Terese Carol Aronoff Karmel of Storrs, Conn., passed away Dec. 26, of congestive heart failure. She was 78.
Karmel, a freelance writer who had many pieces published in BloodHorse, was known as "T.C." to her friends and family. T.C. was a prominent writer, journalist, and educator in Connecticut for nearly a half-century.
She was a reporter for the Hartford Courant, columnist and features editor for the Willimantic Chronicle. She also wrote for Connecticut magazine and covered the UConn women's basketball team for the Meriden Record-Journal. She is the author of "Hoop Dreams: UConn Huskies Women's Basketball (2005)". T.C. was passionate about the many different activities and interests that characterized her extraordinary life.
Karmel was born in Washington, D.C. June 16, 1939. She grew up in Washington and earned a B.A. in journalism from George Washington University. She later earned an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Connecticut. At George Washington, she served as a chief editor of the student newspaper, the GW Hatchet. Karmel started work as a reporter with the Hartford Courant covering local news out of the Mansfield bureau in the early 1970s.
Soon she became a pioneering female sports reporter, covering Connecticut teams such as the Bristol Red Sox and Hartford Whalers. Karmel also taught English at Eastern Connecticut State University and sports reporting at UConn. She was also an adviser in UConn's journalism department.
Karmel enjoyed Thoroughbred horse racing, Thoroughbred horses, and especially Saratoga Race Course, where she visited annually. She was also a partner in the Thoroughbred stable "The Write Stuff," along with fellow writers and she often wrote about horses and the horse racing industry.
Karmel was a loving daughter, mother, grandmother, and sister. She is survived by her two children, Dr. James R. Karmel of Abingdon, Md., and Dr. Allison Karmel Thomason of Clayton, Mo., and their spouses Lisa Archer Karmel and Todd Thomason. She is also survived by her brother, Martin J. Aronoff of Washington, D.C.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Karmel's name to: Old Friends at Cabin Creek, 483 Sand Hill Road Greenfield Center, NY 12833 https://oldfriendsatcabincreek.com/, or the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, 103 Vision Way, Bloomfield, CT 06002 http://www.fidelco.org/
For one of Karmel's BloodHorse stories on Funny Cide co-owner Dave Mahan, click here.
