Death of a Classmate - Thomas J. Lawson, 15th Company

Thomas J. Lawson, 15th Company, passed away on 30 November.

Tom was raised in Connecticut. In 1948 he joined the Navy, attended the Naval Academy Prep School (NAPS), and entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1950. When he graduated in 1954 he stood number 133 in his class of 854 graduates. Upon graduation he married the love of his life, Joan Eck, also from Connecticut. He trained and flew as a naval aviator until he reported to the Naval Academy as an instructor in January of 1960. For three years he taught Electrical Engineering and also started work on his Masters degree. When it came time for his next set of orders he and Joan decided they loved Annapolis so much that he resigned his commission as a LT. For many years he worked as a consultant with various engineering firms in the Washington DC-Virginia area and he eventually fully retired in Annapolis. From 1965 through 1969 he was '54's Corresponding Secretary for Shipmate.

In his later years Tom suffered from dementia and received excellent care from the Chesapeake Hospice Home, Harwood, MD..

Survivors include four children and five grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will held on Saturday, December 8, 2007 at 11:00 A.M. at the Kalas Funeral Home, Edgewater, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Hospice of the Chesapeake, 445 Defense Highway, Annapolis, Maryland 21401.
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