Thomas R. Poole ’58

Tom died June 28, 2016, in Armidale, Australia, after a 10-year battle with prostate cancer.

He was a graduate of the Nott Terrace High School in Schenectady, N.Y. Tom majored in history and ate at Quadrangle Club. He was a member of Whig-Clio and the Campus Fund Drive. He was vice president his junior year and president his senior year of the International Relations Club. His senior-year roommates were Adkins, Farrin, Leslie, Rankin, and Zilkha.

He joined the Army and studied Russian at the Army language school in Monterey, Calif. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Kansas and a doctorate at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

After spotting an ad in The New York Times announcing that the University of Queensland was looking for a lecturer in Russian history, he moved to Australia. He taught at the university from 1974 until he retired in 2001. His research interests were Trotsky and Russo-Australian relations, and he wrote and edited various publications on those subjects.

In retirement he became interested in woodworking and was active in Care for Seniors, tennis, gardening, and Rotary Club.

Tom is survived by his wife of 48 years, Heidi; his daughters, Alix, Melissa, and Kim; sons-in-law; and six grandchildren. The class extends its condolences to them.