Deceased June 24, 2012
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In Memory
When Tom arrived in Amherst in the fall of 1939, the class went through a three- or four-day rushing period when we joined various fraternities or remained independent. Tom joined DU, was a varsity swimmer and was a very active member of various DU teams in the college’s intermural athletic program.
Tom went through the 90-day Wonder Program at Notre Dame University. After having attended PT boat school at Newport, R.I., he joined PT Squadron 11 in the South Pacific—both Bob Fitzgibbon ’43 and Comp Swanson ’43 were in the same outfit. He spent two and a half years in the South Pacific and came back to the PT base in Newport, where Walt McNiff ’43 was also located. He ended his career separating officers at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
He left the navy in June 1946. He then had a brief period working for Publicker Industries. He left Publicker to pursue a sales position with Armstrong Tool Co. in June 1947. Tom enjoyed a long career with Armstrong Tool Co., retiring in late 1991 as general sales manager.
He met his future wife, Nancy, while in Philadelphia. They were married in June 1949.
He and Nancy had twin sons, Tom Jr. and Jeff, and a daughter, Cindy. Cindy is married and raised two children in Winnetka, Ill., near her dad. Tom Jr. lives in Minneapolis and worked for an industrial supply company. Jeff lives in Verona, N.J., and worked in his dad’s company. Tragedy hit the family in 1991, when Nancy succumbed to cancer in September. They had been married for 42 years.
Tom remarried and divided his time between Winnetka, Ill., and Skidaway Island in Savannah, Ga. He played a lot of golf and enjoyed his quiet life. I talked on the phone with Tom a couple of years ago and found him in poor health.
Monty Hankin ’43