After Terman Middle School closed in the late 1970s, the city approved a lease/purchase of Terman’s athletic fields. Park dedication was in 1985. The Middle School reopened in early 2000. During school hours, the park is reserved for the exclusive use of the school.
Terman Middle School was named for Lewis M. Terman (1877-1956), a Stanford University psychology professor who studied intelligence in children. He adapted the Binet-Simon scale, which became known as the Stanford-Binet, and introduced the term intelligence quotient (IQ). His son, Frederick Terman, a Stanford engineering professor, was mentor to David Packard and William Hewlett. Many consider Frederick Terman the inspiration for Silicon Valley.