Thomas Shelby Farmer *53

On Nov. 1, 2022, Tom died in New Orleans, where he was born Sept. 2, 1931. He was 91.

After earning a bachelor’s degree from Tulane in 1952, Tom completed a master’s degree in chemical engineering at Princeton in 1953. He served in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps from 1953 to 1955 during the Korean War. In 1966, he earned an MBA from Cornell. 

During his 60-year career in chemical engineering, Tom served as vice president of Hanlin Chemicals, president of Hooker Chemicals International, and president of Borg-Warner Chemicals and Plastics, as well as vice president-Europe and head of research U.S. at Esso Chemical. He retired from the URS Corp. in 2014. He served on the board of Winnebago and held board directorships  in Japan. 

Tom strongly identified as an engineer. He believed that the concrete and tangible mattered over the fictitious or wished-for. Considering himself a lifelong learner with a beginner’s mind, he taught himself computer hardware and programming in his 60s and 70s.

Predeceased by his former wife Ann Wood Farmer, Tom is survived by his wife, Ann de Montluzin Farmer; his children, Jeanne, Jack, Thomas, Buck, and Shelby; two step-grandchildren; and a step-great-grandchild. 

Graduate alumni memorials are prepared by the APGA.