His dedication to the cause of liberty is an example for us all.
We at FEE are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Tom Graham, a vigorous man of action as an entrepreneur and a man of deeply held philosophical convictions.
Tom was the perfect gentleman—kind, generous, sunny, conversational, and wise, with an engaging spirit and zest for life. His love of liberty brought him to FEE, and for that, we will be ever grateful.
Tom served as a trustee of FEE from 2020 to 2023. Our deliberations greatly benefited from his passion for the cause of liberty, his business acumen, and his gracious manner.
His commitment to liberty fueled his sense of the importance of our mission and his desire to see every young person exposed to these ideas. His business instincts led him to see opportunities to improve our reach and effectiveness and to be eager for us to seize them. Tom never allowed us to be complacent or to stop striving for improvement, but his impeccable manners enabled him to bring challenging ideas to the table in a way that made it more a discussion among friends than a debate.
Tom spent much of his professional career as a real estate developer in Atlanta. By the time FEE moved to Atlanta a dozen years ago from Irvington-on-Hudson, New York, Tom had returned to his roots in South Carolina. However, on his trips back to Atlanta to visit family and friends, he would occasionally stop in to visit FEE, to engage with us about the philosophical principles that he loved and the FEE programs for which he had such enthusiasm.
He thus had a good sense of our office culture, which proved useful when combined with his knowledge of the Atlanta real estate market, as he was able to give us guidance on potential office locations that would appeal to a young, digitally-oriented workforce without being too pricey for a nonprofit.
Earlier this year, Tom and his son Geoff, an Atlanta businessman who has also been very helpful to FEE, recorded a conversation between them about Tom’s life and adventures, in which Tom’s sharp mind and vibrant personality clearly shine.
We at FEE are eternally thankful to have had Tom in our lives and to have gained so much from the interest he took in us.
