class for two years. Not only did the student pass both years, but he got “Bs” and “Cs” in his class. Because Coach Conley cared and took the extra time to work with this young man, he graduated from EDHS with his class, on schedule. I will miss him, his students will miss him and El Dorado will never be quite the same without Coach Conley.
Margaret Willert
Terry Conley has been an inspiration to me since I came to El Dorado 20 years ago. He encouraged my students who were not successful anywhere else but in PE. He would work with them to do their best, and they usually did—if for no other reason than to please Coach Conley. One student even told me that Mr. Conley taught him more than his own father had. When I shared this with Terry, he said, “It was nothing. The kid deserved it.”
Terry made me feel like I belonged at El Dorado, and he will be sorely missed.
Kerry Collins
I have had and continue to have many mentors in my 23 years at El Dorado.
Terry Conley was one of my greatest examples of how I am to live my life as a Golden Hawk.
I have yet to achieve what I consider to be equal status with Mr. Conley,
exampled by the fact that I have never called him "Terry".
It's always "Mr. Conley" or "Conley" or even "King Conley" when he was president of the Faculty Club
my first 3 years as a teacher here.
And not that he was not a true friend or someone I could not approach;
the opposite is the truth.
He was a great friend to me and he would often approach ME to extend his hand or to have a conversation.
I always sought him out when we were in a room together because I so valued his opinion or his comments.
But I always have felt like I have yet to reach the height of the pedestal upon which I have always perceived him to stand.
I had much more to learn from him and I will miss having that opportunity.
After all the years I have been directing shows, Conley finally came to a performance of PRISM last year,
sitting where I could see him from my piano, and I played the entire show to him, and he loved it.
I am honored to have known someone as great as Mr. Conley, and I know I"m a better human being, and most of all, a better and more loyal Golden Hawk from being in his company all these years.
When I retire from this great high school, I know that I will be replaced quite easily......................
Terry Conley can never be replaced.
With much love,
Bil Peterson
Terry was an amazing coach. I’ve always looked up to him and how he motivated his players. He is one of the reasons El Dorado is so special. TBR and Friday treats will not be the same.
Rolfe Nasr aka "Nayzer"
Terry Conley inspired me every day in his commitment to excellence and collegiality and his tireless efforts to make a home on our campus for everyone, from the greatest of athletes to the fifteen-minute milers :). He embodied the Abraham Lincoln mission, "Whatever you are, be a great one." Terry Conley was a great coach, a great friend, a great teacher, a great person, a great athlete, a great jokester, a great parent. He brought people together; he deeply cared about others; he was genuine and sincere at all times in all places; he made the world a happier and a better place. I am a better person for having had the privilege to know him, and his greatest gift is that EVERYONE who knew him would say the same thing.
Sunshine "CavaLOOTsee! - Rice/Beans/Cheese/Salsa" Cavalluzzi
I really got to know Terry when we were both on the Staffulty Board together. He did not like the title of president so he changed it to king. Suzanne Lovering and I became the princesses. We ruled for three years together and I found out how smart, kind, funny and caring he was. He was a great organizer and a hard worker. I also worked with him at the beginnings of the Tuesday Burrito Run. I will remember him as being helpful to all, dependable and the best organizer you could ever want. I will miss him immensely.
Tina Livingstone
I met Coach Conley "Con" 26 years ago, and immediately he had an impact on my life. I knew right away that he was an exceptional human being. He made me feel that I was important and we became friends at my first faculty Christmas party. He and I were part of a small group that performed a Christmas song (it might have been "The 12 Days of Christmas??). He had written his own version of the song, of course, and we both sang as loud as possible, and afterwards, he announced to everyone there that I had a great voice. That was it! "Hench" was one of the Conley clan. We've had a special connection ever since. Not long afterwards, he welcomed my brother, Dave. "Con" named him, "Zod" (after the Superman I movie villain, Zod), the first time he ever saw him, and it stuck. My brother became a part of his life. I was glad when my other two brothers got to meet Conley at the coaches annual Laughlin river float trip. They liked him right off. My brother Mike, after only getting to know him one day, stated, " Conley is a good guy!". How right he was! From then on, he ended up always referring to us as the "Henshall boys". We were a part of his extended family. Con has been an inspiration to me and to all those he touched. Me and my brothers have been blessed to have known someone so generous, kind, selfless, brilliant, creative, family first, humble, competitive, and talented. No one can replace him, but we can begin to share what he filled our hearts and minds with. With just a little effort, a little love, and a little generosity and laughter, we can keep Conley's spirit alive forever.
Hench
Terry’s last words as he left the beast room were “Garcia don’t forget the Christmas movies.” “ok lads see ya”
Profe
As everyone already knows, Terry was a wonderful and kind man. He stopped by everyday to give me one of his cheerful hellos and always had a kind word when he came to the office. I will miss his quirky sense of humor and the Conley pools. I will forever remember his St. Patrick’s Day outfit that he wore every year and came to the office to show off. The students always got a big kick out of seeing him head to toe in green! I will miss the nights when I worked late when he came through the office and checked on me and told me to go home. What a treasure he was.
Mary Cole
I think I can only say; I will miss my friend.
Author James Michener sums this up in these simple terms.
“THE MASTER IN THE ART OF LIVING MAKES LITTLE DISTINCTION BETWEEN HIS WORK AND HIS PLAY, HIS LABOR AND HIS LEISURE, HIS MIND AND HIS BODY, HIS INFORMATION AND HIS RECREATION, HIS LOVE AND HIS RELIGION. HE HARDLY KNOWS WHICH IS WHICH. HE SIMPLY PURSUES HIS VISION OF EXCELLENCE AT WHATEVER HE DOES, LEAVING OTHERS TO DECIDE WHETHER HE IS WORKING OR PLAYING. TO HIM HE'S ALWAYS DOING BOTH.”
This is the essence of Terry Conley.
Michael Ashe
What else can be said about TC - he was simply the best that was, the best that is, and the best that will ever be!!!!
Carl Sweet
It's been said that the "measure of a man" is not how he died but in how he lived. Terry lived with such exhilarating joy and commitment to get the most out of each and every day. His was a contagious energy and enthusiasm for life that I can only hope to aspire to during my lifetime.
It's been said also that the "measure of a man" is not in what he has gained but in what he has given. He has given me laughter, wiped away my tears and helped me to pursue the passion of living and teaching on a daily basis.
This is a man who cannot truly be measured in words and forever will be a vivid spirit in my heart and in the El Dorado community.
Enough said,
Jodeen Stark
Terry Conley was an amazing man and I was proud to call him my friend. I first became acquainted with Terry as a coach, then on a personal level through mutual friends, and then had the privilege of becoming his colleague when I began teaching at El Dorado. Terry always greeted everyone and made you feel special just because he was around. He was a role model for everyone. Terry lived his life with integrity, humility, kindness, and passion. He believed in having fun and not wasting a moment. Terry touched the lives of thousands of people, and he will be deeply missed. The world is a better place because Terry Conley was in it!
Terry Nevin
The man, the myth, the legend...Terry Conley
Donnie Bladow
Terry Conley was my friend for 37 years. I will always cherish the many memories that will forever live in my mind. I will never forget the beginning of the whistle and the keys. I was with him when it all happened. I will always remember the movie theater in Fresno with Terry, Carl, Frank and the guys. I will never forget the night in my Corvette driving throughout Huntington Beach trying to find Steve Leavitts house with Marvin Gaye blaring from the stereo. I will always chuckle when I see Peking Duck served at the dinner in a Chinese Restaurant in Sacramento. I will never forget how hard he laughed when he found out about my absence from school on a Friday in 1976. I will never forget him naming me the MVP of the first Rosarito Football Game in 1984. As his teammate I made him proud. Terry my friend you have made me proud to have known you!! I will miss you for the rest of my life and I will never ever forget you Terry Conley!
Joe "Jake" Jacobs