From Tom's teacher at SSU - Steve Norwick

I was very saddened to hear of Tom’s death. Like so many people, I had not
seen him in a long time. I had just asked Marty Roberts for Tom’s phone
number about 3 weeks ago, and I was going to call him, of course, but I
had not for all those reasons. I do not know how many of his teachers
remember him. He was not very talkative in the classroom or on a field
trip. Even at a party, he did not open up much to the faculty members. And
you must remember that in the days of the CORE, with the exception of Ken
Stocking, the faculty were only a few years older than the students. It
was only years later, at parties and chance meetings, that I got to know
Tom at all. I discovered he was a searcher, something that I admire
although I am not one, or so I claim. He read widely and somewhat
indiscriminately, or so it seemed to me. I also read widely, though I
always pretend there is method in my breadth of interests. We always had
something interesting to talk about. I remember how I tried to explain how
the CORE’s interest in complex feedback systems had caused me to change
from being a stochastic computer modeler to a deterministic computer
modeler, and I now teach a course and have written a textbook on the
subject. Though it sounds strange to say it, Tom was quite funny about
this somehow, the only time I can say we joked around.

I have learned a lot of things I did not know about Tom reading your
comments here. I am happy to hear about his sense of humor and his
animated side. He was almost always very reserved with me, and I always
sensed (it seems incorrectly) a great sadness in him, which I interpreted
as his fear for nature in this world that is exploding in so many
directions and so many ways. I am coming to think that I was wrong about
his mood. Certainly I was wrong about his mood around other people.

I had asked Marty R. for Tom’s contact information because I was thinking
about so many environmental things at once, I wanted to see how he would
have balanced all those things for himself. I am not sure just why of all
the students I have taught since 1965, I wanted to talk to Tom, but I did.
Perhaps, it was because he seemed to be looking for environmental truths
in such a different way from me. I am not sure, and now I will never know.
But I missed seeing him one last time, and I will miss him as long as I
can in this world.

Steve Norwick