Jay Jensen, friend and colleague

Since I am older than Tom, I had actually planned to have him speak at a memorial service at my own death. His ability to speak and to insert appropriate humor along with clear ideas were a hallmark of Tom's skills, and had he been able to speak for me, I would have been honored and entertained in my spirit.

Now it is with great sadness that I write these few lines to extol Tom's virtues and his consummate skill as a leader of the ComD department.

Tom took over the Department after I had served as Head for nine years. He was the only one that I even considered as the person to take over the Department. He guided the Department through the rough period of declining federal dollars and through the difficult time of building the physical facility. This was accomplished with his usual good humor and his insightful ability to plead, cajole, and enlist the support of those who would be able to assist the Department in the directions that Tom had planned. As faculty members we loved him for his abilities and fairness in treating all of us as equals. He enabled people to grow to their highest level and was supportive of all our endeavors.

Tom and I had a proclivity for meeting people with foreign accents. Invariably, when we traveled to conventions or to presentations of one kind or another, we would meet someone whose speech was heavily laced with accent. We couldn't even make eye contact with each other or laughter would overcome us. Not laughing at the individual, but rather laughing at the fact that it always happened to us. Time spent with Tom was always filled with his grace and good humor.

I'll miss Tom. I loved him; he was a friend, a professional colleague, and a spiritual brother to me. I'm certain that his presence will be felt at the site of the amphitheater on Old Main Hill and throughout the special spots on campus where Tom loved to be.

Jay Jensen