Thomas Balazs Timar

Thomas Timar died suddenly and unexpectedly of natural causes at his home in Napa, California on December 31, 2024. His life journey was characterized by a keen intellect, a generous spirit and resilience.

Tom was born to Ignác and Eugenia Timar during World War II. He had a sister Genie, who was one year older. In 1944, his mother fled Hungary with her young children to reunite with Ignác in the safety of American-occupied Germany. There they lived in displaced persons camps until 1951 when they left for America, sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of San Francisco.

The Timar family settled in Ukiah, California where they first managed a chicken ranch. Tom and Genie enrolled in the public schools where they learned English. Tom graduated from Ukiah High School in 1961. He attended UC Berkeley on scholarship where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in Comparative Literature.

Tom returned home after college to teach at Ukiah High School for two years. He then returned to the San Francisco Bay Area to broaden his career. There he taught at Mission San Jose High School and lived with his first wife, Stephanie Tramz. During that time his son, Sebastian Deszo, was born. Tom fostered many of Sebastian's interests including a passion for cars that motivated him to study engineering, as well as backpacking, skiing, tennis, reading, travel, and his Hungarian heritage.

Tom moved to Sacramento after divorce in the early 1980s. There, Tom deepened his commitment to education by earning a doctorate in education policy from UC Berkeley. He worked as a consultant for the California State Legislature, then as a lobbyist and advocate for public education. His career then included professorships at Harvard, UC Riverside, UC Berkeley, Stanford, and UC Davis. His European origins and facility with languages led to education and research work in Central and Eastern Europe. During the busy 1980s, he married Allene Murdoch who shared his commitment to education and his love of travel, literature, the arts and politics. Their lives together were lively and rewarding.

Tom retired from his professorship at UC Davis in 2015, and from his academic career in 2023, but his interest in education remained. In retirement he continued his lifelong interests in literature, cooking, photography, music, and travel to the delight of his family and friends. His remarkable life, contributions to education and his vibrant spirit will be missed and cherished.

A celebration of Tom's life will be held in June 2025 at the Alumni Center on the UC Davis campus. Donations in Tom's name can be sent to the Undergraduate Scholarship Program at UC Berkeley.