Tom Wheeler '27 Is His Home Town's First Citizen

Retirement has had no place in Tom's life: he is currently managing a farm and working on a history of the area in Michigan where he has spent his summers since childhood.

In announcing his award, the Chamber of Commerce cited Tom's contribution to the area's historical awareness and his recent book , Troy, the Nineteenth Century, a result of six years of intensive research.

Troy's first citizen holds a master's degree in history, earned in 1964 from Miami University, Ohio, and has taught on secondary and college levels. He embarked upon journalism in 1955 with a farm column for the Troy Daily News. He and wife Natalie then wrote "This and That" for the paper, and ten years ago saw the beginning of Tom's "It Happened Years Ago," which still appears weekly.

Tom is the founder and president of the Troy Historical Society, a member of the Troy Beautification Committee, the Troy-Miami County Public Library Board, and a member of several Miami County Boards. He has also given time and energy to the mental health field and to The Children's International Summer Villages, Inc.

Or, as one classmate succinctly described the Wheeler record to date, "Guess that he has been a handy guy to have around."

Tom Wheeler '27, historian, teacher, author, farmer, sailor, and newspaper columnist, was celebrated as Troy's Outstanding Citizen at an April banquet in that Ohio city.