TOM DONCOURT

DONCOURT--Tom. Tom Doncourt, an accomplished musician, composer, painter, sculptor, instrument maker, woodworker, educator, son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and wonderful friend to countless people, died from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis at the age of 63, on March 20, 2019 in Brooklyn, NY. On December 10, 1955, Tom was born in Flushing, Queens, to Ruthene Staples Doncourt and the late Captain Carlton R. Doncourt NYPD. Tom was raised in Islip Terrace, Long Island, NY. He is survived by his beloved Mother, his bright and beautiful sister, Carol Doncourt DeFrancesco, her husband Vincent, niece Melissa Stewart and nephews Andrew and Richard DeFrancesco. Tom leaves behind his first wife, Gudrun Doncourt, cherished daughter Carly, devoted sons, Barry and Chief Warrant Officer David Doncourt US Army, and four lovely grandchildren Max, Grace, Josiah and Kayla. He is also survived by his loving wife, Maxine Lu, their treasured daughter, Wendy Doncourt, and the dog, Pere, his loyal companion with which he held dear. Tom was a Preparator in the Exhibitions Department of the American Museum of Natural History. His relationship with the museum began in 1992 when he became an Education Department volunteer in the early days of the Discovery Room. He was mentored by Ann Prewitt, creating unique puzzles, the beloved whale mask, and other interactive projects for this hands-on children's space. During that time, he also worked with Education to convert a recreational vehicle into a "moveable museum" about nomadic cultures. In need of space while working on Moveable, Tom occupied a workspace in the museum's exhibition department and before long, he was offered a full-time position that led to a nearly 21 year tenure as a Preparator, or Exhibitions Artist, from which he retired as Senior Principal Preparator in 2016. Tom's love of the museum meshed easily with his own fascination of art, music, human culture and the natural world. Work-life and home- life were not kept separate. Tom's work projects and personal interests traveled back and forth from home studio to office cubicle to music room and anyone who had ever visited his desk at the AMNH could attest to the crossovers and explosions of his creative process, often spilling out of his workspace into the studio at large. Hand-carved xylophone blocks were stacked upon foam models in progress. Candy colored resin samples for a neuron spread across his desk among plasticine sculpts of tardigrades to be scaled up to ten feet. A delicate mask carved out of cedar sat on a shelf to be finished, someday. Photos of his family and notes from loved ones and friends from across the world were pinned up among acrylic paint tests and landscape studies. Drawers full of sculpting tools were interspersed with wood scraps and electrical components, perhaps for one of his rare Chamberlin organs or mellotrons. It was a joyful explosion. Tom's artistic ability was flexible to say the least. His expertise and creative hand can be seen in countless exhibits throughout the museum and in traveling exhibits worldwide. He contributed to many of the ecosystem life groups in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, notably the coral reef, the whale fall, polar ice, and the continental shelf. He created models as tiny and focused as the fingernail-sized Batodonoides, (a shrew-like mammal, possibly the smallest to have ever lived) to the giant pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus with its impressive thirty-five foot wingspan, one of the largest known flying animals of all time. Over his years spent in Exhibition, Tom became educated in the techniques and history of diorama making and the unique ability of dioramas to forever preserve a moment in time, some of which will never be seen again outside of the museum's walls. He revered the knowledge passed down from his predecessors, such as Steve Quinn, over the past 150 years and helped pioneer the techniques that carried new exhibits into the future. Tom spent years teaching a public course, The Art of the Diorama, that afforded students the opportunity to learn some of the innovative ways in which a museum diorama is created, then and now, and how diorama and wildlife arts are instrumental to wildlife conservation. Perhaps the most impressive and valuable creations of Tom's time at the museum are the friendships that he carried throughout his life and career. Tom was a joy to be around and he infused joy into his artwork. In turn, countless people share that joy as they walk through the museums and institutions that house his creations. He is loved and remembered by his museum colleagues and co-workers, past and present, for his off-the-wall humor, originality, generosity and kindness. Tom's personal passion was for creating music. He was a member of several musical bands over the years. Beginning with ODYSSEY, a progressive rock band that began playing in Long island clubs during the 1960's. In 1974 they invited Tom to join as mellotronist, his instrument of choice. During his time with ODYSSEY, the original members had a major influence on his development as a keyboardist and writer. Tom left ODYSSEY to form a band with guitarist Rudy Perrone and Ed Gagliardi. Shortly after departing the band, ODYSSEY disbanded and bassist Fred Callan, along with vocalist Louie Lovino, joined Tom and Rudy to form CATHEDRAL. They added drummer Barry Kadane. By 1976 Paul Seal replaced Louis Lovino and Mercury Caronia replaced Barry Kadane. His work on the "Stained Glass Stories" album with CATHEDRAL in 1978 earned him admiration as a noteworthy American Keyboardist and Composer. He was often compared to Rick Wakeman, Tony Banks, and Keith Emerson; the best of the Progressive Rock Keyboardists. Tom's melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic approach was evidently unique. Alongside his keyboard work, he was an inventor of instruments, which added to his orchestral pallet of colors. From his earliest use of the Mellotron 919 on the song "Flight", to his most recent solo recordings, there was always his beloved mellotrons. In 1979, Tom, bassist Chuck Bernklau, guitarist Joe Armetta, drummer Barry Kadane and vocalist Gudrun Thraindottir from Iceland, who was introduced to Tom by his friend Michael Pollack, formed the band QUIET. In 2005, the band CATHEDRAL, reunited to create "The Bridge". The album was produced in 2007 with engineer/ producer, Brian Unger and distributed by Musea. David Doig was added on guitar. In 2009, he was a member of the improvisational, experimental ensemble, GLOBULAR CLUSTER, performing shows in underground clubs in Manhattan and Brooklyn, with Jake Adams and Sarah Reynolds, among other avant- garde musicians of Brooklyn. Tom went on to compose his own original music for the remainder of his life, learning how to process and record, while setting up his own studio where he was able to create seven albums: "Fauve", "Blacklight", "The Mortal Coil", "The Moon Will Rise", "House in the Woods", "Ratsimandresy & Doncourt, Vol. 1" and "Lantern" (which will be published posthumously). He employed musicians from all over the world, as well as having his longtime friends contribute to his solo efforts on albums and on stage, such as Chuck Bernklau, Rudy Perrone, Mattias Olsson, Eunice Wobble Wong, Brian Lee, Penelope Thomas, Alex Feld, Cassandra Jenkins, Yuko Pepe, Michael Wookey, Kristin Slipp, Peter Zokosky, and Nadia Ratsimandresy. Tom Doncourt was one of those people who was seemingly capable of nearly anything when it came to creativity or learning something new. Tom was known for many things, such as his art, his mellotron music, and the play ground, theater sets, and haunted house, he made for his children's schools. He was also known for a term created about him, "Tomming It", a phrase everyone who knew him, used. When a project or situation would reach a standstill, when courage, perseverance and sheer will was needed to finish, he would "Tom It". He did so until the end. Tom was a friend and mentor to a great many people, young and old, from all walks of life, rich or poor. Tom was truly one of a kind, he was unique in the entire Universe and there will never be another like him. A sacred, magical guy, eyes and ears wide open to the mystery of life, with a heart that changed the world and uplifted us all.