Lifetime measurements have been made in the neutron-deficient nucleus 109Te using the coincident recoil distance Doppler-shift method. The experimental B(E2) values have been compared with state-of-the-art shellmodel calculations using the monopole-corrected realistic charge-dependent Bonn nucleon-nucleon potential. Lifetimes in the νh11/2 band are consistent with an interpretation based on the deformation driving properties of a single valence neutron outside of the even-even tellurium core and highlight the unexpected presence of collective behavior as the N = 50 shell closure is approached. Lifetime measurements for the low-lying positive-parity states also appear to correlate well with shell-model calculations. In addition, a comparison with the proton-unbound nucleus 109I suggests that the presence of a single decoupled valence proton affects the total measured B(E2) strengths in a manner that is not currently well understood.