Courtney Wentz, Communications & Program Services Director, sits down with Teri Ann Zide, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, to get to know this prominent community member.
Courtney Wentz: Good morning! Could we begin with talking about your background?
Teri Ann Zide: Of course. Teri Ann’s was opened in 1961 by my Mom and Dad. My Dad’s Mom and sister were also involved. I was the oldest daughter (sometimes referred to as the favorite daughter, but that's a matter of who you ask), so they named the store after me. Then my mom and dad passed away in ‘72 and ’73, so I came to work as a 16-year-old. I probably thought I would come to work here one day, though I didn't know I would start as a junior in high school. I would go to school for a half-day and then go to the store. I just went to work every day and tried to figure out how I could do better than the day before, and that’s exactly what I’m still doing to this day. Some days I succeed better than others.
CW: That must have been really difficult, though.
TA: Yeah. It was not a fun to be titled orphaned at that point, but the four of us siblings stuck together and got through it. We had a lot of faith, and a lot of people were praying for us. But, by golly, we got through it and here we are 48 years later, still telling the story. It certainly made us stand together and stay together. I have one brother and two sisters; they're all here in the area. Two sisters live here in Marietta, and my brother lives in Parkersburg. Three out of the four of us were at Mass this morning, so all is good in the world.
CW: Clearly this is your hometown and you’ve built your life here. But if you could live anywhere, where would you want to be?
TA: I'd be right here. I might get away a little more frequently, but I love Marietta. I love the fact that I know the people at All Pro Nutrition when I go to get my coffee, and that I can just go down the street to The Cook’s Shop and pick something up and not worry about anything. I just love the fact that all of the people that surround me here are good people. Now, I’d probably go someplace sunny once in a while, though. Or, I would definitely go to Colorado, where my grandchildren are. But I think I'd probably always live right here in Marietta. It’s a great place to be.
CW: It is! Did you always envision yourself working here? Or was there something you wanted to be when you grew up?
TA: I suspect I always dreamt I would do something in the retail business. My dad was an old merchant. My mom's family were merchants. I understand selling, and I love to interact with people. Although, I'm pretty sure that we do more than just sell clothes here. Actually, I know we do. And I love that. I love that we are a lot of things to a lot of people. Number one, we make them feel good. We make them feel good outwardly in their dress and inwardly and their mind and their head and their body. I love that we’re not just selling products here, we’re selling hope and encouragement and happiness.
CW: I’ve experienced it first-hand; I’m a believer. On a lighter note, what do you like to do in your free time? Do you even have free time?
TA: I do! I am pretty diligent about going to the gym. I do that early in the morning, and I love to walk. The pandemic didn’t stop us; we put in a lot of extra miles since we had extra time. I love a lot of things. I have a yard that I work in, and I spend time with my family, my siblings and grandchildren, though I don’t get to spend as much time with my grandchildren because they don’t live here. I was married late; my husband had three children. They now have five children, and those babies will always be my grandchildren, without a doubt. I’m a bonus grandmother and I love that role. My husband passed away a couple of years ago. We had a lovely life and a loving marriage. Now I have a friend who does a lot of different things, so I'm doing some different things, like riding side by sides.
CW: I honestly don't think I can picture you on a side by side.
TA: Well, I didn't think I could either. It just goes to show you, things change. Life changes and you have to be open to it, you know? Change causes us to grow.
CW: Do you have any words of wisdom or a motto that you live by?
TA: Yes, I learned it at the Foundation, when I was in my early terms of being on the Board. It came from Mr. Kirkbride. It’s “do the right thing.” It’s a pretty simple one. But by golly, it works for everything you do. I don’t know if it’s his original quote, but I can remember sitting in the Board room at Marietta College and he said “It’s real simple. Just do the right thing.” It was one of those moments that hits you and you’re like “whoa.”
CW: Let's talk about your involvement with the Foundation a bit. I know that you were on the Board, and now you're back on the Board; there's clearly some history there.
TA: It's such a good group. When I was first invited by Mr. Kirkbride and Mr. Norm Murray, I thought I couldn’t do it. I didn’t know what kind of financial obligation they were expecting, and then I realized that there was no expectation other than for you to do the right thing. I remember being on the Board early on and we had about $3,500 to give away for our first granting year. It was just as hard for the Allocations Committee then as it is now. It’s always been critical that the funds we have get invested in the community properly, so donors know that we take care of their contributions. I think that’s really the key, and why the Foundation has grown. The community sees that we take extreme care of finances in an effort to make Marietta and the surrounding area the best it can be. I was honored to be invited back to the Board. The truth is, the Foundation is such a worthy and well-run organization. It makes it easy to spend time on the Board, and I'm grateful to be there.
CW: We’re lucky to have you, and the support of people like you! Now, I have one final question; it’s a bit of an oddball. Clearly, there’s a lot of weight to your name. I mean, it’s on the door. Have you ever had a nickname?
TA: Teri Ann is my nickname. My real name is Theresa, like the Saint. I got the name Teri Ann as a little girl; I think my parents always planned on calling me Teri, but they were very faithful. I have to laugh often because people come into the store and say “Remember me?” and I tell them that it’s not fair; they see my name when they walk in! Although, I don’t assume that everyone knows who I am because of that, but I hope they know who I am because of that. I am certainly invested in this place, I’ve been going at it for 48 years and I’m not done. I still love coming to work every day. I feel good and I still enjoy it. So, Teri Ann is a good name to have and it’s nice that it’s on the front door — at least so that you don’t have to try to remember what my name is!