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First African American President of Tournament of Roses
Arcadia Weekly Jan 25, 2018
- Courtesy photo / Arcadia Blues Club
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2019 TOR President Gerald Freeny. – Courtesy photo
Gerald Freeny announces 2019 theme “The Melody of Life”
The Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Board of Directors has confirmed Gerald Freeny as President for the 2018-2019 Tournament of Roses year. Freeny will provide leadership for the 130th Rose Parade® January 1, 2019.
Freeny announced “The Melody of Life” as the Pasadena Tournament of Roses theme to encourage creativity in float entries, marching bands and equestrian participants. “The 2019 theme, ‘The Melody of Life,’ celebrates music, the universal language,” shared Freeny. “Music has the power to not only bring us together but take us back to memories and moments as nothing else can. Rhythm, melody, harmony and color all come together to create the soundtrack that defines our lives.”
Freeny has been a volunteer member of the Tournament of Roses Association since 1988. In addition to his many years of service in the Tournament of Roses, his community involvement has included; president of the San Gabriel chapter of NOBLE (National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives), the Pasadena Police Foundation Board, Pasadena Police Citizens Academy, Pasadena Rose Bowl Aquatics Board, University Club, Pasadena YMCA Board, Black Support Group at Cal State LA, Urban League Board of Governors, United Way Fundraising Committee, Toast Masters and the Pasadena NAACP. Freeny has been on the Advisory Board of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation since 2016, and is also a member of Legacy’s Museum Committee.
He attended Pasadena Christian School and John Muir High School in Pasadena, and received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from California State University, Los Angeles. Freeny is a member of both the Kappa Alpha Psi and Gamma Zeta Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi fraternities. Gerald resides in Altadena with his wife, Trina, and their daughter, Erica.
2019 Tournament of Roses President Gerald Freeny announced the leadership and organizational structure for the 2018-2019 Tournament of Roses. Terry Madigan, a volunteer member since 1993, was elected to the Executive Committee and will serve as the Tournament of Roses President in 2026. He will provide leadership for the 137th Rose Parade® and the 112th Rose Bowl Game® on January 1, 2026.
Madigan was appointed a Tournament of Roses Chair in 2010 and a Director in 2013. He has served as Committee Chair for Host, Judging, Parade Operations, and Special Events. Madigan has been Vice Chair for Float Entries and Post Parade and a committee member of Community Relations, Decorating Places, Equestrian, Formation, Parade Operations, Post Parade, and TV/Radio.
Professionally, Madigan is a Certified Personal Chef and owner of Just No Thyme®, a personal chef service serving Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley. Before turning his passion for cooking into a full-time profession, he had a career in marketing and communications.
In addition to his many years of service in the Tournament of Roses, Madigan is a member of the United States Personal Chef Association (USPCA), serving as a founding member of the Southern California Chapter where he served as President from 2012 to 2015 and organized the USPCA’s 2014 National Conference in Long Beach, CA. He also served as President of the Business Network International (BNI) Rose Bowl Chapter.
Madigan is a sixth-generation native Californian and grew up in the San Gabriel Valley. While attending South Pasadena High School, he drove the South Pasadena float in the Rose Parade, twice. Terry graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in political science and journalism from the University of Southern California and later graduated from the California School of Culinary Arts with a Diplôme in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts. Terry resides in South Pasadena with his husband, Kevin Sommerfield.
In addition, the following officers were elected to serve with Terry on the 14-member Executive Committee: Laura Farber, executive vice president; Robert B. Miller, treasurer; Amy Wainscott, secretary. Lance Tibbet, president of the 2018 Tournament of Roses, serves as past president.
Re-elected to the Executive Committee as vice presidents are Alex Aghajanian, Ed Morales and Mark Leavens. The five appointed at-large members are Zareh Baghdassarian, Teresa Chaure, James Jones, Janet Makonda and Herman Quispe. Freeny also announced the election of a new member to the Tournament of Roses board of directors, Ernesto Cardenas. For more information Candy Carlson, Tournament of Roses, ccarlson@tournamentofroses.com, or call (626) 449-4100.
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