In an earlier day, Andree Terry would have been known as Andree the Soap Maker. You know, like the tent maker or the candle stick maker.
   

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She makes clean, pure soap which is good for your skin. Not like what you probably have been bathing with for years. Go to the grocery store and buy a bar of soap with a familiar label and chances are that you are getting little more than animal fat and/or petroleum products.
   When you check into a hotel -- even one that carries a prestigious name -- and step into the shower, when the suds cascade down your body, you might consider singing, ''Ol McDonald had a farm,'' because you are getting a washing down with a lot of animal fat.
   If you can't hear the pig grunting when you are in the shower, you might hear a V-8 engine purring as you lather up.
   The reason I know about Andree's soap is that my wife put a bar in my shower and admonished me to use it. No question asked. With a farm background, I have never been much on lotions and creams. A woman is different. She wants her body to look good and smell good even if she is the only one who knows.
   Of course, Andree's husband, Dennis, whose family started Terry Development Co., is the epitome of a ''man's man.'' At first he showed little or no interest in what she was doing. But since he does a lot of walking in his work as a golf tournament official, he naturally comes down with sore feet. Bathing and soaking them with Andree's soap have given his feet new life.
   ''I wash my hair in the soap,'' Andree said. ''It is good for your scalp.''
   She also washes her dogs in the soap. ''Dogs need their skin taken care of, just like humans,'' she laughed.
   There are many people in Athens who have found out about Andree's soap and have become avid customers. She has never wanted to get too commercial, but she sees that coming and is about to incorporate and step up production.
   ''I've mostly made the soap for my family and have given it to my friends,'' Andree said. ''I had no interest in getting involved for business, but if I can develop a small commercial operation and sell some soap, maybe Dennis and I could take a nice trip sometime. I enjoy people and like for them to feel good about the soap they are using.
   ''I'll never be big. I just wouldn't want all that stress and pressure.''
   Neiman Marcus wanted to make a deal with her but it was just too much.
   ''I designed a line for them, but they wanted an initial order of 10,000 sets. That would be too much,'' she said.
   The way Neiman's found out about her product came about when she took some of her soap to a friend who took it to buyers at Neiman's. They probably got interested when they found out the names of fragrances such as almond with oatmeal, fresh herbs with dill, oatmeal and honey, spiced vanilla, summer floral with calendula petals, tangerine smoothie and orange blossom.
   Her information brochure says ''this soap recipe was created for anyone wishing mild and gentle cleansing without petroleum or animal fat products.''
   Her mother had skin cancer as well as thyroid cancer and the doctors could not do anything for her rough and cracked skin. Realizing that Europeans seem to have smoother and more attractive skin, Andree began to look into developing a soap for her mother. Her soap is based on European recipes.
   ''I have included grapeseed oils and safflower oils processed at very low temperatures in order to provide anti-oxidant vitamins and beneficial elements. Colorants are from plant pigments,'' she said.
   Andree grew up in Rossville and is a cousin of former University of Georgia coach Dicky Clark. She entered UGA at age 16 and graduated at 19. With a fellowship, she got a master's a year later.
   ''I'll always be grateful to the university for letting me come early,'' she said. ''I am a devoted Bulldog fan and can't imagine ever living anywhere than in this wonderful community.''
   Her Web site address is andreeterry@aol.com and mailing address is P.O. Box 1612, Athens, GA 30603.
    Loran Smith is executive secretary of the Georgia Bulldog Club. Write him at P.O. Box 1472, Athens, GA 30603; e-mail: virna@sports.uga.edu.