Thomas Adamson Fernley Jr. ’32

Tom Fernley died Mar. 6, 1996, in Ponte Vedra, Fla., his winter home. He summered in Buck Hills Falls, Penn., where he moved upon retirement.

After he graduated from Princeton, Tom went into the family business of Fernley & Fernley, Inc., in Philadelphia, the oldest trade association management firm in the country. They were the headquarters of a number of trade associations, and Tom was executive secretary or managing director of several important national organizations. In our 25th yearbook he described the underlying purpose of these associations as pooling the views, experiences, and efforts of an industry, so as to produce more economical, efficient, and profitable operations. After his retirement in 1976, he remained a consultant for a number of years.

During WWII, Tom served on advisory committees connected with the War Production Board and the Office of Price Administration, he was also on the Natl. Distribution Council as adviser to the Secretary of Commerce.

In 1934 Tom married Ruth Allen, the mother of his children. She died in 1982. He is survived by his second wife, Helen; three children, Mary Elizabeth Cotton, Ruthanne Sharadin, and Thomas A. III; seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. To all of them, the class extends its sincere condolences.

The Class of 1932