Dr. Thomas Simon ’38 served his nation in two wars and his fellow man by helping many people survive cancer. While at SHS, in addition to distinguishing himself academically, Tom played basketball and ran track.
He then went on to St. Bonaventure University where he completed his degree in three years and finished first in his class. He took a year off during the middle of his college career to earn tuition by working at Shelby’s Ohio Tube Works, where his father Victor worked for many years. Next Tom attended St. Louis University where he earned his M.D. and met his wife Carolyn; they married in 1948.
Tom then started down a path that would see him become a renowned pioneer in cytologic diagnosis of cancer. He served as an Army private during WWII and an Air Force Captain during the Korean War. During his medical career he served as pathologist at St. Louis University Hospital, nine rural Minnesota hospitals, an Air Force hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, as well as hospitals in Omaha, Milwaukee and Syracuse. He was on teaching faculties at St. Louis University, Cornell University, Creighton University and Marquette University. He was elected a fellow of the American College of Pathology and the International Academy of Cytology. He authored numerous articles and conducted many national and international symposia.
In his private life, he was a devoted father who shared with his family his intellectual curiosity, “can do” attitude, devotion to education and love of life. Along the way he found time to enjoy travel, golf, fishing, boating and gardening. He died at 91 on September 26, 2011. He is survived by his wife Carolyn, their four daughters, six grandchildren and a great grandson.
Nominator: Donna Metzger ‘49