Terril Douglas grew up in Fresno and Sacramento but his Aunt moved to San Francisco in the 1940’s and lived on Steiner Street between Page and Fell and he remembers those visits.

“I came to the city a lot as a small child. I went to Playland and watched Bart being built.”

As a little boy Terril remembers his interests,

“I liked to tear things down and put them back together.”

He tinkered and learned about vacuum tubes and was able to build radios and taught himself to repair radios and televisions.

Terril completed high school and one year of college in Sacramento before the Vietnam War altered his course.

“I was the last of the baby boomers to be drafted into the Military. I went into the Air Force. They weren’t giving anymore student deferments. I was a technician.”

His tour of duty took him to Thailand where he learned the language.

“I took an accelerated 6 month class.”

While in Thailand, Terril was responsible for repairing the airplanes on the ground. He maintained the hydraulic and air conditioning systems.

“All the B-52’s were in Thailand, Guam or the Philippines and Vietnam was just a hop, skip and a jump.”

I shudder when I think of this time and the boys who were two years older than me as they shared their draft numbers. Some high. Some low. I tell Terril that my Uncle Bernie was a body bagger. He is somber.

“My brother was a Mortician.”

After four years in the Air Force, Terril re-located to San Francisco, near San Bruno Avenue and he remembers taking the bus to work.

“It used to be the 25 Bryant, now it’s the 27 Bryant.”

Terrill’s first job after the Military was at Wells Fargo at 1^st and Market Streets, in the Tishman Building. At that time, the skyscraper was the second largest building in San Francisco after the Bank of America.

For three years he worked nights, processing checks while attending City College and then San Francisco State in the daytime.

“My major was Chemistry. I just liked Science.

After college, Terril worked for Pacific Telephone. In 1984, the Bell System divestiture brought about another change, but he remained in technology and moved on to several high tech companies where incidentally, Wells Fargo had been one of his customers. Terril has expertise in phones systems, computers and routers. He understands their inner workings.

In 2001, after the fall of the high tech industry,

“I was displaced once again.”

He went out on his own and formed his own C Corporation, which I still don’t quite understand.

“I had to market myself.”

He did some cold calling and put in networks and phone systems.

In 2005, a neighbor thought Terril would be an excellent candidate for Branch Manager at Wells Fargo.

“It was a fluke.”

For three years he was the Branch Manager at the Wells Fargo in the Fillmore and just this past December he was transferred to the Irving Street location in the Inner Sunset.

“The clientele is very nice and easy to talk to. It’s like a vacation after being in the Fillmore.”

Terril has a Thai customer who was wonderstruck with Terril’s fluency in her native language.

I had the pleasure to meet Terril at the February Inner Sunset Merchant’s Association luncheon at Pacific Catch. At that meeting, former President of the Association, Craig Dawson, Owner, Media Solutions, passed the baton to the incoming President, Tony Accardo, Owner, Villa Romano.

Terril and I both agree on supporting our local merchants.

“I got my eyeglasses from Dr. Kurtbay. Glenn, the Cobbler banks with us. I take my shirts to the Cleaners down the street. I go to the Crepevine. Majed banks with us. When I need filters for my heating system, I go across the street to Progress Hardware. I get something to drink at Rexall. I know a couple of people at Jamba Juice. I go to the Thai restaurant, Sukhothai, It’s not as spicy as the food in Thailand and I get to practice the language.

And he knows his fellow bankers.

“I know Kevin at the B of A. I know Michelle at First Republic and Tracy at Sterling.”

I mention how quickly Terril has become ensconced in the neighborhood.

“That’s just my personality. I like to talk and I go meet people.”

I direct our attention to our country’s financial predicament.

“I hope by 2010 we have a drastic turnaround. Sitting at this desk, I hear a lot of sad stories.”

The impact President Obama has had on our nation?

“Well, it’s still new. He was handed a big bag of no goods.”

I asked Terril if there is anything he would like his customers to know about him.

“I’m a fair-honest person. I try to do the right thing.”

The most rewarding aspect of his job?

“If at the end of a day, I’ve helped someone.”

NEXT WEEK: REFLECTIONS ON THE YEAR, THE BLOG PARTY AND SWAN SONG.