Thomas John Sheehan's Obituary
Thomas John Sheehan, 92, peacefully passed away May 24, 2016 at his home in Gainesville FL.
Born April 13, 1924 to Thomas and Emma Sheehan in Brooklyn, NY and raised in St. Albans NY, Tom had three siblings: Cecelia, Miriam and Philip. Educated at P.S. 136 St Albans, Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception HS, Brooklyn NY; Dartmouth College (AB) and Cornell University (M.S.; PhD).
Tom joined the Marines in Dec 1942 and served as a weather forecaster until 1945 when the Marines transferred him to a Naval V-12 program at Dartmouth. He was discharged in March 1946.
He married Marion Elizabeth Ruff in June 1950 and they had three children: Thomas, Peter and Marian.
After graduation from Cornell in 1952, he got a job at the Georgia Agriculture Experiment Station in Griffin, GA as a horticulturist. In 1954 he joined the staff of the Ornamental Horticulture Department at the University of Florida and was involved in extension teaching and research for the next 37 years. He also served as Chairman of the Department before retiring. His specialty crop was orchids and he was deeply involved in the international orchid scene.
Tom attended 18 of the 21 World Orchid Conferences, missing only the 1st, 4th and 7th. He was a speaker at ten World Orchid Conferences, as well as the program chairman for the 11th WOC in Miami, Florida. He was awarded the World Orchid Conference Medal for outstanding contributions to the science and practice of Orchidology during the 21st WOC in Johannesburg, South Africa. He authored books about orchids and served, with his wife Marion, as co-author of the longest running series, Orchid Genera Illustrated, in the American Orchid Society's monthly magazine, Orchids. Tom was the recipient of two AOS Gold Medals of Achievement, only the third person in the organization's history to be so recognized. In addition, he served for 14 years as the American Orchid Society's representative to the Royal Horticultural Society Advisory Committee on Orchid Hybrid Registration.
Tom also served as a consultant for the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization on cut flower production in Singapore, Kenya, Guyana, Barbados and Bolivia, as well as for the Canadian Aluminum Corp in Jamaica.
He was also an active member of the Florida State Horticulture Society, where he served as Vice President, President and Chairman of the Board, as well as program coordinator for 11 years.
He is survived by his son Thomas, his daughter-in-law Suwannarat, his granddaughter Alisa Rose and his daughter Marian. He was preceded in death by his wife, Marion and son, Peter.
Graveside funeral services with military honors will be held on Friday, June 10, 2016 at 10:00 A. M., in the Evergreen Cemetery, 401 SE 21st Avenue, Gainesville. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Tom can be made to the American Orchid Society Fund restricted to Research or Library / Archives, 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables FL 33156, 1-305-740-2010.
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