Quinn, Thomas. Tom Quinn passed away on January 17, 2024. Classmate Roger Sustar recalls reading some of Tom's excellent pieces of journalism in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Classmate Jack Burke shares this hilarious tale about their relationship and about him and Tom during their college days at the University of Dayton:

'Tom and I were in two different grade schools together, Thomas Aquinas in Cleveland and St. Mary Magdalene’s in Willowick. Obviously we were at St. Joe’s together and then housemates for a semester at  The University of Dayton.
In the second semester of our freshman year, Tom came to join me at Elva Mae Hastie’s Rooming House on Brown Street, just off Stuart. Elva Mae was a delightful Kentucky bred lady who supported herself by providing room and board to those in need. Available student housing was non-existent. However, UD’s housing office found Elva Mae’s for me. Alas, the Brown Street domicile was adjacent to the trash cans of the Brown Street Café. The trash cans were the dinning choice for 800 million cockroaches  Needless to say our abode was also theirs. Roaches were so prevalent that we took to referring to them as “Freddie.â€�  

These Dickensian accommodations also had only one bathroom for the 6 different tenants. Upon a blustery evening Quinn announced that he was going to take a bath to which I replied, 'Look out for Freddie.' Quinn suggested I shut the hell up because he knew what he was doing. Shortly after his departure there came sounds from the ablution room resembling a baseball bat being applied to the walls.  Well the cacophony unexpectedly aroused Mrs. Hasty from her post dinner nap. She then began banging on the door asking Tom to hurry up as she had taken a ‘physic’ after dinner to aid in digestion and the work was done and needed to exit. She returned to her quarters to listen for Tom’s exit. Her departure was followed by bellowing and swearing and then the emergence of a dripping, partially-towel-clad Quinn in high dudgeon.  I waited for the wet waif to calm and dry himself before asking what happened.  Quinn gruffly replied, “ I killed Freddie, Freddie’s little sister and half a dozen of his cousins as I was always being careful. Mrs. Hastie’s loud request distracted my careful watch, and I sat right on Freddie’s big brother.'

I trust Tom and Mrs. Hastie shared quite a laugh up his recent arrival.'

Dave Pfriem worked with Tom on planning for the 50th reunion. Tom had a number of excellent ideas and contributed a lot to the Memory Book that all attendees received.
Posted By: Administrator - 02-08-2024
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