A Statement on the Passing of Terrence Clarke '20

Our community is devastated by the news of the passing of Terrence Clarke ’20, who sustained fatal injuries from a car accident in Los Angeles last night. He was just 19 years old.

To the world, Terrence was a star on the basketball court, an icon in the communities he was involved with, on a path to college and NBA stardom. To us here at Brewster Academy, he was a friend, a student, and, yes, also a valued member of the prep basketball team. He arrived at Brewster as a sophomore, and quickly became a light to all who knew him with his open, positive nature and his truly infectious smile. 

Jason Smith, Prep Basketball Head Coach, said today, “Terrence had a magnetic personality and charisma that would command any room he entered. He had a profound impact on our community and program in the two years he was at Brewster. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, teammates, and all the lives this tragedy has impacted.” 

Terrence’s teachers are remembering their time with him in our classrooms. “He was an enormous presence in the classroom,” history teacher T.J. Palmer recalled today. “His enthusiasm and energy really did match his stature. He loved a good debate in history and made each class richer just being in it.”

Terrence had recently completed his freshman season at the University of Kentucky in Louisville, and was preparing for the NBA Draft. 

All of us who knew Terrence here at Brewster grieve the loss of this incredible young man, and we embrace his family with support and love at this terrible time.

—Craig Gemmell.