Tom and I were classmates at Our Lady of Providence High School in Clarksville, Indiana.  He was one of the smartest and wittiest guys I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.  It was a delight to do things with him but a challenge to keep up with him.  It took me awhile to adjust to the fact that pretty much anything I could do, he could do better.  Yet he was never vain or boastful.  He introduced me to the joys of canoeing, a pastime that has given me some of the happiest times of my life. I know of only one dumb thing he ever did, as I did it with him.  We got together once in our early twenties, swapped stories, and drank an entire bottle of Irish Mist Liqueur, not realizing how much higher alcohol content liqueurs contain as opposed to beer or wine.  Next day we both had terrible hangovers and realized we were not yet as sophisticated as we thought we were.  Though I haven't had any contact with Tom in decades, I always remember him as a brilliant classmate, a good friend, and a natural leader.  It gives me great sadness to learn of his passing. But, if his descendants turn out to be anything like him, they will be a blessing to all who have the privilege of knowing them and will help make the world a better place.

I'm so sorry to read of Tom's passing. We were fellow students at the University of Dayton. He arrived at Stanford a year before I graduated and he was a major influence for my attending Stanford. During our three overlapping years there we spent a lot of time together doing a lot of hiking trips and other outings. Tom got me into the campus house we both lived in during my first year of graduate school. I have always been grateful for the help he gave me during that period and I had hoped to see him again. He was a wonderful person and so helpful for my adjustment from rural Ohio to Stanford.