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Dr. Thomas S. Tullis Ph.D.
Dr. Thomas S. Tullis Ph.D.
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Thomas Tullis Obituary
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Debora Carvalho
October 27, 2021
Tom was a mentor to me. Even though, most of our time together was online, he always had wise advice to share and I can say for sure he was 100% responsible for the researcher I am today. His passing made the world a sad place.
Maura Cassidy
July 15, 2020
My condolences to Tom's family. I worked at Fidelity and had the pleasure of working on a few projects that included Tom as the expert. I also attended any lecture I could that he gave at FCAT so that I could understand the future direction of so many things. Tom always made those lectures educational and informative to even a business person such as myself. He had an enthusiasm that was infectious. I am shocked that he passed and wished he had more time of earth to share his knowledge and thoughts. I'm very sorry.
Amin Alhashim
May 14, 2020
I bumped into Tom accidentally in 2018 at UXPA. He was a kind and humble person. Losing such a person is definitely not easy. My condolences go to his family, friends, and beloved ones.
Gilberte Houbart
May 7, 2020
My heart goes to Tom's family, I am so sorry to hear that he passed. During my time at Fidelity as a designer I could see what a difference he made for all of us and how under his leadership user research and customer empathy permeated our projects, driving design decisions that were truly human centered. At RSA Security studies he had worked on were critical in helping me structure my work. His legacy will no doubt keep him with us.
Tom was definitely running on empathy and kindness and his career choices fully illustrate that.
With my deepest condolences to his family, may you all find peace and serenity as you grieve.
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Michelle Pontbriand
May 6, 2020
I am so sorry to hear of Tom's passing. Sending love to everyone who is grieving his loss.
Rene de Pontbriand
May 6, 2020
I'd like the family to know of the fond remembrances we have from interacting with Tom over the years.
My wife Laurel Allender and I were fellow students with Tom in William Marsh Rice University's PhD program in Psychology. Tom was one of several Rice BA graduates who had returned for their graduate studies, and we relied upon their guidance for how things worked. Forever grateful we were, from advance notice of the football cheer (Gimme a W! Gimme an I! Gimme an L!) to the random-scramble-march band, the MOB (Marching Owl Band). Tom also advised on the backgrounds or several faculty members he had worked with, and of course they had, in turn, advised us of Tom's intellect and work ethic, which we were encouraged to follow if we wanted to succeed.
Laurel and I both ended up working with the Army Research Laboratory, where she, like Tom, started out in human-computer interaction (her PhD studies centered on the Patriot missile system user interface), while I, following our Department Chair Dr. Bill Howell's example, concentrated as much on a more general human-system interaction (Ergonomics) perspective. We both would regularly meet up with Tom at Human Factors society and other related meetings, always at great benefit to our understanding of the latest emerging research. Thank you, Tom, as always!
Several years ago, after looking over some of Tom's writings, I was interested in how investment and banking concerns were rolling out their online business. Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, and Fidelity Investments were among the top-5 companies, I discovered, and each took its user-experience responsibilities very seriously. When you're working with individuals' life savings, with corporate pension plans, and with school endowments, the numbers get very large very quickly, and it is imperative to ensure that users can keep track of their investments every step of the way and that they are able to exercise due control over those investments. In looking at Fidelity in particular, the highpoint for user-experience personnel consistently was the camaraderie and nurturing spirit of the research staff. At Fidelity, that wholesomeness stemmed from Tom's leadership. Just as back in grad school, Tom was sharing his knowledge and kindness to the benefit of the rest of us. Such a legacy!
Rene de Pontbriand
Rice PhD 1984
Laurel Allender
Rice PhD 1986
Lester Goldsmith
May 6, 2020
I met Tom in 1964 when he began 7th grade at East High School in Memphis, TN. He had said recently, that he planned to attend our 50 year (1970-2020) high school reunion. I have many memories of him at school.
Charlie Brenner
May 5, 2020
I had the great privilege of being Tom's colleague and technically his boss when I ran the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology, until my retirement. I say technically because as a giant in his field Tom needed no managing, and I was wise enough to stand back and let him do the superb work that he was justifiably famous for.
I will remember Tom for his integrity, empathy, and brilliance it's rare to find a scientist who is also a people person, and Tom was certainly that. It's entirely fitting that he chose largely created, in fact a profession that perfectly combined both.
My deepest condolences to the family.
Sandra Firestone
May 4, 2020
I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Tom. My condolences to Susan, Cheryl, Virginia and the Tullis family. Tom was always very kind to my family during the years that my mother was married to his father, Frank. My mother was very fond of Tom and was always glad when he came to Memphis to visit. She thought it was wonderful that Tom spent so much time studying his genealogy history with his Dad. They shared some good times together. Again, so sorry to hear of his passing. Peace and Love to the family.
Andrew Wood
May 4, 2020
Susan, Cheryl and Virginia, I am so sorry for your loss. Tom was a true inspiration as a friend and an example of what being successful was all about. He was the kind of person that you were honored to call a friend. I wish you peace. Andrew
Kirsten Laaspere
May 4, 2020
I had the honor of working with Tom as a college intern and then subsequently when I returned to work full time at Fidelity. He was always patient and kind. He prioritized listening and made you feel heard and seen. He was a teacher, a leader, and an innovator. I remember him fondly and can say for certain that he has left a lasting, positive impression on anyone who has had the pleasure of working with him. I send healing thoughts to his family and friends. Fare thee well, Tom.
Kayla Block
May 4, 2020
I have been part of the utest community for decades, from the time I was a newbie just starting out in the field. Tom was always kind and generous with help and encouragement. I was a huge fan of his UX trivia quizzes and often passed them on to both UX and dev communities.
His loss leaves a big hole in the utest community.
My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.
Steve Merken
May 4, 2020
My condolences to the entire Tullis family on behalf of Elsevier Publishing.
Thomas Neiman
May 4, 2020
I went to school with Tom. He was a person of many accomplishments. He was someone who could be successful in wherever he wanted to achieve success. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. My condolences go to his wife and two daughters.
ANDREW KNIGHT
May 4, 2020
So sorry for your loss, Tullis family. I worked with Tom at Fidelity for a long time and always found him to be both a gentleman and a gentle man, too rare properties in our world today.
Peter Mirabelle
May 3, 2020
I met Tom when I started at Bell Labs in 1977. Our group was called Personnel Subsystems. We designed a user interface for telecommunication maintenance systems. Well, mostly Tom designed the user interface and we all filled in where we could. Most of that group remained close over the years.
Tom was always down to earth, friendly, and an all around nice guy.
And to anyone that knew him for more than 5 minutes, it was obvious the man was brilliant. But not brilliant in a flashy way. That wasn't who Tom was.
When a design problem came up, Tom would go off and be able to meticulously examine and assemble all elements of the issue . Then he would present a solution.
And here's the part that always amazed me. The solution would be so straightforward that it seemed it should have been obvious to everyone. Of course, that was far from being the case.
Simply put, he made being a genius seem so natural and effortless. He made you think that genius was within everyone's reach. I can't think of a better motivational paradigm.
Just look at all his accomplishments, family, friends, papers, articles, patents, hobbies, and, of course, his renowned status as a world class charade player. All this from a guy who used to wear a sweater vest every day at Bell Labs. It was a privilege to have known and worked beside him.
Sincere condolences to all of Tom's family.
Rodney Hoffman
May 3, 2020
I introduced Tom and Susan while we were all students at Rice University. We stayed in touch only occasionally over the years. Because Tom and I were both computer scientists, I did follow his work. I'm so sorry he's gone.
Jacqueline Stetson
May 3, 2020
Like so many others in the UX community, Tom was a trusted mentor and colleague. I interned with him at Fidelity and was lucky to work on one of his well-referenced papers. He was always so kind and had a moment to chat at conferences. Many years later, he again lent his wisdom on my startup. I was lucky to become friends with him and Cheryl on Facebook and was able to keep in touch with his adventures over the years. My heart goes out to his family. Tom will be greatly missed.
Joe Dumas
May 3, 2020
I was privileged to know and work with Tom over many years. I first met him when he moved his family to Boston to take the job at Fidelity. He was the first of our profession (user experience) to become a vice president at a major company. I admired his ability to attract a wonderful group of professionals to Fidelity. We met frequently at local and professional meetings. He was a magnet, attracting a crowd wherever he went, especially of the younger people he mentored.
I was a major reviewer for one of his books and he and I gave a talk together in 2009 at a professional meeting. He was a joy to work with. Always humble in spite of his many achievements. He will have a prominent place in the history of our profession.
My wife (Martie) and I will made a donation in his memory to the Cape Cod Food Pantry.
Cindy & Jeff Goldberg
May 3, 2020
Dear Cheryl and family , we are very sorry to hear about your dads passing.. sending love..
Stephanie Termin Mullens
May 3, 2020
Susan and family,
Rusty and I are so sorry for your loss. We are praying for you during this difficult time.
LeAnn & David Wetherell
May 2, 2020
So sorry to hear of this. Love and prayers to the family during this terrible loss.
Carol Ann Burns
May 2, 2020
I want to send my condolences to the entire Tullis family. I was Tom's classmate in the 1970 graduation class at East High School in Memphis, TN. Such a loss to the world for all his accomplishments. R.I.P. Tommy
William Samuels
May 2, 2020
Could not have any prouder of my Beloved Cousin, Tom. It was such a pleasure spending quality and fun time all the way from early years thru High School Graduation at East High in Memphis. We were looking so forward to our 50th Renion this until the Corona travesty. So many of our Classmates are grieving at the loss of our Leader, Valedictorian and Dearest Friend to so many of us. Tom, You made our lives so Blessed and we are all better off for knowing You. Our Prayers are with Your Family as we grieve for the loss of someone who made a huge difference for us all. You are now wearing a Crown of Glory in Heaven, Cuz.
Jerry Brodkey
May 2, 2020
I met Tom when we were freshmen at Rice in 1970. He lived in the same stairwell as I did, right below me. I remember him fondly as a bright, friendly part of our close-knot community. Over the years I lost touch with most of my Rice friends, but our mutual friend Rodney Hoffman in Los Angeles kept me informed of Tom's accomplishments and recent struggles with the virus. I was greatly saddened to hear of his passing.
I also fondly remember Tom's wife Susan, and my condolences go out to her and your entire family. My thoughts have been with all of you. -- Jerry Brodkey
Mike and Nanci Munro
May 2, 2020
Tom was very special to the Munro family giving of his talent w photography at ALL of our Father Daughter Dances for The famed photo booth'. He was generous w his time and efforts. We truly will miss Tom. We are thankful for his faithfulness to God and his love for others.
Amy Lefebvre
May 2, 2020
I'm so sorry for your loss, Virginia.
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