Good Vibes!

I met Tom at the Royal Wolf Lodge when I was hired late in the summer of 2001 to fill a vacant position. I soon realized he was revered as a top guide. The clients would gather before dinner for drinks, appetizers and I would get a feel for their character and personality. One client in particular was low key and an avid guide himself (where ever he hailed from) and later Tom said that he learned so much from this man when he was guiding him during the client's stay. I liked that Tom could acknowledge learning something new from a guest at the lodge and the two of them seemed like such a good match. No egos involved, just love of the sport and teaching each other.
I was only at the lodge for 5 weeks, it can get very lonely being away from your family and usual life. All of the other staff would be there for over 3 months with no breaks to leave. Chris and Linda, the lodge owners, welcomed spouses to visit for awhile and I remember when Julie came out. The picture that stays in my head is seeing Tom paddling the canoe as he and Julie cruised on the nearby lake.

Tom recieved letters from his dad and the return address just said, DAD. He said his dad always addressed it that way-I got good vibes from that about his family.

Tom, I and another guide flew out together at the end of the season. We left the lodge for King Salmon where we waited in a local bar for the plane to Anchorage while sipping our beers. A few months later I saw Tom at Alyeska at a Special Olympics outing.
A few years go by, I'm working at the Independent Living Center in Seward and Tom gets hired for the Homer office. It was great to see him again. I knew right away with his background at Challenge Alaska and Special Olympics that he would be an asset to our organization. He was a natural working with our consumers - always friendly, humorous and professional.
He was a whirlwind at his job in Homer and really just getting started. He always had a genuine hug for everyone at our ILC retreats or visiting our office. He was a people magnet.

He visited the Seward office close to returning to the lodge and I made sure I had 1/2 and 1/2 for coffee which he preferred. Outside of work-related topics, we both agreed the coffee and porter beer brewed in Anchorage was terrific. I miss him. Diane Lind