 |
MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Jul '92
HAROLD THOMPSON DILLON, JR. No. 15814
Class of 1946 Died 5 November 1970 in Atlanta, Georgia,
aged 45 years. Interment: Westview Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia
|
HAROLD THOMPSON DILLON, JR., (known to his family and friends
as Tom), was born 21 May 1925 in Atlanta, Georgia. His father
was in the insurance business. When he was about seven years
old, he began selling magazines-Liberty, the Saturday Evening
Post and Ladies Home Journal--door-to-door in his neighborhood.
He built up a good route and continued this endeavor until he
left home to attend the Georgia Military Academy at College Park,
Georgia. His sister, Ruth, recalled that Tom loved to get away
into the woods or walk on the beach if he could get to one. For
some time, she thought Tom enjoyed fishing. However, he confessed
to her that he really didn't want to catch anything but just
wanted to think about things, and it looked better if he had
a pole in his hands. Ruth also recalled Tom's love of animals.
To illustrate Tom's sensitivity and gentleness towards animals
as well as people, when they were both quite young, Tom found
a baby squirrel which had been abandoned. Tom adopted it and
would put the squirrel inside his shirt and let it run around.
Ruth remembers that Tom had always expressed an interest in becoming
a doctor, but when World War II came along, he decided that a
military life was appropriate and applied for an appointment
to West Point. This decision was applauded by his father, who
had wanted to go to West Point as a youth but had been unable
to gain acceptance. Tom received his appointment and entered
the Academy on I July 1943 with the Class of 1946.
Cadet life was, for Tom, just another hurdle to get over so
he could get on with his life. Quiet and reserved, always the
"Southern gentleman," Tom had an intellectual bent
that helped him weather all the cadet "storms" stoically
and with a great sense of humor. He gained a reputation in his
cadet company as a deep thinker and philosopher. Several of his
friends recalled him smoking his pipe and meditating on the problems
of the world. A bit of an introvert, Tom chose his friends selectively
and was always very loyal to those few. He was a good student
with no academic problems. Dick Fuller, friend and B-1 classmate,
recalled that towards the end of first class year, Tom appeared
to be wrestling with the problem of what to do with his life.
The subject became acute as World War II had ended. Dick remembered
that Tom appeared to have decided not to pursue a lifetime career
in the Army, but at the same time, he had serious reservations
about joining his father in the insurance business. He expressed
a keen interest in social problems and working with people to
help solve some of the problems in the world. One of the joys
of Tom's cadet days was his activity as a Sunday School teacher
for installation chiIdren at the Cadet Chapel.
Another B- I friend and classmate, Jim Day, recalled countless
philosophical discussions with Tom on free Saturday evenings.
Jim remembered that Tom enjoyed parties and B- I picnics when
the class would provide the music and songs. Jim recalled, "He
was very much a man, a talented athlete with the best left hook
that I experienced from a man who was not a member of Corps Squad
boxing." AnotherB-1 friend and classmate, Dick Gruenther,
recalled, "We shared a love of the outdoors and explored
many beautiful mountain tops on the West Point reservation together.
Along with Harlan Koch, Roy Mossy, Dave Hutchison and others,
we shared many equestrian weekends camping at such memorable
spots as Weyant's Pond, The Hell Hole and Bog Meadow Pond. Tom
was fine company-a true Southern Gentleman. Never ruffled by
the system, Tom took it all in stride." When graduation
arrived, Tom became a second lieutenant of Infantry.
Tom attended his branch school at Fort Benning Georgia after
graduation leave. It was during graduation leave that Tom married
Frances Spain in Atlanta on 2 July 1946. Some of his classmates
remember Tom selling insurance while attending the Basic Infantry
Officer's Course (he planned to join his father in the insurance
business when his obligated tour was up). Following the Infantry
School, Tom was assigned to Osaka, Japan where Fran joined him
after about a year. Tom's job during this period was to locate
the graves of US airmen who had been shot down over Japan. In
the spring of 1950, Tom resigned from the Army and returned to
Atlanta to join his father in the insurance business. His two
years in this endeavor meant a lot to Tom's father, but Tom soon
realized that this was not what be wanted out of life. Following
up on one of his childhood ambitions, Tom and Fran and their
new baby daughter, Claire, journeyed to Dallas, Texas, where
Tom entered the Southwestern Medical School in Dallas in the
fall of 1953.
One of Tom's medical school classmates who was to become a
close friend, Dr. Robert B. Allison, recalled, "From the
fall of 1953 until his death in 1970, Tom Dillon was my best
friend.... I met Tom Dillon over a dead body in the anatomy lab....
It was a macabre scene, 18 bodies in an old, non-air-conditioned
Army barracks. I had never met anyone who had gone to West Point
before. Tom introduced me to Duty, Honor, Country, to the Honor
System at West Point.... Tom was slightly older than most of
the class. He was, however, respected by all of our classmates
and faculty. He was senior class secretary/ treasurer and elected
to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honorary Medical Society. He was good
with patients but chose pathology as a sub-specialty. "Tom
and I interned in Boston in 1957-58. Tom continued in pathology
at Massachusetts General from 1958-60 and became interested in
forensic medicine. Tom and his family lived in Marble Head, Massachusetts
during their stay in Boston. He had a sailboat which he finally
learned to sail. I can't say he was too cautious, for, before
be really learned to sail, Tom, Frances and myself took off one
windy day to move his boat from Marble Head Harbor to Salem Harbor
without success. We almost ended up in Beverly. A kind boatman
finally pulled us back to Marble Head. It was a windy day, to
say the least. We were wet and hopefully wiser ......"
Dr. Bob Allison continued his recollections, "Tom became
the first medical examiner for Fulton Country (Atlanta), Georgia.
He turned down an offer for a similar job in Dallas because of
the way the job was structured, i.e. it was controlled by the
county judges and not a separate entity. By chance, due to this
decision, be missed the Kennedy assassination. He loved his work
and was good at it. . . ." John T. Cameron, now the chief
of police, Fairburn, Georgia, was an investigator with the Fulton
County Medical Examiner's Office working for Tom. Chief Cameron
recalled that Tom was the first medical examiner for the Atlanta
area. Previously they had a coroner system, but the requirements
had outgrown the system. Plus, the coroner could not perform
autopsies. For his first year in the job, Tom carried dual titles,
both coroner and medical examiner. Chief Cameron remembers Tom
as brilliant, one of the finest medical examiners in the southeastern
United States. He was a good organizer and brought in a top-notch
investigative staff. The office was very effective. As a result
of Tom's efforts, better evidence was presented in court with
qualified witnesses available to present the evidence. This enhanced
the entire homicide investigative system in the county. Chief
Cameron remembers Tom's dedication and his outstanding professional
qualifications. He thought very highly of Tom and feels that
Tom did more for the system than anyone in the state of Georgia.
On 5 November 1970, Tom Dillon died at his home in Atlanta
of a massive cerebral hemorrhage. He was survived by his wife,
Fran; daughters Claire and Frances; son Harold T. Dillon, III;
sister, Ruth; and his parents.
When Tom Dillon was taken from his family and friends
at the peak of his career, a void was left in the hearts of all
who knew and loved him. Dr. Bob Allison shared these thoughts:
"Tom was a great guy. His death was a real blow to me; no
other incident other than my father's death had a greater impact
on me. Tom and I frequently discussed values such as character,
self-reliance, responsibility, etc. I still miss him. Tom was
an active person. He played handball, drove golfballs, sailed,
fished for flounder and perch, played catch with the kids, etc.
He loved words and facts. Never argue about a fact. We
looked up a lot of things and bet constantly. A dime was the
standard wager, plus a lot of honor and pride. Tom was never
lazy. Money was always short-he usually held several odd jobs
both in medical school and residency. He painted carcinogens
on experimental rats, did autopsies in out-of-the-way places
and did whatever it took."
Tom loved his family. He was devoted to Fran and the children.
He often said that the children were his major accomplishment
in his life, and he doted on them. Fran and his classmates all
remember Tom for the characteristics that remained constant throughout
his life. He was honest to a fault, maintained a steadfastness
of purpose, was completely dedicated to his work and family,
loyal to his friends and never wavered in his faith in God and
His purpose for Tom's life. Torn lived the virtues instilled
at West Point. DUTY, HONOR and COUNTRY were not just words to
Tom; they were the standards upon which he based his life. "Well
Done, Tom; Be Thou At Peace!"
'46 Memorial Article Project and his wife Fran
|