I believe that I speak for my fellow members of the MHS class of 1965 when I say that we are saddened to learn of the October 3rd passing of Tom O’Boyle at age 83 as reported in the obituary section of the October 15 edition of the Luminary. Tom was our class advisor.

Tom was more than a teacher. He saw things through the eyes of a faculty member and kept his professionalism. However, he could see things through the eyes of his students too. As our advisor, he worked both inside of class as our French teacher and outside of class assisting us with fund raisers. He taught us how to properly conduct a class meeting. As class president, I benefited from his guidance in many ways. He was the first teacher to treat me as a fellow adult our senior year. It was a special blessing to earn his approval.

Tom was also our advisor for the senior class play. He taught us the technicalities of a stage setting. He taught us how to project our voices since we had no microphones. He was our biggest cheerleader opening night.

On a lighter note, I remember that Tom had a special gift that he had learned teaching celestial navigation in the Air Force. He could stand with his back to the blackboard with chalk in his hand. He then spun around while drawing a perfect circle on the blackboard. Anyone who had him as a teacher will certainly remember that trick.

I was fortunate enough to re-establish contact with Tom several years ago thanks to an address published in the Luminary by Kathy Blaker, a former Muncy columnist. We exchanged Christmas letters for many years. I was also able to meet him for lunch in Wilkes Barre about five years ago. It was a very special time as he walked me around Wilkes Barre and showed me where he went to school.

Sadly, we will not be able to invite Tom to our 50th reunion celebration in May of 2015. Perhaps we will set up an empty chair in his honor.

Mike Myers

Elizabethtown, PA