MATV’s Director of Operation Terlonzo Amos will be one of the six honorees at the 23rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon sponsored by the North Shore Black Women’s Association (NSBWA). The event will be held on Saturday, January 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Anthony’s of Malden.
The other five honorees are Marcus Darbouze, journalist; Arthur Kahn, gemologist; Keith Knight, Jr., cartoonist; Maria Luise, Assistant to Mayor Gary Christensen and Dorothy Martin Long, community activist. The much beloved annual event is a homage to the slain civil rights leader and a fundraiser for the NSBWA, with all proceeds supporting college scholarships for local high school seniors.
Terlonzo Amos, a longtime Malden resident and graduate of Malden High School, is currently the Director of Operations at MATV, Malden’s Media Center, an organization whose mission is “Building Community Through Media.”
But Terlonzo’s involvement with giving back to his community started long before his tenure with MATV.
Terlonzo has been coaching with the Malden Neighborhood Basketball League (MNBL) since he was 19 years old. He has been part of the organization’s 31-year legacy since the year after its inception in 1986. The MNBL is a community-based basketball league that gives low and moderate income youth who do not play on the varsity level a chance to play the sport they love. The league serves about 80-90 high school-aged youth each season (January – March) with eight teams, weekly games and practices, a playoff season and a championship game.
Volunteering as a coach ran parallel with Terlonzo’s education at UMass Boston where he majored in Communications and then started working with Finer Associates, an engineering company that installs and maintains technology for businesses and organizations.
In 1992, Terlonzo had the idea to pair his skills in media production with his volunteer work at the MNBL by creating and producing Around the Rim, a weekly cable TV program that features a wrap-up of the week’s games, with video clips and interviews with the players and coaches. Hosted by the dynamic character Nester Dudley, the show has an upbeat feel, and over the years has developed a slick, professional look. For many years, Terlonzo oversaw the video recording of all the MNBL games in their entirety, bringing the full experience of the season to local cable.
Around the Rim is now shown not only on cable TV, but online through MATV’s video-on-demand service. The program is a showcase for local neighborhood basketball and an archive of its history.
Terlonzo has also served as an assistant coach in Malden Girls Softball for six years and for three years in the Malden Babe Ruth league, helping to coach boys’ baseball. But it is the MNBL that has been his longstanding volunteer commitment. Terlonzo believes strongly that the MNBL has had a significant impact in the city of Malden by helping young people, many of whom are considered “at risk,” to learn skills, teamwork, commitment and physical activity. One of the gratifying aspects of the work is seeing the kids stop by MATV many years after high school and learning that they have experienced success in their lives.
Terlonzo started out as a volunteer member at MATV when he began producing his show, and joined the staff in 2000. As Director of Operations, Terlonzo oversees the equipment and technical operations of the facility and helps to supervise the staff. Through his professional work and vibrant personality, he has helped make MATV the treasured community resource that it is.
Terlonzo continues to coach and produce Around the Rim as a volunteer. The Mayor of Malden, Gary Christenson, has been a longtime fan of the show and makes a special guest appearance every year.
Terlonzo has two children, Treynz (age 20) and CarlyAnn (age 17), both currently pursuing post-high school education. He continues to live in Malden and is a semi-retired professional wrestler trained by the late Walter (Killer) Kowalski.
Learn about and support all six notable honorees by attending the luncheon on January 16. The event includes entertainment, a family style luncheon, participant singing of “The Black National Anthem” and “We Shall Overcome” and rousing speeches by all the honorees. The event is hosted by Malden City Councilor Neal Anderson.
Congratulations to T! The kids will keep you on your Toes!