Dr. Weston T. “Terry” Brooks was born in Houston, Texas and served in the U.S. Army for three years.  He graduated from Sam Houston State College and earned a doctorate at Texas A&M University in 1964.  He later taught at East Tennessee State University, where he was director of teacher education and coordinator of industrial technology.

Dr. Brooks joined the University of Memphis in 1967 as chairman of what was then the Department of Industrial Technology and immediately began work organizing the department and recruiting students to fill it.  He was chairman until 1987, then held that position again from 1991 until he retired in 1995.

During his tenure, Dr. Brooks formed consulting and research ties with several local and national corporations, including Whirlpool, Carrier Corporation, and Sharp Manufacturing.  He also raised several thousand dollars in grants from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation.

Dr. Brooks was always known for being student-oriented and was always concerned about the well-being of students.