Born and raised in Charleston, W.Va., Tom graduated from Stonewall Jackson High School before entering Princeton in July 1944. He served in the Army in 1946-47. Tom graduated in 1949, majoring in English with a focus in the American Civilization Program, and took his meals at Cloister Inn.
After a brief stint in insurance. Tom used his remaining GI Bill entitlement to go to Europe in May 1951, enrolling at the University of Heidelberg to study German literature and history. He fell “irrevocably under the spell of Alt-Europa,” inspired by his love of the German language and a developing interest in art history.
Tom returned to Princeton in 1959 to study in the department of art history, finding that “studying under new professors in a totally different field rendered the experience fresh and stimulating.” He wrote his dissertation under Professor Robert Rosenblum.
Tom’s career was centered at the University of California, Riverside, as a professor of art history, including a brief period as department chair. His focus was on European art and theory of the neoclassical period. He also gave numerous lectures on Bavarian and Austrian rococo churches.
Tom was an avid follower of the history of California, a collector of Stickley furniture, and a collector of both European prints and art nouveau ceramics.
Tom and his wife Suzanne (now deceased), who also taught at UCR, retired to Ashland, Ore. Still, when Tom retired, students organized a petition to ask him to continue teaching.