According to those who described him, Terry Armstrong was many things — cowboy, Renaissance man, mentor, researcher, professor and friend. He also was responsible for the foundation of the University of Idaho Found Money Fund.
After being diagnosed with cancer only a few days before, Armstrong died at Aspen Park Healthcare in Moscow on Jan. 23.
According to Corrine Mantle-Bromley, dean of the College of Education, after the renovation of the Education Building, UI will name the Science of Education classroom after Armstrong.
“One of his last wishes was that … he loved the idea,” Mantle-Bromley said.
Armstrong requested before his death that all memorials be given to UI for the Terry Armstrong Classroom for Science Education. The classroom will be dedicated to science, teaching innovation and classroom excellence.
Armstrong was born April 24, 1935 in Twin Falls, Idaho. He received his master’s and doctorate degrees at UI after spending time as a teacher in Salmon, Idaho. During his time as a student, he also taught in the College of Education. Armstrong retired from UI in 1996, but never stopped working. He still taught courses, gave lectures, mentored students and was a member of many boards — including the Grittman Medical Center Foundation Board.
“Terry was a lot of things, Terry was certainly at his core was a professor,” Dean of Students Bruce Pitman said. “Terry … was a very, very gifted faculty person. There are teachers and administrators all over the Northwest who were inspired by Terry and quite frankly owe their careers to Terry — because he was the mentor, he was the guide that they needed.”
Pitman worked closely with Armstrong during their years at UI, mainly on providing services to students.
“Terry was incredibly supportive of our initiatives around campus safety and student leadership particularly … I worked with him almost daily on campus life issues,” Pitman said.
It was Armstrong’s creative mind and sense of humor that led him to the idea for the Found Money Fund, Pitman said. Armstrong wrote on the UI website about the day the idea came to him.
“Monday, January 5, 1981 welcomed back all the 12-month employees from their New Year’s Holiday … I walked to work from my residence at 1531 Borah. The Greek houses along Nez Perce Avenue had long been sources of found money but I never thought of saving it … on this morning, I was surprised to find three pennies on the sidewalk near the northwest corner of the Alpha Gamma Delta house,” Armstrong wrote.
Armstrong went to put those three pennies in a jar to see how much he could collect in a year. He wrote that times were tough for Idaho and that other staff members started donating money to put in his desk jar.
By the end of the year, Armstrong made about $45. He decided to give it to UI, in light of the rough economy. Armstrong and others created the Found Money Fund account, an account that any faculty member, student or visitor could contribute to. Armstrong also created a provision saying that the money could not be used from the account until UI’s bicentennial anniversary in 2089. Today, the account has reached over $330,000 and is expected to be in the billions before it can be opened.
Pitman has a partially full piggy bank on his desk with the words “Found Money Fund,” on the side.
“One of the wonderful parts of that effort was that Terry was working in the President’s office at that time,” Pitman said. “When people had money to turn in to the fund, Terry was always gracious with his time and said ‘thank you.’ It gave people permission to come into the President’s office. It demystified the President’s office. It made it more personal and accessible. Custodians would bring money in, students would bring money in, house mothers from sororities would bring money in … yes there was money accumulated and it’s still being collected. Yet during it’s time, it really created a warm atmosphere on campus,” Pitman said.
Friends and family of Armstrong will hold a celebration of his life at 2 p.m. Saturday at the University Inn.
Danielle Wiley
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