|
WRITERS' VILLAGE IS PROUD TO INTRODUCE
YOU TO:
Tom Spencer
USA
tom@wvu.org
I met Tom in Gary, Indiana, on a bright and stormy July
night during the long hot summer of 1943. His father had just left to take
part in a dispute over in North Africa and Italy. His mother loved to
read. She passed this love on to Tom.
He was a below average student in both primary grades and high school. It
seems that he was more interested in reading books not related to his
schoolwork.
In the eighth grade, a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Peterson, introduced him to
the bards of poetry. He was hooked from then on as an avid reader of any
poetry that was obtainable. Throughout his younger years, he often wrote
crude rudimentary poetry for his own enjoyment and therapy. He graduated
from East Gary Edison High School at East Gary, Indiana, in 1961. He
immediately enlisted in the US Army; his basic training was at Ft. Leonard
Wood, Missouri. Returning after a short leave, he attended secondary
school for Engineer Mechanic Helper at Ft. Leonard Wood also. He was
assigned to the 86th Combat Engineers stationed at Ft. Dix, New Jersey. A
member of C Company Motor pool, he earned admission to the Engineer
Mechanic School at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. He graduated and returned to
join the headquarters company of the 86th Engineers.
While stationed on the East coast, he met and married Kathleen Correnti.
They moved back to the Midwest in 1964 when Tom received an honorable
discharge from the military. They have one daughter named Lenore; she has
two children and a husband. They live in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tom worked as a Millwright in industry until 1972 when a visual problem
intervened. This problem caused a need for a safer mode of making a
living. They opened a Sewing Machine Sales and Service in Lowell, Indiana,
selling and servicing Pfaff sewing machines. Tom attended Hines Blind
Rehabilitation School in 1983 to train in using his limited vision along
with visual aid to continue repairing sewing machines.
In 1987 Tom had both eyes operated on to slow his loss of vision. Tom and
Kathy sold their store in 1988 and went to Purdue Calumet to obtain
Associate degrees in Hotel Management while working diligently on
remodeling their Lowell home for use as a Bed and Breakfast. They had so
much fun learning at Purdue that they stayed on to receive Bachelor
degrees in Tourism in 1995.
Enamored with the philosophy and literature courses, Tom continued his
study in philosophy and literature after graduating. He found WVU in
January of 1998 where he expanded on his writing and his desire to study
poetry in its infinite depths. Tom and Kathy attended the Great Writers'
Village Spring meet in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1999. Tom and Kathy have held
two WVU rendezvous at their place in Lowell, Indiana. Tom facilitates two
courses at WVU: The Study of One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Marquez,
and Poe's Single Effect Theory.
Tom had the great honor of being the author of the first book published by
Writers' Village ePress, a collection of 186 poems in both formal and
informal forms, entitled Word Castles.
Tom has a forthcoming book, co-authored by Dr. Jaswinder Singh, a fellow
poet that Tom works with, called America on Fire, published by
Cameo Publications. It is a collection of poems commemorating the New York
tragedy. It will be available on December 1, 2001, at Barnes and Noble,
Amazon.com and most independent bookstores. You may order by I S B N 0 - 9
7 1 5 7 3 9 - 0 - 5.
|
