Tom came to Princeton from Hammond (Ind.) High School. He majored in the Woodrow Wilson School and roomed with the late Lutz Berkner, Bob Constable, Tom Dorris, Dave Frantz, and Peter Brownrigg. He was advertising manager of The Daily Princetonian and manager of the Student Banner Agency. After earning an MBA from the University of Chicago, he pursued his interest in advertising and marketing while working for Procter & Gamble for 10 years in Germany and Venezuela.
Tom and Sue, his high school sweetheart, were married days before his graduation from Princeton and were inseparable for the next 55 years. Upon returning from overseas, they founded and for 30 years operated businesses in Houston: Electra Start of Houston, Mobile Car Doctor, and Car Doctor Collision.
Tom pursued his interests in tennis, fishing, animals, and automobiles with the same boundless energy that he devoted to his family and businesses. He and Sue had two children, Peter and Christina, who have given them four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Tom had a passion for life and devoted a great deal of attention to passing on that passion to his children and grandchildren.