Thomas E. Spellman, 91, passed away on Friday, October 26, 2007.
Services for Mr. Spellman will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday,
October 31, 1007 at Dannel Funeral Home. A graveside service will follow
at West Hill Cemetery in Sherman. Officiating will be Reverend James McLeod,
of Brenham Presbyterian Church, where Mr. Spellman was a member since 2001.
Tom was born on July 29, 1916 in Forney, Texas, the son of Michael
Spellman, Sr. and Carrie Huffines Spellman. He graduated from North Texas
A&M College in Arlington with a degree in Industrial Radio Engineering.
He also completed technical training at Port Arthur College and the U.
S. Army Air Force Technical Training School at Yale University. He completed
additional
credits at Western Electric-Bell Telephone Laboratories in New York
City.
On June 28, 1942, he married Elizabeth Jean Thompson, of Durant,
OKlahoma. Tom and Jean were both actively involved in the community, and they
had completed almost fifty-eight years of marriage at the time of her death
on June 19, 2000. They had been longtime members of Trinity Presbyterian
Church, where he served on the board of Elders.
They had a daughter, Patti, and a son, Michael.
Following more than three years in the U. S. Army Air Force during
WWII, Tom returned to Texas to begin a lifelong career in radio. He was
employed 25 years as manager of KRRV Radio, and he owned and operated KTXO
Radio for eight years. Then he established radio station KZIM-FM (now KMTO)
in Sherman-Denison. Then he established KAGC Radio in Bryan and KSKS in
Conroe. He served as owner-operator of radio station KAFM (KLAK) in
Durant-Denison-Sherman. He taught radio broadcasting technology
for twelve years at Grayson County College. For more than forty years he
served as a radio service engineer for the city of Sherman, overseeing
the emergency two-way radio services for the fire and police
departments. He played a similar role for the Grayson County Sheriff's
Department.
A member of the Sherman Kiwanis Club for more than 40 years, Mr.
Spellman served on the Kiwanis board and was a past board member of the
Sherman Chamber of Commerce. As a director of Sherman Area Campfire Girls,
he received the Gulich Award. He was a member of American Legion Post 29.
He was a 32nd degree Mason and member of Grayson County Scottish
Rite and Hella Temple Shrine.
Mr. Spellman was predeceased by his wife; his parents; two brothers,
Troy and Mick, Jr.; three sisters, Patsy, Coreen and Helen.
He is survived
by his daughter, Patti Kuhn and husband Mike of Brenham; son Mike and wife
Cindy of Shoreview, Minnesota; two grandsons, Christopher and Kevin Kuhn.
If desired, memorials may be made to Brenham Presbyterian Church,
1005
Green St., Brenham, Texas 77833.