TERRANCE LEE MORGAN
“Your Very Special Life”
Terrance, sometimes it is hard to explain why one person has so
many changes in his young life, why parents or adults have a hard
time doing the right thing, or why things happen the way they do. As
you read about your life and look at all of your photos, I hope you will
see that throughout it all there has always been someone who came to
help and care for you… and that your smile, personality, and ability
to keep trying and growing has put you forever in a place in their hearts.
I.In the Beginning
Dear Terrance, you were such a unique and special baby, born on June 3, 1988, at 4:20 AM in PinalGeneralHospital located in Florence, Arizona. You weighed 4lbs, 6 1/2 oz., were 18 3/4 inches long, and your head, which measured 12 inches, was covered with beautiful, straight, dark brown hair, and your dark brown eyes just sparkled. You were a beautiful baby boy and your mom, Frances Elizabeth Jones, was overjoyed. She named you Terrance Lee after your father’s best friend. It is derived from the Latin word “Terentius” meaning tender. It was a most appropriate name as you are sensitive, empathic, and very caring of others. Your family called you “ T” or “Tank” because you looked like a “small, delightful, little ball with eyes.”
Your horoscope sign is Gemini (the twins), birthstone is the cultured pearl, and flower is the rose. As a baby you loved to be held, which partially explains why you are such an affectionate person now.
When you were born, your mom was only twenty-three years old; she began having children at a very young age, giving birth to Harry when she was twenty-one. These are the years when people typically explore the world, gain maturity, and figure out who they are and what they want to do and become. Parenthood requires an incredible amount of maturity and responsibility; something young people are not prepared for.
Your mother, Frances, a dark haired, hazel eyed, soft-spoken, petite (4’11”) Italian beauty who, unfortunately, had many bad things happen to her early on in life. She has a twin brother, Ronald, and three sisters, Beverly, Cathy, and Wendy, and an older brother, Chris. She also has three half brothers (Richard, Raymond and Paul) that were fathered by your Grandmother Margaret Frances Rager’s first husband; his last name was Tuttle.
Your mom was born on February 27, 1965 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. She was called “Sis” or Sissy” by her family members. Her father, Ronald Edward Jones, was a truck driver, who had a very difficult time controlling his temper, and when he drank alcohol, for which he had an addiction, he became quite abusive. So bad did it get, once he even tried to burn the house down while the rest of the family was still inside. Frances’ mother could also be abusive when under pressure or distraught. Consequently, at the age of eight, your mother, Frances, and her brothers and sisters were taken into CPS care and put into separate foster homes, while the three older half brothers remained with Grandmother Margaret. Frances was transferred from foster home to foster home. All in all she was in eleven different placements until she was placed with the Bazala family when she was fifteen. She was very happy with the Bazalas and remained with them until she turned eighteen. Frances was a beautiful child who excelled in writing and drawing. Her favorite color is purple. In your Life Book there are pictures of her growing up.
Eventually, your grandmother divorced Ronald and in 1979 married Kenneth Smith. In early 1980 all of her children were returned to her except Frances.
In a series of traumatic and life changing events, in October 1979 when Frances was only fifteen years old, she was sexually assaulted by some of her half brother’s friends. On June 24, 1980 she gave birth to your oldest brother, Timothy Joseph, who was adopted by her loving foster parents. This family has always called him “Timmy” and he lives in Mount Holly, North Carolina.
Frances finished high school in June 1983 at CalvaryChristianAcademy. In January 1984, at the age of eighteen, she married her first husband, Charles Borsari. On June 28, 1984 she gave birth to your oldest sister, Amanda Lynn Borsari, in Casa Grande, Arizona. Charles was a physically abusive and violent man, harming both Frances and baby Amanda (at ten days old) to the point where they required hospitalization. Amanda was removed from the home and was eventually adopted by Charles’ parents. Sometime in 1985 Frances and Charles divorced.
In late 1985 Frances first met your father, Harry Lee Morgan II, who was twenty-three years old (born July 13, 1962) in Pecos, Texas. Harry dropped out of school in the ninth grade. His nickname was “Bubba” and he had a tattoo on his right wrist that said “Cancer.” He led a dangerous lifestyle and was in trouble with the police and court system frequently. His criminal records reveal a long history of arrests, convictions and incarcerations for such things as shop lifting, robbery, larceny, burglary, sexual assault, drug possession, disorderly conduct, sale of narcotics, assault, trespassing and domestic violence.
In January 1986, because she had no place to live, Frances started living with Harry’s mother, Molly, in Eloy, Arizona. On May 9, 1987 your brother Harry Lee Morgan, III was born in a hospital in Florence, Arizona. Harry, III was a small cuddly child who reminded Frances of a teddy bear so she nicknamed him “Boo Boo” after the cartoon character Yogi Bear’s sidekick.
When you were born your brother Harry, Jr. was only thirteen months old and still in diapers, so Frances now had her hands full with two babies. Your father was usually in jail or seldom around.
One of your childhood milestones came very early—your firsttooth came in when you were only three and a half months old. Frances cut your beautiful locks for the first time at the age of six months.
In January 1989, Frances married Harry II while he was in prison. Tragically, that same month your mother was sexually assaulted by a man who had been your father’s cellmate named Charles Strange. She reported the assault to the police and this horrible man was convicted and is currently serving a life sentence in prison.
Frances was pregnant with your sister, Corisca, at the time of this violent act, causing her to be born on March 20, 1989, at twenty-eight weeks which is two months premature. Frances named her Carol Capri after two different cars and the family always called her “CC. ” Corisca was born with three kidneys and only weighed 2 pounds. She was so frail and sickly that she has to spend the first three months in the hospital. When Frances brought her home she made her a bed in a clothesbasket.
Your first word, uttered when you were nine or ten months old, was “sit.” Your second word was “eat.” When you were nine months old and still in a stroller, Frances took you and Harry Jr. to the Zoo.
Your favorite toy was a rattle with a teddy bear on it, which you shook vigorously, frequently hitting yourself in the head!
II.Age One (June 1989) to Age Two (June 1990)
Frances made a special time of your first birthday by letting you select your own cake—out of all of the colorful choices you pointed to the Snoopy cake.
At the age of fourteen months, you took your first step and learned to walk by pulling yourself up using the toilet and bathroom counter. Your mother was so excited that she started to squeal, which caused you to fall back down. Applesauce, Spaghetti-Os, and peas were some of your favorite dishes. While teething you really enjoyed chewing on an old toothbrush and a wet washcloth.
Though you were loved, things were never truly safe and secure around your house. Harry II lifestyle of abusing drugs and alcohol and creating a nightmare life for his family created a constant feeling of chaos.
Sometimes when people feel that their lives have many problems, they will drink alcohol or take drugs thinking that this will make the troubles go away. While it may “feel” that way for about an hour or so, the exact opposite is actually true. When people drink a lot of alcohol or take drugs they become tired, forgetful, very grouchy, nervous, and anxious… all of the things that make existing problems worse, not better. Unfortunately, this was the path your dad was on and your home life was very unstable. Frances, however, never abused drugs or alcohol and she was the bright spot in your early life.
In 1989, trying to make a better life for herself and her children, Frances went to data processing school to become a data processing specialist. She completed the year’s course with high marks. She also took a one-year course in dog grooming and opened her own shop that she called “Happy Tails.”
III.Age Two (June 1990) to Age Three (June 1991)
For your second birthday your mother made a special cake complete with cars, a road, and forest.
Sadly, there were still a lot of difficult and frightening moments ahead for you and your family. Your first memory was of your father and mother having a horrible physical fight. Harry II was a very aggressive man and continuously harmed and yelled at the whole family. Once he threw Harry III across the room dislocating his shoulder. On another occasion he shot Harry III in the ankle with a BB gun because he did not follow directions. He was particularly hard on Harry while you and Carol tried to stay far away from him. It seemed the only time your family found peace in the home was when Harry II was in prison.
In another unfortunate incident, Carol was attacked by a pit bull who bit her on the face, and even removed a part of her tiny nose.
IV.Age Three (June 1991) to Age Four (June 1992)
For your third birthday Frances surprised you with a cake decorated with the Power Rangers, as these were your favorite toys.
On July 11, 1991, two-year-old Carol was reaching for some pencils, which had fallen through the cushions of the couch, and she got her arm stuck. Frances tried to pull her arm out and, but did not realize that it was twisted and caught in the couch frame. She accidentally fractured Carol’s arm when she tried to pull it out. Understandably, Frances was beside herself. She grabbed Carol and ran with her all the way to the hospital where the emergency room staff fixed her fractured arm.
On August 24, 1991, your sister, Clarissa La’Taye Morgan, was born at CasaGrandeRegionalMedicalCenter. Clarissa was born on the same day that grandmother Margaret was born. The family nicknamed Clarissa “Pinky” because she sucked her thumb and when she did so her little pinky finger would stick straight out.
At some time during 1991, you were jumping from the couch to the coffee table and back and you fell and hit your head; the injury required stitches.
V. Age Four (June 1992) to Age Five (June 1993)
When you turned four years old, your birthday cake had Barney the Purple Dinosaur on it. Barney was your favorite cartoon character and wildly popular at that time.
In November 1992 your family moved from Eloy to Tucson. You attended preschool there and loved it, spending many hours playing and drawing with crayons.
For Christmas that year Frances found a white, two-year old poodle in the newspaper. Her name was Alexia and she was being given away to a family with children. Alexia came with her own puppy book. She was a wonderful, affectionate ball of white fur that liked children and women but, for some reason, not men. She loved to play with a ball. Frances loved to dress her up by tying a bow in Alexia’s hair and painting her toenails.
You have only good memories of your mother. She was fun to be around and she would laugh, sing, and draw. You have a happy memory of her making a tent out of chairs and sheets for you, your brother and sisters to play in, as well as cutting out pictures, using an iron to stencil them to the backside of tee shirts, and then painting the picture on the front.
There were trips to the park for picnics and to the library to find new adventures among the stacks of books. And when Harry II was not around, you went to the school or church on Wednesday nights for family night. Your home had a big aquarium that held three Oscar fish and you also had two iguana lizards named Bonnie and Clyde. Ever creative, Frances would put these iguanas in harnesses attached to leases and take them for a walk! One to always ruin a good thing, Harry II actually sold the two pet iguanas to get money so he could buy drugs.
Your family also had two cockatoos and two lovebirds. Although you were comfortable with birds and fish you were very frightened of stray dogs. You were also very frightened of heights.
You loved watching Sesame Street and the learning channel on television.
On January 23, 1993, your sister, Jasper, was born in Tucson, Arizona. Frances now had five children under the age of five to care for, almost completely by herself.
V. Age Five (June 1993) to Age Six (June 1994)
In September 1993 you started kindergarten at E.C.NashElementary School located at 515 West Kelso in Tucson. In kindergarten you drew your first cartoon figure and it was of Wilma from the Flintstones. Your second was of her funny husband, Fred Flintstone.
Frances loved to sew and made a lot of the clothes her children wore.
VI. Age Six (June 1994) to Age Seven (June 1995)
In September 1994 you entered first grade at E.C. Nash Elementary. It was there, in an after school program, that you first learned to swim.
In November, just before Thanksgiving, you lost your first tooth. Understandably, that year you were not interested in eating any turkey.
At the age of six you kissed your first girl. Her name was Anna and the two of you were great friends. You even pretended that the two of you were married.
VII. Age Seven (June 1995) to Age Eight (June 1996)
In September 1995 you entered 2nd grade at E.C. Nash Elementary.
Your family had a mother cat that gave birth to a litter of kittens. As toddlers, with no understanding about just how fragile little kittens are, Jasper squeezed one of the kittens so hard while trying to dress it in Barbie clothes that it died, and Carol drowned another one in the toilet.
During one of Harry II’s prison stays in early 1996, his cousin, Lovella Wilson (“Mocha”), lived with your family. Mocha has continued living with Frances even to the present day.
VIII. Age Eight (June 1996) to Age Nine (June 1997)
You began third grade at E.C. Nash in September 1996 but you only stayed until October because Harry II was being released from prison and he had threatened to kill the whole family. So after first giving Alexia away to some people who lived on a farm, your mother and Mocha gathered up you five small children and fled to Payson for three weeks. Victim’s Assistance had arranged for all of you to stay in a shelter in Payson, but Mocha got into a dispute with another woman at the shelter involving the TV remote control. This resulted in Mocha being arrested for disorderly conduct and having to spend a night in jail. The shelter then refused to let your family stay any longer, so all of you headed for Phoenix.
Upon arriving in the valley, Frances was faced with having to find employment so that she could support her five children, find descent housing, and take care of everyone. She was frightened, overwhelmed and depressed. For a time all five children, Mocha, and Frances were living out of their car.