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Dear Friends It is with great sadness that I am writing to let you know of the passing of Tom Curtin. Tom was one of the founding members of the Bay Head School Foundation and it was his vision that guided the early years of the Foundation's participation in improving the school. All four of Tom's children attended the Bay Head School. Tom felt the school needed improvements beyond what the Board of Education could provide; he brought up the idea of creating an entity to assist in the improvement of the school's fields and facilities. He felt the school was central to the community and by making these improvements, everyone in the community would have access and a vested interest in it's future. Tom was President when I joined the Foundation. We were in the process of figuring how best to help and how we could raise the funds to make it happen. Tom had a natural talent for guiding us to accomplish our goals and focusing our strengths to the greater good. There were many personalities involved and he was able to form us into a cohesive group. Tom made each of us feel that we were contributing and always listening to our crazy ideas. Some of these he helped guide, including the first Annual Appeal Letter, the Mitchell Shivers Scholarship fund and the fundraisers that supported it, including the Kitchens By The Sea Tour. Tom was instrumental in creating the Teacher Grants and Summer Enrichment Programs (money given to the teachers each year for projects with the students). He was able to smooth the way with the existing school board and principal to allow us to contribute to the school. What began as a rocky relationship morphed into a very comprehensive partnership. As the Foundation matured, Tom took more of a back seat/advisory role but was always a phone call away if any advice or encouragement was needed. He was a wealth of information and was instrumental in helping us find the right people to advance our cause. When we started the Capital Campaign Fund, Tom spent hours guiding us through what we needed to do. We couldn't get him to head it up but he did help me identify the right people for the job!. He was the first to congratulate us on our successes and also the first to offer sympathy and more importantly sound advice on how to move forward after setbacks. I had tremendous respect and admiration for him and truly feel the school would not be where it is today were it not for his contributions. He will be greatly missed. The family will be having a memorial celebration on Tuesday April 18 at 10 am at Sacred Heart Church. Sincerely, Diane To Make a Donation in Tom's Memory Please Click the Links BelowIn lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Alzheimer's Association or to the Bay Head School Foundation. To Visit Tom's Obituary
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