Remembering Dr. Terry Chase

We are heartbroken to notify you of the passing of our beloved teacher, colleague and friend, Dr. Terry Chase. His sudden and untimely passing has left us bereft, but his family knows that the Beth Tfiloh family will undoubtedly rally in support.

 

View video of Memorial Service for Dr. Terry Chase
Read Baltimore Sun Obituary
View slideshow tribute to Dr. Terry Chase

Let us pray for his soul and take comfort from the extraordinary impact Dr. Chase has made on so many lives. In the meantime, please feel free to leave any thoughts or comments on how Dr. Chase impacted your life while you were a student at the school.

Dr. Chase chaired the History Department of Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community High School for the past 16 years. Prior to coming to Beth Tfiloh in 1995, Dr. Chase was a faculty associate at the Johns Hopkins University School of Continuing Studies. His prior teaching posts also included the University of Maryland, Oxford University, Santa Fe Prep, Shipley, Garrison Forest, St. Paul's (N.H.) and Lawrenceville. Dr. Chase received his Ph.D. from Oxford and his A.B. from Yale. His personal interests included classical music, sailing and spy novels.

In 2007, BT alumnus, Adam S. Fisch (Class of 2004), a University of Maryland Philip Merrill Presidential Scholar, selected Dr. Chase as his teacher-honoree in recognition of the impact Dr. Chase had on him at Beth Tfiloh. In the program for the special recognition ceremony, which Dr. Chase attended, Adam wrote:

"A great European and U.S. history teacher, Dr. Terry Chase was an incredible mentor for me in high school. He demonstrated both a concern for students' knowledge of history and a strong interest in their overall well-being. Dr. Chase kept classes lively with catchy phrases and interesting side information. He also emphasized the significance of issues discussed in leture to contemporary events. I found Dr. Chase's enthusiasm for history contagious. Always approachable, his concern for students extended outside of the classroom. As the coach of the mock trial team, Dr. Chase pushed us to do our best; he always told us that he was proud of our performances and successes."

The University of Maryland has provided a $1,000 scholarship in Dr. Chase's name to in-coming first year students in recognition of Dr. Chase's contributions to academic excellence.

At the 2011 Beth Tfiloh Commencement Program, Dr. Chase was one of three Beth Tfiloh teachers who were honored for their outstanding contributions to the teaching profession spanning more than 25 years each, and he was presented with an honorary diploma.

 
Dr. Chase is survived by his wife Ann, his daughter, Katie (Mrs. Adam) Burner, and his son, Mark Chase. May his memory be for a blessing and may his soul be bound up in the bonds of eternal life.