Terry Gallagher has been a fan of boxing since he was a child but did not get his first taste of boxing until serving in the Navy. Gallagher served aboard the U.S.S. Shenandoah. In 1966, the U.S. Navy boxing team was assigned to the Shenandoah for several months and Gallagher became friends with the All Service welterweight boxing champion who worked with Gallagher and helped develop his interest in boxing.
Gallagher was a Parma Heights Police Officer for 25 years; sixteen as a detective and juvenile officer, which consisted of working with delinquent teens. Gallagher directed many of the juveniles to the Parma Boxing Club which was operated by Don Myers. Some of the youth stayed on and participated in the Cleveland Golden Gloves.
Many of these youngsters while training for the Ohio Police Olympics. He won the Gold Medal in 1982 and 1983 in the heavyweight division of the Ohio Police Olympics.
Gallagher retired in 1996 from the Parma Police Department when he was elected executive director of the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (O.P.B.A.) which is a police union that represents 7,500 police officers in Ohio. He retired from the O.P.B.A. after 16 years of service. He is still active as a trustee on the board. Gallagher belongs to numerous law enforcement and veterans organizations and he has served-on many of their executive boards.
Gallagher has played bagpipes as a member of the Greater Cleveland Police Pipes and Drums for 23 years.
Gallagher has been a member of the Ohio State Former Boxers for more than 20 years and is currently serving as treasurer. He served as secretary of the Amateur Boxers and Trainers Association, and is the former president of the Cleveland Area Golden Gloves.
An avid photographer, Terry is usually found at ringside at most amateur and professional fight shows taking photos of the action. His photos have been used in local newspapers and several boxing publications such as Ring Magazine, Boxing
World, and Boxing Illustrated.
Gallagher believes every amateur boxer who enters the ring in competition deserves to have a photo for their memories.
In 1986, he covered the heavyweight championship between champion Michael Dokes and Gerrie Coteze at the Richfield Coliseum. A photo of the knock out punch of Dokes made the cover of South African Boxing World.
Gallagher’s wife Carolyn Gay has always graciously endured sharing her time with Terry’s willingness to be active in his groups or organizations he belongs to. They have a married daughter Colleen, who lives in Arizona with three grand children and three sons; Scott married to Rene, Tom and Michael.