Ex-SBDC director Sullivan dead at 74

Terry Sullivan retired from the SBDC in 2002 after more than 10 years as the organization's director at DACC. The SBDC is a partnership of the US Small Business Administration, the state of New Mexico, the New Mexico Association of Community Colleges and the private sector. With 19 centers across the state, the SBDC offers free workshops, counseling and guidance for business owners, prospective owners and managers.

"Terry was a great guy and had a lot of expertise in finance," said Fred Owensby, who became the director at DACC after Sullivan retired. He said that both he and Sullivan had backgrounds in banking and he would ask Sullivan for advice. "He was somewhat of a mentor for me. I was new in the SBDC about 10 years ago. I was pretty new to the consulting game so I'd visit with him at quarterly SBDC meetings."

Roy Miller, state director of the SBDC, said Sullivan helped shape the SBDC into the organization it is today.

"Terry was one of the first small business development directors in the state," Miller said. "He was a good friend and a good SBDC director. He had a really good reputation. Terry was a great guy."

Glenda Sullivan said her husband was well known for his love of golf.

"He said, "In business, you have to have clients and the best place to pick up a client is on the golf course,'" she said.

She said Sullivan was born in Brown County, Kan., and that he worked in banking in Colorado before he moved to southern New Mexico.

A service is planned for 10 a.m. on Friday at the Keys Baptist Church in Keys, Okla., and a Rosary Mass is planned for 10:30 a.m. at St. Ignatius Church in Neodesha, Kan.

Brook Stockberger can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it