I met Tom when we were cooks in the U S Army reserve at Fort Mac Arthur in the 1970s. We became close friends and whenever we had leave from Summer Camp, we travelled the State in his Corvair Van which spewed copious amounts of smoke. We shared a love of Skiing, and we soon co owned a trailer in Mammoth Lakes where we spent most winter weekends. He was intelligent and had a great sense of humor.
Through the years I met his friends from San Juan and through this I met the love of my life, my wife Amy.
Tom was a friend when you needed a friend. I could always count on him for sound advice and he had an exceptional sense of what was right and what was wrong. He will be missed.
RIP

Tom and I met at the Old Mission Capistrano Mission school.
 He beat me in a debate where he yook Nixon's side and I Kennedy. Donter was always good at the Donner Run Around.
We went to Mater Dei together for four years. We rode the bus both ways. Until Mike managed to get us kicked off the bus {I groveled my way back, for fear of wits my father would do}, but Tom was never in trouble. Unlike Cordell.
One night, Tom was on a date at the theatre in San Clememte.We were probably 18 0r 19.
OF course, because I am blameless of any transgressions the four of us were engaged in, it was all Cordell's fault.
Cordell had a gas siphon in his car and we accidentally siphoned all the gas from Tom" Austin Healy.We waited to see  whether Tom would runout of gas and the p[olice showed up. The cop realized it was a prank and we were set free, but Cordell had to put the gas back in tom's car.
Then there was the time tho four of us went to Mexico, Cabo San Lucas. We rented a house and TOM and I regularly defeated Mike and Cordell in sand volleyball. Lucky not to arrested there by DEA; Mike was being surveilled, he thinks.
The olympics. Tom and I v Mike and Cordell.In the final competition, I crashed into Tom in the last lap of the 440.
We went ass over teakettle
Cordell was chortling and running the track to defeat us.Tom pick ed up the  baton and ran across the football field to throw the stick and it hit Cordell. on the ass.
Tom and I spent a lot of time at T Street.
It was fun for 60 years.I will miss Tom.
Willy