Terence B. Foley, 67; scholar, musician

Terence B. Foley, 67, of Queen Village, a scholar, linguist and musician, died of cancer yesterday in hospice care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Foley moved to Philadelphia in 2003 when his wife, Amanda Bennett, began her three years as editor of The Inquirer. He taught journalism courses at Temple, Drexel, and La Salle Universities and played tuba and string bass with area Dixieland bands. He was a member of Local 77, American Federation of Musicians, Philadelphia.

Previously he and his wife lived in Kentucky, where he taught at the University of Kentucky for two years. "He was tough but fun," said Scoobie Ryan, coordinator for the school's journalism majors. "He had been everywhere and done everything," and yet, she said, he taught the basic-newswriting class with "passion and enthusiasm."

A native of Cincinnati, Dr. Foley dropped out of Ohio State University in 1959 to join the Navy. He later served in the Air Force. After his discharge, he earned a bachelor's degree in Chinese and Japanese studies from Columbia University. He later earned a doctorate in Asian studies from Columbia.

He worked for the Department of Corrections in Vermont and for the Departments of Agriculture in Vermont and Missouri. In the early 1980s, he opened one of the first U.S. trade offices in China, representing the American Soybean Association. While in China, he met his future wife, then a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.

After returning to the United States in 1985, Dr. Foley was a reporter in New York for the Wall Street Journal radio station; worked for the CNN Web site in Atlanta; and was a reporter for the Associated Press in Portland, Ore. In 1998, he and his wife coauthored In Memoriam, a literary guide to creating memorial services.

He knew a lot about classic American pop music and could talk about it all afternoon, said a friend, Frank Wilson. He also liked to read translations of Chinese poetry and could explain the imagery, said Wilson, The Inquirer's book editor.

Mr. Foley was treated for kidney cancer in 1999. The cancer spread to his lungs several months ago. "I last saw him on Sept. 29," Wilson said. "From his manner and high spirits, you'd have thought he was just trying to shake a cold. His sense of humor never abandoned him. "

In addition to his wife of 20 years, Dr. Foley is survived by a son, Terry, and a daughter, Georgia; four brothers; and a sister.

The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 313 Pine St., Philadelphia. Friends may call from 10 a.m.

Memorial donations may be made to the Terence Foley Fund, c/o Alix Bennett, 6 Harvest Dr., Pennington, N.J. 08534. The fund will benefit needy people in Philadelphia.