Santa Barbara has always beckoned the fortune seekers and creative spirits, those who enjoy beautiful surroundings and even better weather. So it was that that Terry Davies and his young family moved to Santa Barbara after the East Coast’s Great Blizzard of 1966. Their harrowing experience with frozen pipes and no electricity or phone service in their family home while Terry determinedly fought the elements to make his way home on a snowed-out highway was the impetus for the move to California’s warmer climes and the promise of new opportunities.
Davies was an optimist, a survivor, a brave risk-taker, by nature and circumstance. Born in 1934 in London, he managed the childhood challenges of wartime bombings and displacement from home. His search was constant for safety in his city, where he collected and played with shrapnel, and continual struggles in the classroom. Despite those obstacles, he remained positive, figuring that escaping rocket attacks meant he was a lucky guy.
It was his good fortune that his stepfather moved the family to the United States in 1952, seeking the American Dream. Terry enrolled at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ, where he worked harder than most students to keep up, although he excelled in science and math. When he met Penelope, his roommate’s beautiful Greek sister, he was smitten with the love of his life. He and Penny eloped on Halloween 1958, beginning a partnership of epic proportions.
