Wrangling Snakes and Lost Money

By Ysabel Bilbao

View pictures from the signing.

Terry Armstrong. Just how do you sum up the 6-foot, 8-inch tall man who has touched so many lives around the state of Idaho?

He’s a hard person for someone else to fully capture in one short story. That’s why he’s telling his own history in his memoir, "Wrangling Snakes: Reminiscences of an Idaho Teacher." The funny, laugh-out-loud book is a hot commodity. The retired College of Education professor is modest about his work, but book buyers in Boise recently proved otherwise.

Armstrong was in the capital city for a scheduled book signing at the new VandalStore. Early in the day, he entertained television reporters and their thousands of viewers with stories of his Found Money Fund. The frugal U-Idaho faculty member found three pennies back in the 80s and now has turned that change into nearly $300,000 so far.

Armstrong also talked about his book, which rounds up memorable and hilarious stories from his life that he had originally written down for his two grandchildren. The high-school-teacher-turned-university-professor is so popular his private tales are wanted by the public.

After all the interviews and visits to old colleagues in Boise, Armstrong wandered the VandalStore on Idaho Street checking out the merchandise. As he made his way through the aisles of Vandal gear, Armstrong commented to those around that he worried the 46 copies shipped to Boise were probably too many. “I’ll be lucky to sell five,” he said with a skeptical tone in his voice. Was he ever wrong!

On the very cold, snowy, and frigid December night, Armstrong’s books sold out. Former students from his more than 50 years of teaching in Caldwell, Boise, Salmon and Moscow filled the store all wanting a copy of Armstrong’s memoir. Before his book signing was halfway over, the book was sold out and a waiting list had been started.

“This all just tickles me,” he said in a much more relaxed and delighted tone than before. Copies could be seen in hands of people as they walked down the street. Inside the front cover were personal messages written by Armstrong to each individual buyer, all of whose lives he had touched at some point.

Despite publishing a memoir and having rounded out a full career, Armstrong’s work is not complete. His passion to help students continues. All proceeds from the book sales will go to the Found Money Fund. By 2089, the University of Idaho’s bicentennial, interest from the fund will help finance special projects and trips for students. At that time, what started out as 3 cents is expected to grow to more than $1 million.



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