Thomas B. Young ’64

Tom died April 23, 2025.

He was born in Hartford, Conn., and raised in Cadiz, Ohio, where he was valedictorian of his high school class. At Princeton, he graduated with honors in English and wrote a novel, “Some Lovely Glorious Nothing,” for his thesis. His roommates and best friends for many decades after Princeton comprised a group he described as “from Jersey, two Catholics and a Jew, and I the token Methodist from Cadiz, Ohio.”

Tom received an MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a Ph.D. in English from Ohio State University. In Iowa City, he grew the beard he’d have for the rest of his life and met his first wife, Jane. He taught at the University of Hawaii, Mercer University, Pima Community College, and Central Michigan University, where he met his second wife, Kathy. They moved to Columbus, Ohio, so he could teach at Ohio State. In 1985, he began a stint as a computer programmer at the Defense Logistics Agency that lasted until his retirement in 1998. Among his published works are a novel titled Binary Alliances and a poetry collection, Down and Out in Macon and Tucson.

Tom was an avid talker, punster, ham radio operator, baseball fan, and player of computer games. He enjoyed a good beer or a fine bourbon and a hearty laugh.

He is survived by Kathy; daughter Sarah, five grandchildren; and his first wife, Jane. The class extends profound condolences to them all.