Thomas A. Kindre (1921-2012)
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Tom serving in Italy during World War II. |
Tom (right) marching in the Rutgers Alumni Parade during the Rutgers Reunion in 1999. |
Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick, Tom Brokaw and Tom Kindre on the occasion of Tom Brokaw becoming the first recipient of the Stephen E. Ambrose Oral History Award in 2005. |
Tom speaking at the dedication of the Rutgers WWII Memorial Plaza in 2008. |
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The Rutgers Oral History Archives (ROHA) celebrates the life and achievements of Tom Kindre (1921- 2012), the man who envisioned, inspired and established this world-class oral history program. We encourage all to read Tom's oral histories, learn more about his life, particularly his tireless dedication to ROHA, below, and find out what generations of Rutgers alumni, faculty and staff have to say about his legacy. We also invite you to attend a memorial service honoring Tom to be held on Sunday, October 14, 2012, at 12 noon at Kirkpatrick Chapel on the Rutgers College Avenue Campus, 85 Somerset Street, New Brunswick, NJ. A Man of Vision Tom helped give a 'voice' in the annals of history to thousands of people. In the early 1990s, Tom, as the Rutgers College Class of 1942 class historian, attempted to get his classmates to publish a book on their generation. Each alumnus was encouraged to submit a piece. "When I got back only 17 responses," Tom recalled, "I knew we didn't have enough material for a book. My next thought was, 'They may be afraid to write, but they might not be afraid to talk.'" Tom, having read the works of Studs Terkel, latched onto oral history as a means of recording their stories. He and his fellow Class of '42 officers met with faculty at the Rutgers History Department, visiting professor Dr. Stephen E. Ambrose, and the Dean of Rutgers College. With their assistance, they established and provided the initial funding for the Rutgers Oral History Archives as an affiliated center of the History Department. Since 1994, the scope of the Rutgers Oral History Archives' interview collection has expanded to include all Rutgers alumni, faculty and staff and residents around the State of New Jersey. The program was formally dedicated in a ceremony at Alexander Library on the Rutgers-New Brunswick Campus in 1999 during the Rutgers Reunion Weekend. In 2005, Tom wrote a book called The Boys From New Jersey, based upon dozens of oral histories collected by the Rutgers Oral History Archives. The book became one of the texts studied by Rutgers undergraduates in the senior seminar, "Oral History and the American Experience in World War II," taught by Dr. John W. Chambers, II, of the Rutgers History Department. Tom spoke to the seminar each semester about his book and his own experiences in World War II. Hundreds of Rutgers undergraduates fondly recall Tom's fascinating talks. Since the founding of ROHA in 1994, Tom was instrumental in seeing it thrive by leading alumni efforts to raise funds to support the program. In 2002, he established the Rutgers Living History Society, an honor society for those who participate in and support ROHA, now part of the Rutgers University Alumni Association, and served as its first President. In 2005, Tom led the RLHS in creating the Stephen E. Ambrose Oral History Award, which has been awarded to many distinguished figures who have made major contributions to studying history through the use of eyewitness testimonies. In 2007, Rutgers University honored Tom with the Rutgers Medal, its highest non-academic honor. In 2008, Tom and his 1942 classmates made another major contribution to the Rutgers Campus when they dedicated the World War II Memorial Plaza on Voorhees Mall on the College Avenue Campus, paying tribute to the hundreds of Rutgers men and women who gave their lives during that conflict. A Life of Accomplishment Tom passed away on Tuesday, September 11, 2012. Born in Rahway, NJ, on May 19, 1921, he had lived in Maplewood and Monroe Township before moving to Brielle, where he lived for the past thirty-seven years. Tom studied journalism at Rutgers University, graduating in 1942 with a Litt. B degree. Earning his commission through the Rutgers Army ROTC, Tom served in North Africa and Italy during World War II with the 34th Infantry Division, earning five Battle Stars in the Italian campaign. Tom worked for Hill and Knowlton, Inc., the Manhattan-based international public relations firm, for thirty-five years. He retired in 1981 as Senior Vice President and Creative Director. At the age of eighty-one, Tom joined the crew of the replica Irish famine ship Jeanie Johnston for its transatlantic maiden voyage, an adventure he chronicled in his book Jeanie Johnston: A Voyage Against All Odds. He was a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary and served as Flotilla and Division Public Affairs and Publications Officer. Tom served the Rutgers Class of 1942 loyally for many years as class correspondent and in class leadership positions, including class president. He was honored by the Rutgers Alumni Association with its Loyal Sons and Daughters Award. Tom is survived by his wife, Marie Luckhurst, his son, John, daughter, Nancy Luckhurst and two grandchildren, Caroline and Diana. "Tom's vision and hard work over the past eighteen years brought the Rutgers Oral History Archives to an astounding level of prominence. Meeting Tom and learning from him as a student was one of the highlights of my undergraduate days and I enjoyed watching hundreds of other young Rutgers men and women share in that experience with Tom over the years. He was a great friend and mentor and we will all miss him."--Shaun Illingworth, RC '01, Director, Rutgers Oral History Archives "Without Tom's guidance, the Program would not have achieved the world wide acclaim it so deservedly has. If one were to define what a 'Loyal Son of Rutgers' is, all one has to do is mention TOM KINDRE!"--Bart Klion, RC '48, President, Rutgers Living History Society "Tom will be greatly missed but his legacy will live on through ROHA."--Dan Ruggiero, UCNB '10, Former ROHA Public History Intern |
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