THOMAS SICCAMA

1936 - 2014

SICCAMA, THOMAS ‘TOM’ Thomas “Tom” Siccama, 78, of Shelburne, VT passed away peacefully on October 3, 2014 at Vermont Respite House in Williston with his family by his side. Tom was born July 6, 1936, in Rahway, NJ to Theodore and Alaneda Siccama. As a young boy growing up in rural New Jersey near his Grandfather’s and Grandmother’s farm, he always enjoyed being outdoors in the forest or spending time with the chickens, and garden at the farm. This is what inspired his love of nature and the natural world. Tom was a quiet man who loved his garden, huge raspberry patch and his cats. Tom attended the University of Vermont where he obtained his Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees. He was invited to teach at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (FES) by Professor Herbert Bormann as a PostDoctoral student and continued to teach at the Yale FES for 42 years as a professor of Forest Ecology and Director of Field Studies. He was well known for his courses, where he would take students into the forests and fields of New England to learn about the local ecosystems. He received the Forestry school’s top teaching and advising award - four times- and authored or co-authored more than 120 research papers. Tom began his career-long participation in the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in 1966. His innovative research on the nutrient dynamics of the vegetation and soils over the next 46 years helped to establish Hubbard Brook as the world’s leading study on forested ecosystems. The results from his scholarship informed public policy debates regarding acid rain, sustainable forestry, and climate change. In addition, his commitment to the collection and conservation of long-term data not only established an invaluable baseline by which to measure the impact of environmental stressors on these forests but also inspired former students to carry on his work at Hubbard Brook. He is survived by his wife of 52 years Judith Siccama of Shelburne, VT, his daughter Carolyn Siccama and her husband, Chris Trapeni, and his granddaughter Carly Trapeni of Shelburne. Sister-in-law Sharon Roa and her husband Glen Roa. Brother-in-law George Pillsbury and his wife Celine Pillsbury. And his cat, Willow. A private ceremony will be held to celebrate his life. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Shore Line Trolley Museum, 17 River Street, East Haven, CT 06512.