Thomas E. Dillon

1946 - 2009

April 18, 1946 - April 15, 2009

Thomas Edward Dillon was the first of six children born to Shirley and Thomas J. Dillon of San Francisco. Even from childhood, he had a keen sense of wonder and a hunger for knowledge, spending hours reading through encyclopedias. Tom was immensely grateful for his loving family, and had tremendous gratitude for his parents love and example. He cherished many fond memories of growing up with his siblings, Nancy, Tim, John, Mary, and Robert. He was deeply saddened by the loss of his own father, whom he described as his hero, only a few years ago.

Tom married the love of his life, Theresa Ann Corkery, on March 4, 1967. They were not only husband and wife, but also best friends. Tom had a great sense of humor and he could always make Terri laugh. They complemented one another perfectly. The Dillons were blessed with 42 years of marriage, 4 children, and 15 grandchildren. One of Toms greatest joys was spending time with Terri and their children. He delighted in playing ping-pong with his youngest son, Danny, and loved to chronicle his family members lives through his passion for photography. Tom had a true appreciation for beauty, and nowhere did he treasure it more than in his own family.

A graduate of St. Marys College of California, with masters and doctoral degrees in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Dillon devoted the last 38 years of his life to advancing and sustaining Catholic liberal education at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula. Appointed to the colleges teaching faculty in 1972, he served as assistant dean for student affairs from 1976 to 1981; he then served as academic dean from 1981 until his appointment as president in 1991. Throughout that time, he took great pride in the colleges growing reputation for excellence, as well as in its alumni, which include 45 priests and more than 20 fully professed religious brothers and sisters. Widely recognized as a national leader in the reform of accreditation in higher education, Dr. Dillon was active in the early 1990s in organizing a new national accrediting agency, the American Academy for Liberal Education. In 2003, he was appointed to a three-year term by the United States Secretary of Education to the 15-member National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, a group that, in effect, accredits the accreditors. Dr. Dillon was a member of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and chairman of the Western Associations Defense of the Faith Committee. He served on the Board of Directors of a number of organizations, including the Institute on Religious Life, and was a member of Legatus for the past 11 years.

On April 15, Dr. Dillon was killed in an automobile accident in Ireland, where he was traveling on behalf of Thomas Aquinas College. He is survived by his mother and five siblings, his beloved wife, Terri, and their four children and their spouses: Elizabeth and Thomas J Dillon, Maria and Domiane Forte, Christine and Thomas Ellis, and Danny Dillon. He also leaves behind 15 grandchildren: Cecilia, Maggie, Sean, Frances, and Jane Dillon; Emma, Giuseppe, Enzo, Francesco, and Bella Forte; and Andrew, Liam, Seth, Caitriona, and Joey Ellis. He will be deeply mourned by his family and by the entire community of Thomas Aquinas College, to which he gave his life.

The Funeral Mass for Dr. Dillon will be held in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel at Thomas Aquinas College on Friday, April 24, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. Interment will be at Santa Paula Cemetery. A rosary was held Thursday evening, April 23, 2009 at 7:30 p.m., also in the college chapel. An all-night vigil followed. The Dillon family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Thomas Aquinas College or, more specifically, to Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the family owned and operated Robert Rey Garcia Jr., Funeral Services, Santa Paula, CA. 93060. For further information, please call (805) 229-7054