Tom F. Marsh ’63

Tom died Oct. 15, 2021, at home in Dallas, surrounded by family. His life was marked by an adventurous, entrepreneurial spirit that led to years of success in oil exploration and other businesses.

Tom was born in Amarillo, Texas, and came to Princeton from Amarillo High School. He graduated from the Woodrow Wilson School, was a member of Dial Lodge, and roomed senior year with Funkhouser, Burruss, and Snow.

Soon after graduation, Tom married his hometown sweetheart, Charlene. They moved to Dallas, where he started his own exploration business. In time, his ventures expanded to include operating television affiliates and co-founding the first commercial feedlot in Texas. He also served on multiple boards and was involved in numerous educational, medical, and arts institutions. Throughout, he remained the modest, unassuming, humorful guy his classmates remember: He liked to quip that he had drilled dry holes in 19 states and seven foreign countries.

During their 58 years of marriage, Tom and Charlene made Dallas their home although they twice lived in New York, traveled frequently to Europe and Asia, and took their children on hiking trips all over the world. Still, no place was more special than their family ranch in northern New Mexico on the Mora River, where they enjoyed hunting, fishing, horseback adventures, and long, chatty dinners.

The class extends sympathies to Charlene, their three children, and 10 grandchildren.