"Who The Hell is Terry Parsons?"
Vital Statistics;
Name; Terry Francis Parsons
Born; January 6th., 1959
To give you an idea of how much the world has changed since I was born, bear this in mind. When I was born, The President of The United States was Dwight D. Eisenhower, Canada's Prime Minister was Lester B. Pearson, Newfoundland's Premier was Joeseph R. Smallwood, the King of Rock & Roll was Elvis A. Presley and I was the Seventh Son (and the Youngest Child) of Richard & Annie Parsons of Seal Cove, Conception Bay.
Well... Eisenhower, Pearson, Smallwood, Elvis, Dad and Mom are all gone now, but I'm still ticking. How's that for a scarry thought?
Graduated; Queen Elizabeth High School
Graduate might be a strong term. One of my teachers told me, on my graduation night, that the US were shooting Monkey's into space that were smarter than me. Oh, I passed all my grades, and received my diploma, but to be honest, I didn't graduate... I Survived!
University Education; 1 Year at MUN (Was Enough!)
In 1977, I enrolled as a student at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and began my brief career as a Post Secondary Student. (I have always wondered who came up with that stupid name)
Being a Non-Drinker, Non-Smoker and a Non-Toker, I didn't fit in at all! I also had alot of trouble with the work, until a test administered in my Psych class confirmed I had a "Grade 7 Reading Level" (D'OH!) Then on Thursday, January 20th., 1977 my student councelor (Mr. Gill) made a monumental, and inspired suggestion. He told me that the best way for me to improve my reading skills quickly, would be to join CHMR (The University's New Radio Station), and read the news on air.
So on Friday, January 21st., 1977, I walked through the doors of CHMR, on the third floor of the Thompson Student Center, for the first time. I did my first board class that afternoon, and was on the air that night. With in 8 months, I had dropped out of University, but I have remained a member of CHMR since then!
My First Show; Friday, January 21st., 1977
I was so nervous, I almost didn't do it! The regular Friday Night guy was at the station that afternoon, and asked me if I wanted to co-host his show with him that night. I almost said "no". (I mean, I was there to read the news, not do shows)
As it turned out, I did it just to fit in. It was a Rock show, and it was a ball! Up until then, my exposure to Rock had been limited to what I heard on commercial radio, or what my brothers played on the stereo at home whenever Mom and Dad were out of earshot, so some of the stuff we played that night really blew my little mind!
Important Moments; The Top 5 Most Important Moments in My Life
In typical Radio fassion, lets count down the top 5 most Important Moments of my life, starting with Number Five;
#5 - Joining CHMR
#4 - Graduating High School Not because of anything to do with education, but because I never thought I would survive to graduate. (It didn't pay to be the Fat Kid in 1970's high school) For several years after I graduated, I had the recurring nightmare that I was back in High School and couldn't get out!
#3 - The Death of My Parents They died two years appart, and both under very different circumstances. Looking back now, that time seems like one very long, seemingly endless bad day, that I never quite got over.
#2 - Marrying My Wife Kathy An old friend, and fellow DJ, once told me that "Life is the singular quest to find someone to share it with". Yes... he was stoned at the time, but in a way, he was right. I finally understood what he meant, when she said "I do".
#1 - The Birth of my Daughter Elizabeth Ann If you are not a parent, you won't understand, nor would I expect you to, but the birth of your first (and in my case, only) Child, is the most profound moment in your life. It is the one time in your life, that you realize what a strange, mysterious, and special thing life is.
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