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.