Terry Foody


Terry Foody



Speaker and Author


Get in touch with Terry

About Terry



Terry Foody, RN, MSN, is a public speaker, historian, author and avid cross country runner. Terry has worked in community health, taught nursing at Kentucky State University, and coordinated research projects for new medicines/treatments at the University of Kentucky. A native of Elmira, New York, her maternal line traces to Bourbon County, firmly rooting her in the Kentucky Bluegrass.


NEW! On International Women’s Day 2026, Terry's contributions to Lexington history were honored at the "Stand with HER Story" initiative sponsored by the Lexington League of Women Voters. Local TV coverage features a brief interview with Terry HERE.


SPEAKING TOPICS

  • Infectious Disaster: 1833 Cholera Epidemic in Lexington, KY
  • Kinsmen in Words: Cherokee Sequoyah & Howard Gratz
  • Search for Ancestors Land: New Yorker Finds Old Kentucky Home
  • What’s in Wolf Run Water: Community Health Impact Survey
    See "Speaking" below to find out how to bring Terry
    to your club or organization.


​NON-FICTION BOOKS by Terry Foody

  • The Pie Seller, the Drunk and the Lady: Heroes of the 1833 Cholera Epidemic in Lexington, Kentucky. Lessons for Our Global Health Today. (2014)
  • The Cherokee and the Newsman: Kinsmen in Words. The Story of Sequoyah, inventor of the Cherokee alphabet and his half-nephew, Howard Gratz, editor of the Kentucky Gazette. (2017)

Homepage cholera epidemic image from Le Petit Journal, 1912: ""Turkish army defeated by cholera, not by enemy fire."
​
Terry Foody photograph at left courtesy of Lexington Herald-Leader.



Read more about Terry Foody

"Terry Foody achieves the perfect cross section
of well researched analysis and good story telling in her presentations. Her mastery of the subject matter and genuine enthusiasm for it keep audiences engaged
and wanting more."



Brian Cushing, Executive Director Shelby County Historical Society



Books by Terry Foody



Engaging Historical Non-Fiction.
Contact Terry for special book rates for groups/classes.



The Pie Seller, the Drunk and the Lady: Heroes of the 1833 Cholera Epidemic in Lexington, Kentucky. Lessons for Our Global Health Today.



Before there was covid, there was Cholera! During the 19th century cholera raged through the United States several times with high fatality rates. Foody poignantly describes this civic devastation and the crucial deeds of the freed Black woman, the homeless workman and the founder of the Orphan Asylum during a summer with 500 deaths. Despite great medical advances, cholera is still a worldwide killer.


Buy the book directly from Terry here. Or choose to buy from Amazon with link below. (To get a personally signed book through Amazon be sure to select NEW.)


Buy Now - Amazon Buy from Author

The Cherokee and the Newsman: Kinsmen in Words. The Story of Sequoyah and his half-nephew, Howard Gratz.



The true story of Sequoyah (George Gist), inventor of the Cherokee written language and his half-nephew, Henry Howard Gratz, editor of the Kentucky Gazette. From articles, letters, and interviews, travel to the forefront of American history - interactions with Washington, Jackson, and Lincoln. Foody illuminates Sequoyah and Gratz’s connection to timely topics: a free press, slavery, indigenous rights, and race relations.


Buy the book directly from Terry here. Or choose to buy from Amazon with link below. (To get a personally signed book through Amazon be sure to select NEW.)


Buy Now - Amazon Buy from Author

Terry Foody with a young fan at book signing. Terry is interested in speaking at your meeting. Virtual meeting options are available.



Terry is ready to bring her fascinating characters and personal perspective to your organization for a live or virtual talk. Popular presentation topics include her books and a range of historic and environmental topics. Contact Terry for special rates for groups/classes.


Terry is on the Kentucky Humanities Speakers Bureau. ​You can hire Terry through Kentucky Humanities at www.kyhumanities.org, or choose to contact her directly below.


Contact Terry

"I read four hours straight to finish the book last night.
You write very, very well and your research is impeccable and the style - just one of the best books I've read! Your years of
working on it and researching it are very impressive.
Thank you for a wonderful read!"



Jeanette Lucas on "The Pie Seller, the Drunk and the Lady" ​
Board of Directors, ​Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, Lexington, Kentucky


Email: terryfoody@juno.com
Office: 859-277-5291

Photo courtesy KET: Kentucky History Magazine





Contact Terry



© Terry Foody



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