Thomas C. Garrity ’59

Tom died May 25, 2006, at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Few of us knew Tom. He left Princeton early in our sophomore year, when he roomed briefly with Stu Hutchinson and Dave West. Born in Kansas City, Mo., he came to Princeton from Palm Beach High School following his family's move to Florida. According to Dave West, Tom was a prominent member of the freshman golf team, a point borne out by his later career accomplishments.

After leaving Princeton, Tom attended the University of Missouri, where he also excelled at golf. His obituary in the Kansas City Star notes that he "dominated the Kansas City golf scene in the late 1950s . . . played on the PGA Tour in 1960 and 1961, but . . . gave up tournament golf to establish a stable environment for his family." He then earned a degree in landscape engineering from the University of Florida, became a golf course architect, and later moved into executive positions in the golf equipment industry.

Tom is survived by his wife, Joanne; his daughter, Anne; his son, Jeff Goss; a sister; a brother; and two grandchildren, to all of whom the class extends its sympathy.