Thomas Hilton Armor

Thomas Hilton Armor July 3, 1943 - August 17, 2009 Tom Armor was killed when his airplane crashed after takeoff at Love Field in Prescott, AZ on August 17, 2009. His close friend Marvin Loper and he were on their way to visit a longtime friend in New Mexico. Tom was born in Long Beach, CA and graduated from UCLA with a Ph.D. in Management. He work- ed in the field of international aid, consulting for the United States Agency for International Development. He travelled to over 100 countries, most recently Pakistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and had just returned from Kabul, Afghanistan. He called it the garden tour. He loved new technology and making things work in difficult situations. He could start a car, rig a solar shower, or get internet mail in a developing country with nothing but a piece of wire, an alligator clip, a piece of string "too small to save", or a coil of old hose. He traveled across a border in Africa closed to all but non-motorized transportation by buying and flying a hot air balloon. He learned to fly before he learned to drive, hitchhiking to the Long Beach Airport for flying lessons. He was deeply committed to public radio and was instrumental in founding Hawaii Public Radio. He is survived by many friends and family, including his cousins Sydney Voorhees and Kendrick Chamberlain; aunt Virginia Voorhees; dear friends Aida Hafley, Rick de la Sota, Terry Lesly Forbes, Melanie Robinson, and Nadia Sencak; Laura Susman Armor; his brother and sisters-in-law Ken, Priscilla, and Tery Susman; and colleagues and friends all over the world. His was a loving and generous heart and his intelligence and sense of humor were unsurpassed. While he died doing what he loved with his best friend at his side, the world is smaller and dimmer for us with his passing. Memorial services are pending.