Tom loved applying math and science to solve meaningful problems. He was inquisitive and loved learning, experimenting, designing, and building. As a teenager, he designed and built model rockets that carried payloads of cameras and creatures high - and safely - into the air, and he filled notebooks with rocket design sketches, diagrams, and precise calculations of centers of mass and pressure. Nicknamed "Rocket Man" by his peers, love of rocketry led Tom to North Carolina State University, where he double majored in aerospace and mechanical engineering and graduated in 1974. His dream was realized when NASA offered him a job out of college. While at NASA, he earned a Master of Aerospace Engineering degree from George Washington University. His research improved techniques to detect wind shear, which made it safer for planes to land at busy airports.
In 1986, Tom left NASA to pursue a Master's of Architecture at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. He soon realized that to become an architect, he would have to leave the town that he and his family had come to love. He chose Blacksburg and returned to engineering research at Virginia Tech. There, he investigated how buildings can trap pollutants and pathogens and ways to improve indoor air quality. Later, he helped kickstart research into roadway safety and driver distractions-research that improved roadway design and car safety features.
While he never completed his architecture degree, his studies shaped the design and build of the family's home with rooms that brought in light and warmth and created spaces for the many happy times they shared.
Tom and Beth started dating while undergraduates and married in June 1974. Tom loved that it was so easy to talk to her, Beth loved his smile, and they both cared deeply about making the world better. Together, they welcomed two children: their son, Russell, in 1980, and their daughter, Brynn, in 1996. Tom loved being a dad; he loved helping with homework and explaining difficult concepts, packing school lunches, and building swing sets while also cajoling his kids to use their small hands to rewire computers and stereo systems. He influenced Brynn and Russell with his quick wit, wry sense of humor, analytical thinking, and eclectic music and film tastes. He also tried, in vain, to impart his gift for drawing.
Despite his many accomplishments, Tom never sought recognition and was a private man. He maintained a small, close-knit group of friends he had met or worked with over the years. He eschewed awards and ceremony, preferred not to be the subject of conversation, and found greater reward in honing his work and craft.
Tom is survived by his wife, Beth; children, Russell and Brynn, and their partners Marie and Steven; sister, Debbie and brother-in-law, Micky; stepsister, Pat; and little dog, Hudson. Tom's immediate family is having a private remembrance. In the next few months, his family looks forward to celebrating Tom's life with friends and extended family. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Tom's memory to the
Make a donation to one of the following charities in remembrance of George Thomas Holbrook
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