Thoma Gossage

1934 - 2022

GOSSAGE, Thomas

Passed away at age 87 on March 27, 2022 surrounded by his family.

Born May 7, 1934 in Nashville, Tennessee, Tom attended East Nashville High School. He received a football scholarship to the Georgia Institute of Technology and graduated with honors obtaining a B.S. in 1956 and an M.S. in 1957, both in Chemical Engineering. During his years on the Georgia Tech football team, the Yellow Jackets won the 1953 and 1955 Sugar Bowls, the 1954 Cotton Bowl, and the 1956 Gator Bowl.

In 1957, he married Atlanta native, Virginia Maude Eastman, his wife of 64 years. Together they raised two daughters.

After college, Tom served two years in the United States Air Force stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, attaining the rank of Captain. He was fortunate to serve as a Project Manager in the Propulsion Laboratory at the Wright Air Development Center working to develop propulsion systems for advanced aircraft. The experience and responsibility he gained in the Air Force set the stage for Tom's business career upon his return to civilian life.

Tom built a distinguished 36-year career as an executive in the Chemical Industry. Twenty-six of those years were spent with Monsanto Company beginning in 1961 when he joined the Monsanto Research Corporation in Dayton, Ohio as Assistant Director of Government Relations. By 1966 he had been promoted to Director of Research & Development Marketing. In 1968, Tom relocated to Monsanto's corporate headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri accepting the position of Group Marketing Director of the New Enterprise Division. During this time, he attended the Stanford Executive Program, a substantive and challenging environment which enhanced his portfolio of management skills.

Tom's career continued to progress at Monsanto with positions in Specialty Chemicals, Plasticizers, and Detergents & Phosphates. In 1981 he was promoted to Vice President and Managing Director of Monsanto Industrial Chemical Company. Tom was named Group Vice President and Managing Director of Monsanto International in 1983, a time when Monsanto was highly focused on developing international markets for its products. In that capacity he served on The Board of Directors of the US/China Business Council, the US Council for International Business, and the National Foreign Trade Council. In 1986 Tom was promoted to Senior Vice President, Monsanto Chemical Company.

In 1988, an opportunity presented itself at Wilmington, Delaware-based Hercules Inc. Tom joined the organization as President of Hercules Specialty Chemicals Company and was then named President and Chief Executive Officer of Aqualon Company (originally a joint venture with Henkel KGaA). He was named Senior Vice President of Hercules Inc. and elected to the Board of Directors in 1989. In 1990 Tom was selected by the company's Board of Directors to assume the position of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hercules Inc. During his tenure in leadership at Hercules he focused on a return to core strengths, developing international markets, and the enhancement of shareholder value. Tom retired from Hercules in 1997 and in that year was awarded the International Palladium Medal for outstanding contributions to the world chemical industry by the American Section of the Societe de Chimie Industrielle.

A supporter of the arts and education, while in St. Louis Tom served as a Board Member for the St. Louis Art Museum and the Opera Theater of St. Louis. In Wilmington he served on the Board of Directors of the Grand Opera House, was a member of the Board of Governors, Winterthur Corporate Council, and was a member of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the Delaware Art Museum. Tom remained close to his alma mater, the Georgia Institute of Technology. He was a member of the Georgia Tech Advisory Board from 1991-1998, serving as Chairman from 1997-1998. He also served as a member of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees from 1996 to 2004, when he was made an Emeritus Member. Tom received the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award in 1994 and was admitted to Georgia Tech's College of Engineering Hall of Fame in 1997. Upon his retirement from Hercules, the Gossage Chair was established within the College of Chemical Engineering. Tom made significant commitments to help fund the Environmental Science & Technology Building and the International Enrichment Fund for the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

He also served on several corporate and industry boards including Fluor Corporation, The Dial Corporation, Wilmington Trust, and the Chemical Manufacturers Association.

Tom enjoyed playing golf, fishing, and shooting fowl. He was an art collector and an opera enthusiast. He will be remembered by his family and friends for his generosity, quick wit, and strong sense of integrity.

Tom was predeceased by his parents, Walker Edward Gossage and Mildred Davis Gossage. He is survived by his wife, Virginia Eastman Gossage, daughters Laura Eastman Gossage (Keith Dragt) and Virginia Lowry Gossage, granddaughter Daisy Sarah Niedbala (Carl) of Jersey City, New Jersey, sister Nancy Gossage McDermid (Hal) of San Francisco, California, and brother W. Edward Gossage (Pat) of St. Simons, Georgia. Visitation will be held on Thursday, March 31 between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm at H. M. Patterson & Son (Oglethorpe Hill Chapel), 4550 Peachtree Rd. NE, Atlanta, Georgia with a family burial at Oakland Cemetery on Friday, April 1. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Georgia Tech Foundation, 760 Spring St. NW, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30308, for the benefit of the Gossage International Scholarship Fund.