Thomas G. Plate *69

Tom died of natural causes in Los Angeles, May 23, 2023.

Born in New York May 17, 1944, he graduated from Amherst in 1966, and earned an MPA at the Woodrow Wilson School in 1969.

Tom published books, became a syndicated columnist, and taught journalism and Asian Pacific American studies. He held editorial positions at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Family Weekly, Time, and New York Magazine. He founded Newsday’s Sunday Ideas section. In 1989, the Los Angeles Times hired Tom as editor of the editorial section.

Early in his journalism career, Tom became dedicated to studying Asia at a time when American media appeared more focused on Europe and the Middle East.

In 1994, he left journalism to teach at UCLA and later at Loyola Marymount University. He founded the nonprofit Asia Pacific Media Network to help readers and students learn about the region and its impact in the United States. In an interview in 2018, Tom predicted, “It’s going to be a world where China, India, and the rest of Asia [are] going to be the big deal like the U.S. was in the 20th century.”

Tom is survived by his wife, Andrea: daughter Ashley; and two grandchildren.

Graduate alumni memorials are prepared by the APGA.