Editor’s note: This story is part of an occasional series that highlights groups and people worth knowing in Milwaukee. To nominate a person or a group, email [email protected] and put “Spotlight” in the subject line. Dr. Terence N. Thomas (far right) is pictured with his family. Patricia Pattillo (far left) and Speech (second from right) helped set up the scholarship fund after Thomas died of a sudden asthmatic attack. (Photo provided by the Milwaukee Community Journal) “My grandma’s passed, my brother is gone Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing! I’ve never at once felt so alone” Todd Thomas, aka “Speech” from Arrested Development, wrote these words as part of the song “Tennessee” after losing both his grandmother and brother within days of each other. Speech’s vulnerability was felt by the country as well, as “Tennessee” became a hit single, topping at No. 6 on Billboard’s Top 100 and winning the Grammy Award for best Rap Performance from a Duo or Group in 1993. However, the memory of Speech’s brother continues to live in Milwaukee through the Dr. Terence N. Thomas Scholarship Fund. Since beginning in 1992, it’s given away over $1 million in stipends to low-income students and students of color in Milwaukee. The fund honors Thomas, Speech’s brother and a Milwaukee-born doctor who died from an asthmatic attack in 1991. Patricia Pattillo, publisher of the Milwaukee Community Journal and Thomas’ mother, organized the scholarship to preserve the memory of her son and to help Milwaukee’s young people have the educational opportunities Thomas valued. “He was raised to pay it forward,” Pattillo said of her son’s willingness to give back to the community that raised him. “And through the scholarship he is paying it forward to these young people who will then pay it forward after they get their education.” A Milwaukee native, Thomas was a high achiever from the beginning. His mother said he had an interest in medicine since his early days, and he eventually made it to med school at Michigan State to study. After graduating, he began residency at a hospital in Flint, Michigan. He planned to come back to Milwaukee after completing his residency. Thomas heads out for a trip. The scholarship fund that bears his name has given away more than $1 million to Milwaukee youth. (Photo provided by the Milwaukee Community Journal) In his first year of residency, Thomas’ grandmother died. At the funeral in Tennessee, Pattillo said Thomas reflected on the fragility of life. “He had such deep regret that his grandma had not seen any more of what he would do,” Pattillo said. “He made sure that what he had been given was returned to this community.” However, days after returning home from the funeral, Thomas suffered a fatal asthmatic attack. He was only 29. On the night he learned of Thomas’ death, Speech went into the basement and began to write what would become the song “Tennessee.” “That song, and the album, speaks to what we were going through at the time,” Pattillo remembered. “As well as what we’re going through right now in Kenosha, Milwaukee, Chicago and all of our cities.” As the family worked through the double tragedy of losing Thomas and his grandmother, Pattillo was thinking about how Thomas lived his life. “As we began to think about how best to remember him, we thought of how important education was to him and how determined he was to give back,” she said. The scholarship offers a $2,000 annual stipend for college students. One recipient is Truscenialyn Brooks-Williams, who received the scholarship for four years of undergraduate studies at Marian University of Fond du Lac and three years at University of Wisconsin Law School. When she was young, Brooks-Williams wanted to be a doctor in order to spend her life helping people, but after watching Maxine Shaw use her law degree for good on the show “Living Single,” Brooks-Williams began to think about a career in law. “Maxine was the first Black attorney I remember seeing, real or otherwise,” said Brooks-Williams. “After taking classes in writing and public speaking, I started to think that maybe I could help people as a lawyer.” Brooks-Williams said the scholarship made the difference between having to pick up another job while in school and being able to focus solely on her studies and legal work. “We want our students to be able to focus completely on their education,” said Pattillo. “We tell our students ‘your job is to get an education, we’ll figure out the money.’” Brooks-Williams now works as a civil rights attorney, where she helps employees being fired over race, gender or sexuality issues file lawsuits or enter into confidential mediation with their employer.