Condolences for Thomas O. "Tom" Claflin

Louise,my sincere sympathy to you and your family at this sad time. Mary Poellinger (Hearthside Creations)

My deepest condolences to Tom's family. There will be a big hole from his loss but hold tight to the memories and keep telling his stories. I was privileged to have Tom as a teacher in the aquatic biology MS program at the River Studies Center. Tom provided the recommendation to the WDNR that started my long and rewarding career on the Mississippi River System. Post-retirement, my husband and I would often see Tom and Louise at "The Ridge" on burger night. We will not be able to participate in his celebration of life because we will be fishing in northern Wisconsin. We are sure to catch a big one for him.

I met Tom soon after joining The faculty at La Crosse in 1968 when we were building the pre college program and looking for recreational activities for our summer time students. I discovered that his River studies center had a pontoon boat. I asked Tom and he readily volunteered to take the 25 or 30 students we had up and down the River at least once each year for the period from 1973 to 1979. In the process I got to know him as one of the smartest most insightful and courageous faculty members on the campus. It soon became apparent that we shared a commitment to social justice and political self-determination. We became allies in the faculty senate over a period of probably 15 years. He was a stalwart collaborator on all issues about faculty governance, fair play and individual empowerment in the workplace. He chaired The faculty Senate repeatedly and guided it with good sense, balance and proportion. Separate from all that, lunches and conversations were always meaningful and every time humorous. His gods were always filled with mirth and irony which made him a delightful conversationalist. We were planning a lunch in November and I will miss that lunch and every other conversation we will not have. My most sincere condolences I will drop a line in his honor on the 8th.

I am deeply saddened to hear of Dr. Claflin's passing. I was lucky enough to have had Dr. Claflin for introductory Biology. He was a great teacher. Later when I became the director of Institution Research at UWL, I worked with Dr. Claflin as he worked with the university's administration on administrative issues. He was always a great advocate for students and the university as a whole. I left the La Crosse area in 2010 and I must say that I missed seeing Dr. Claflin. He was a wonderful person. May his soul rest in peace, John

Tom was a real pillar of UWL and was fun to work with. My deep admiration for his public service. Condolences to the family. Betsy Morgan (Provost -UWL)