RIP Tom A

I'm in shock. I was sometimes communicating directly with Tom about technical aspects of the cameras/lenses he modified.
My deepest condelences to his family and friends.
Tom, rest with the peaceful sound of the Leica shutter.
 
Feels like the passing of an era. When I got involved with rangefinders back in '97 Tom was already an established figure within the community. He continued to be so even as my own interests drifted. For me, I can't even think of Tri-X or an M2 without also thinking of Tom A. I always paid extra heed to his comments on gear, because they were almost always based on actual experience, not just something he read or heard. I never met the man, but he was always so polite on these forums, even when he didn't agree. I can only imagine what he was like in person.

Not only the rangefinder community, but photography in general has lost a valuable resource and real decent person.
 
Sad and a shock! My condolences. I followed his posts with great interest and via Flickr. Sad that he won't be around to share his knowledge. He will be missed.
 
Sad news. I never had any direct contact with him but paid close attention to his words and pictures.

I've had a bit of a break from film photography until recently and was thinking of Tom when I picked up my M2 and ran a roll through it on New Years Day - out and about in northern Mallorca. I developed the film today and only when I was searching for recommended dev times for Adox Silverman in D-76 1+1 did I come across this sad news.
 
I conversed with Tom many times over the years - he loaned me an M2 as well as an M6 for far too long and was incredibly generous with his photographic knowledge, as is evidenced here by all the comments. I can't add anything more as a photographer...

But his generosity didn't just apply to photography. His illness was rather rare and he was one of the first people to benefit from the new technologies that came available to combat it. I have a friend who had a close relative diagnosed with the same illness, and I put them and Tom in touch. He freely shared all of his knowledge and his experiences with them and made their journey through a very difficult illness much easier. He was that kind of guy.

He was a good man and a good friend. I will never forget him.
 
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