Thomas Jules Atwood

Thomas Jules Atwood, age 71, died on February 9, 2024, in Tampa, Florida, of complications from a recent illness.  Tom had a brilliant and inquiring mind and was a lifelong student of anthropology, artificial intelligence, aeronautics, and the Chinese strategy game of Go.  He spent his childhood in Tucson, Arizona, and was often at the old ranch owned by Marshall and Eva Cruz, learning from them about desert life in the early 1900's. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a degree in Cultural Anthropology, Tom studied at the Max Planck Institute in Germany and developed an affinity for the German language. He enjoyed long conversations in German with his brother George. Tom earned a J.D. from New York University Law School and went on to a distinguished career in journalism and magazine publication. In the early 1990s, he joined Air Age Media and helped revitalize Model Airplane News as Editor-in-Chief.  He was recognized in 1992 by the U.S. Department of Defense for orchestrating a shipment of thousands of RC magazines to armed forces serving in Desert Storm. In 1996 Tom co-founded Flight Journal magazine, which covers full-scale aviation adventure and aviation technology.  Working with Maplegate Media, he founded Robot magazine in 2005 and oversaw that publication until 2013, giving readers in-depth news on the use of robotics in space exploration, medical technology, communications, and military operations. The magazine became an essential resource for students and hobbyists. After retiring, Tom founded the National Robotics Education Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes STEM careers and provides curricula and learning resources for robotics education.  He served as its Executive Director from his home in Wesley Chapel, Florida, until his death.  Tom loved flying remote-controlled aircraft and over the years introduced his children and other family members to the wonders of robots and RC aeronautics, He is survived by his wife Linda Atwood, children Derek and Ashley Atwood, siblings Mary Purdy, George Atwood, and Barbara Atwood (Peter Eisner), nephews Chuck Dickerson, Aaron Eisner, Charles Eisner (Lauren Cvengros Eisner), and Chris Atwood Zou (Helen Zou), nieces Barbie Moneymaker and Rebecca Atwood (Gabe Long), grandnieces Jojo Moneymaker, Rebecca Moneymaker, and Ursula Atwood, grandnephew Forrest Long, and the family dog Penny.