Thomas F. Merrill ’54

Tom died Jan. 15, 2021. 

At Blair Academy he was active in football and swimming, glee club, choir, publications, and volunteer programs, and was senior-class president. 

At Princeton he majored in English in the American Civilization Program, writing his senior thesis on “Religious Aspects of Eugene O’Neill.” He served on the 1954 Freshman Student Council and sang in the Freshman Glee Club, the Nassoons, and the Octet. He joined Tower Club. Classmates remember him as totally focused on his major in English literature, quiet yet charismatic, and a talented musician and pianist with a fine voice.

After service in the Air Force, he earned a master’s degree in English at the University of Nebraska, where he met his wife, Mary Jane, and then received a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin. 

Tom spent most of his career as an English professor at the University of Delaware. He enjoyed traveling the U.S. and Europe with his family. He was also an accomplished artist, writer, and a lifelong swimmer. 

Survivors include his wife, Mary Jane; three children, Kimberly, Elizabeth, and Patrick; three grandchildren; one great-grandson; and daughter-in-law Jenny Merrill. Tom was predeceased by his two sisters and his son Charles.