Thomas Austin Bower

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Thomas Austin Bower was led gently home on Saturday, August 1, 2009, with his family by his side. Born Jan. 23, 1944, in Billings, MT, Tom was raised in the Black Hills of South Dakota where he graduated from Rapid City (Central) High School in 1962. During his youth, Tom had a newspaper route where he delivered the Rapid City Journal. After completing his freshman and sophomore years at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Tom went to work for General Electric at its Atomic Power Equipment Department in San Jose, California, working days and attending evening classes at San Jose State College where he graduated in 1967 (BA-Physics) and in 1969 (MS-Physics). During this time he met at GE the love of his life – Hilda Mencas, who he married and created a family. Following graduation in 1969, he immediately began teaching evening college physics courses at San Jose City College which continued for 10 years until travel demands from his day job at GE required he give-up his teaching career. Tom held engineering positions in design, sales, application, licensing, and project organization. Tom also held a variety of managerial positions that included his last position of Vice President – GE power Systems Licensing, Inc. (a newly created subsidiary on Jan. 1, 1997) – where he was guardian of GE's international commercial nuclear power intellectual property rights. Tom was a member of the leadership team which created and established Global Nuclear Fuels. For 10 years prior to the creation of GNF, as Manager of GE Nuclear Energy's Technology Exchange organization, Tom staffed a two-man office in Wilmington which fulfilled GE's obligations to its numerous international licensees for fuel manufacturing technology. Tom retired from this position on Sept. 1, 2001 concluding a 37-year career with GE. Tom was a member of the American Nuclear Society, Licensing Executive Society, and LES-Silicon Valley Chapter. Tom was a registered professional Nuclear Engineer with the State of California and he held a life-time teaching credential. Tom enjoyed socializing with his retired GE friends such as the group who made the annual fishing adventure to the Sea of Cortez, with Trev (Rowland) Trekkers hiking great trails in the Bay Area, with the Old Fuelers Wine and Sandwich Luncheon Society, with GE Elfun Society, with the GE Retiree Club, with the GE Table at the Almaden Branch of SIRS and on a more serious note tutoring math to 4th and 5th graders at Almaden Elementary School in San Jose under Fred Ikemoto's program, and promoting the fun of science (including the "Science is Fun!!!" program) to 5th and 6th graders at KR Elementary School in San Jose under Tony James' program. Tom enjoyed spending his free time with his family in San Jose and at his coast side home in El Granada. Tom will be greatly missed and remembered always. Tom is preceded in his death by his mother, Minnie, his father, Karle, and his sister, Susan; he is survived by his wife, Hilda, and sons, Bryan and Thomas, all of who reside in the San Francisco Bay Area and sister, Nancy Pryor and nephew James Pryor of Buffalo, MN. Letters to the family may be sent to P.O. Box 2863, El Granada, CA 94018.
This obituary was originally published in the Rapid City Journal.