For 25 years I was fortunate to live three houses up the hill from Tom. During all those years tom brought much sparkle to the 700 block of Alvarado Road.

While I had no contact with Tom professionally, I particularly remember a couple of incidents we would laugh over. Soon after Tom came to Cal, the Athletic Department built the press box on the west rim of Memorial Stadium, but failed to first obtain Tom's approval. Tom's opinion was that if there was ever another 8.0 on the Hayward Fault, he sure hoped it wouldn't be on a Saturday fall afternoon when Cal was playing, or that at least it would be late in the fourth quarter when most of the season ticket holders had left before the press box came crashing down. Fortunately, that never happened, and now the press box is being rebuilt the right way.

Tom and I shared many glasses of wine and whisky through the years, generally over stories at his dining room table. And Sue and I were frequent guests at Dottie and Tom's St. Patrick's Day Extravaganza.

In the future when I drive by their home or see an antique Karmann Ghia or hear someone singing When Irish Eyes are Smiling, I'll often remember Tom with great fondness for the delightful person he was.