Dr. Thomas J. LeCompte

Tom was a brilliant man & apparently accomplished a lot in life... but I remember him as the geeky friend who played games, went on camping trips & made me laugh at his hijinks. He respected others & bit his tongue when I´m sure he wanted to roll his eyes at others not understanding concepts that came easy to him. He had class. And played a mean trumpet!

Rest In Peace my friend.
Maryclare Levitt

I met Tom when he was hanging around IBC with a mutual friend. He always had a knack of calling me when I was working on Physics or math homework. He could easily explain how to arrive at the "right" answer and then explain how that answer was just wrong in real life. I couldn´t argue with the guy. He was always right on those counts.

I found a few of his gracious lectures as an "Experimenter" from 2017 & 2018 on YouTube. Same infectious laugh, and he actually did talk slower than he did as a teen! BRAVO, Tom!! He often sprinkled in tidbits of "whys" and "useful notes" that explained a loophole here and there, or a convenient "guess" to make an equation work. It reminded me of a phrase he often used back in the day to fill in gaps of equations, "Poof, and then a miracle occurs, and here´s the answer!" He was a dear caring funny brilliant soul who will be dearly missed by many, I´m sure. May he rest in the perpetual light in peace.

Tom was always willing to explain advanced theories to you, if you would listen and try. I often had trouble following him. Once, half a day before the spring 1979 basketball playoffs at U of I, he tried to convince me that, according to quantum theory, Benet had already won.

Tom was such a great classmate! May he rest in His arms! May his road always rise...

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When we were about 14, Tom told me what has become my favorite math joke: "What's purple and commutes? An abelian grape." He then proceeded to explain (of course!) the basics of group theory to me. Yes, we all knew he was brilliant in high school. We admired his smarts, put up with his shenanigans, rolled our eyes at his acerbic witticisms, and treasured his friendship. And lest any of his physics colleagues remember him too loftily, I am adding some photos from our high school & college days.

Tom was a profound man! May the Lord receive him into the glory of Heaven! May he rest in peace and pray for the rest of us! I will offer a Mass and a plenary indulgence in this Jubilee Year of Hope for the repose of his soul on behalf of the Benet Class of 1982.

Fr. Mark Mannion

Tom was an inspiring physicist and a valued colleague in both CDF and ATLAS. His insightful and logical approach, combined with his ability to communicate complex ideas with clarity and his dry sense of humor, will be deeply missed