THOMAS PHILIP GARIGAN was born 12 October 1932; he left us on 18 October 1991. In between, he touched our lives with humor and poetry.

Tom was born in Winamac, Indiana. Like a good many Hoosiers, he was blessed with a wonderful sense of humor which, as often as not. was directed at himself; it made him very warm and human. It was his great comic view of life that was his most endearing and enduring trait.

Tom was appointed to the Military Academy from the Army National Guard. As a cadet he seemed to have time for and to be aware of everything. While he finished in the top third of the class, he never let his studies interfere with his education. Early evidence of his skill and interest in communication was the four years he spent on the Debate Council and Forum and the Howitzer Committee. He also was a member of the Art Club and the German Club. Tom did so many things well: he was a cow corporal back when they were rare birds, and he was a standout as a member of the Honor Committee. And, when it came time for branch drawing, Tom chose Infantry because, in his view, it demanded a great capacity to motivate others.

Catherine Smith, of Montgomery, Alabama became Tom's bride after graduation. They were blessed with two children: Margaret and Thomas Jr., who often were his best audience. Family was extremely important to Tom; he devoted a lot of time and attention to his children. He cared passionately about his work, and yet he gave his family's welfare and comfort first consideration in choosing his course of action.

Tom's initial assignment was with the 504th Airborne, 82nd Airborne Division. After that tour, Infantry Branch thought enough of him to send him off to the Armor Officer's Advanced Course. Armor, in turn, liked him so much they asked him to stay on after graduation to command a training battalion, even though he was still only a captain. Tom took great pride in being an Infantry officer and was good enough at it to earn a Silver Star in Vietnam back when very few people even knew where the place was.

However, it was after that first Vietnam tour that Tom hit his stride. After receiving his master of arts degree in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, Tom joined the English Department at USMA. He was a marvelous "P" - alternately challenging and entertaining the cadets. In between, he found time to he the executive officer, where it appears that his chief function was to keep the rest of us from taking ourselves too seriously.

After his tour with the English Department, Tom entered the fledgling Public Affairs career track and truly found his niche. He was a natural: intelligent, articulate, unflappable, quick with a quip, well-read and, of course, never at a loss for words. He had that invaluable ability to get right to the heart of the matter in any situation. He could be passionate without losing perspective, funny without being caustic, poetic without being sentimental. And he could make you see! In succession. lie became the Chief of Public Information, US Army Vietnam (where he was accredited as a combat correspondent); Chief of Public Affairs at West Point (where he personally developed and executed public relations plans in support of the admission of the first women cadets): Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army: Chief of Public Affairs for the US Army Corps of Engineers: Chief of Public Relations, US Army Europe; and Chief of Public Affairs, TRADOC. Each of these assignments had its special challenges and heartaches, but Tom handled them all with grace and humor. He was always more than equal to the task. At times we accused him of wanting to be spokesman for the world (or even for Saint Peter)!

The brain tumor and cancer which ultimately felled him failed to quench his irrepressible spirit. With but weeks left to live, he was still actively seeking to add new jokes to his formidable repertoire and bedeviling the staff at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

We said farewell to him on a foggy October morning which inevitably gave way to sunshine - a final image of the man himself: After all, when did you ever run into him and were not glad to see him? But, with the strains of the bagpipes and brass band still echoing in our memories, we could not help but believe that Tom was once more riding out to do battle with the forces of sham, hypocrisy and fuzzy thinking.

Those with a great comic view of life are fundamentally people of great faith, because they believe that the world is basically good. Tom could not only see that, but also he could make the rest of us see it too.