Thomas Whelan III

Tom had been a mentor and friend for almost 50 years. I first met Tom when I came to LSU as his graduate student in 1975 to work on a project studying chronic oil releases in Louisiana marshes. I had learn gas chromatography and fluorescence spectrometry with Tom´s tutelage. During this time we went on some field trips and fishing trips. After getting my Masters Degree in 1978, I worked for his geochemical consulting company. Around 1980 his company was merged with Woodward-Clyde Consultants in Houston and I moved with him. This lasted, through different iterations of the company, until 1986 when our division, which was part of Oceaneering, was closed. I moved back to Baton Rouge to work at LSU. During the intervening years we kept in touch and I visited him in Houston to go to some Astro games fishing trips and spring training games in Florida along with Richard Yuill. We had some great times together over the years. He had a great enthusiasm and love for life, science, the Astros and especially his family. I´m going really miss him and he will be remembered for all the good times we had together.

My relationship to Tom has three phases -- employee under his leadership, consultation of a expert chemist, and friend. I first met Tom in the early 1980's when he was my boss in a consulting firm. He was a kind and caring boss. In the next decade, he was a consultant to an environmental firm for which I worked. He helped us design and implement a complicated field sampling and analytical protocol for a project. He was professional and extremely knowledgeable. But mostly, he was a valued friend for over 3 and a half decades. He and his former grad student - Charlie Milan, and I went to many Astros baseball games over the years. The three of us went to Astros Spring training in 2016 and 2017 -- the last year at Kissimmee FL and the first year at the Palm Beaches FL. We had a great time both times. 2017 also gave us a fall fishing trip with Tom in Aransas bay. Even though he was confined to a seat in the boat, he still out fished me.

When Tom and Lynn moved to Richmond Texas, my friendship grew. Tom, two neighbors from Richmond and I started attending Sugar Land Space Cowboy games (formerly the Sugar Land Skeeters) together. We all loved baseball, but Tom was the glue that formed the bond to our friendships.

Tommy, we miss you already. But I will always keep you in my heart.

Mr. Whelan had to put up with me and Samantha´s junior high school craziness. He was such a good sport! I met him around the time I was in late elementary school when I met Samantha and Emily. Samantha was my across the street neighbor. I spent many weekends with him / them. - I always enjoyed it. He always made me laugh. I remember his brown townhouse off Memorial and how it backed up to the bayou and was super wooded like a nature sanctuary. My deepest sympathy for his wife, daughters, family and Bobbie.
Prayers of comfort and love,

Kristen Meyer

Tom took me on my very first ski trip in high school. I had been friends with Samantha since elementary school. My family were not skiers and this experience made me fall in love with skiing and now I go with my family. I remember we drove to Colorado in his red Suzuki.