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Tom C. (Armstrong) Drewes died peacefully at his home in Portland, Ore., in January, 2023.
After HPHS he served in the Air Force and continued his education in night school, then founded Quality Books, a distributor and publisher. He represented small-press publishers, getting their books into libraries. He sold the company to Europeans in 1991 and then “went on a bit of a wander.”
As he erxplained for our 50th reunion: “About 85 countries to date, and still not old enough to take a cruise. Love sailing, kept the boat in Europe, then sailed it across the Atlantic some time ago. Love of nature, scuba diving, trekking, quaint places, and remote islands. Book collection focused on pacific and polar exploration. Now devoted to volunteer work with Little Brothers/Friends of the Elderly. Life is rich!” Despite making Portland his home, he thought himself a Chicagoan. He volunteered many hours with Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly in Chicago, helping reduce loneliness and isolation among seniors.
His obituary continues: “He was passionate about family, education, meeting new people, books, traveling the world, and of course, sailing. A true explorer, Tom was committed to always saying hello to strangers to see where it might lead and what he might learn. Tom's curiosity and generosity have resulted in positive impacts to many all around the globe.
"He is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Bobby, who he would often refer to as 'light of me life, mother of me babies, heiress to me fortune'; their daughters Deborah Carnaghi (Rod Campbell) and Michelle Shields (Ken) and four grandchildren whom he adored, Angie, Kasey, Connor, and Maya. He believed strongly in Tikkun Olam and lived every day of his life doing his best to do so.”
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Gene ALTMAN, M. D.
R.I.P. Tom, after a life well lived.
Michael Addison
One of the many classmates that I wish I would have known better. RIP
Judith Pettingell
I did not know Tom at all (this is when I realize how small my group of friends was and how many opportunities of knowing more people than just casually were lost). However, because of this wonderful vehicle that a number of our classmates have set up and continue to invest in with love and patience I continue to get inspiration from those people have left descriptions and memories of their friends. The description of Tom's very active and exciting life provides an outline of one of many people I I wish I'd met somewhere along the way. I most likely would have loved the stories he told about his travels and would have been encouraged to travel more. I haven't made it to Australia yet (trips to Europe, Asia,Africa, and South, Central and North America have all been wonderful, but maybe there's still time. Keep up the stories, folks. They're wonderful. What a terrific class.