Although Tom had graduated from Rutgers University in 1971 with a Bachelor of Art degree in Mathematics and went on to a career in Information Technology with AT&T and IBM, he has always had a love for Music. From grade school through high school, he was in the school band playing clarinet. In high school he got his first guitar which quickly became his primary instrument. In college, he wanted a minor in Music, but unfortunately all of the prerequisite Music courses conflicted with the prerequisite Mathematic courses. For 6 years after college, he owned and operated a music store. During this time he played professionally in various genres: Rock, County Rock, Country, Oldies, Pop. Upon his marriage he began his technical career, foregoing his musical profession for better pay and benefits. However, when his daughter joined the folk choir at their local church, Tom joined as well as a guitar player. He has been active in church choirs for over 25 years.
Tom’s interest in history, while always there, became a predominant focus after he joined the Friends of Abraham Staats House in 2007 and became President (2011-2013) and Vice-President(2014-2017). The house dates back to circa 1740 and is on the National Historic Register, as it was the headquarters of Baron von Steuben in the spring of 1779. Abraham Staats, in his own right, was an ardent patriot during the American Revolution. For 10 years Tom, with his wife, Carol, have been civilian members of the New Jersey Militia~Heard’s Brigade, a reenacting organization dedicated to educating the public about the role of the Organized and Irregular companies of New Jersey Militia during the American Revolutionary War.
With his talents, he hopes to keep alive the wonderful, and sometimes forgotten, “Music of Times Past”.