Thomas Ely Taplin Sr. ’42

Tom, a generous philanthropist, died June 5, 2007, in Denver after a long illness.

Tom prepared at Phillips Andover Academy. At Princeton, he earned honors in history and was a member of Charter Club. During World War II he served as an Army B-24 bomber pilot in the Pacific theater.

In 1950, after a stint in the family coal business in Cleveland, Tom moved to Denver, where he was owner and president of a plastics-molding company. Two years later he married Beatrice B. Britton, who bore him four sons, Thomas Jr., Theodore, Britton, and Frank. Tom retired from manufacturing in 1960 to manage family investments. He was a director of the North American Coal Corp. (NACCO Industries).

Tom spent a lot of his life helping disadvantaged youngsters. He was an early contributor and a trustee of the Boys’ Clubs of Denver. He contributed to Children’s Hospital and gave scholarships to Denver public schools and Metropolitan State College of Denver. He endowed four chairs at the Colorado Health Sciences Center. All of this philanthropy was done without fanfare. Interested in private education, he was a trustee of Denver Country Day School.

To Bea and her wonderful family, the class extends its deepest condolences.