Thomas Charles Hullverson

1934 - 2024

Hullverson, Thomas Charles

December 5, 1934 - November 23, 2024

Thomas Charles Hullverson passed away peacefully on November 23, 2024, at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona after spending a wonderful day with family. Tom was born in St. Louis, Missouri on December 5, 1934, to Everett J. Hullverson and Elizabeth "Betty" Dwyer Hullverson. Tom was the youngest of four children and grew up at the family's South Broadway home on the bluffs over the Mississippi River.

Tom was an excellent swimmer and competed in and won boys AAU events at the Missouri Athletic Club and elsewhere. No strangers to mischief, 13-year-old Tom and his older brother Jim swam across the mighty Mississippi River and back to collect a $1 bet, much to the chagrin of their father Everett. Tom had by then developed a keen interest in the game of golf, to which he dedicated the next 75+ years of his life. He won many local amateur tournaments, was Chaminade College Prep's first state champion (in any sport) in 1952, and he competed in the qualifying rounds of the British Open at Royal Birkdale as a 19-year-old amateur in 1954.

Tom graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with joint AB/JD degrees in 1959, passed the bar and joined the St. Louis trial law firm founded in the 1920's by his father Everett and later known as The Hullverson Law Firm. Tom had the honor and pleasure of practicing law alongside his father Everett and brother Jim, both preeminent trial lawyers of national renown. Tom, too, achieved the pinnacle of legal distinction, always representing "the little guy" against the odds and succeeding by out preparing the other side. Later in his career, Tom took pride when his son John joined the firm and was able to practice alongside him. Tom served as a mentor to many young attorneys who went on to fine careers and he always delighted in the success of others. Tom loved the law and especially the friendships he enjoyed with so many great attorneys over the years, whether at the "lawyers' table" at Miss Hulling's in downtown St. Louis or at national and international gatherings of top trial lawyers. Tom always marveled at their willingness to share secrets of their success, and he felt privileged to learn from, and be amongst, them.

Tom was a tireless advocate for civil justice and volunteered thousands of hours working in local, state and national bar associations and with legislatures to successfully change unjust laws and preserve and enhance the right to trial by jury. Tom held leadership positions in the Lawyers Association of St. Louis (President 1972); the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys (President 1977-78); the Legal Aid Society of St. Louis (Director 1971-72); the Missouri Bar (Chairman, Tort Law Committee, 1974-75); Governor Christopher Bond's Medical Malpractice Task Force (Appointed 1975); Association of Trial Lawyers of America (National Board of Governors 1979-81); International Academy of Trial Lawyers (Board of Directors 1986); Washington University School of Law Alumni Association (President 1986) and as Adjunct Professor of Trial Practice (1986). Tom was a proud sponsor of Legal Aid of Eastern Missouri and donated funds for creation of the Thomas C. Hullverson-Richard B. Teitelman Center for Justice, which opened its doors in 1999.

Tom was selected by his peers for membership into prestigious national and international trial lawyer organizations including the Inner Circle of Advocates, the International Society of Barristers and the American Board of Trial Advocates. Tom was an Original Lifetime Member of Trial Lawyers for Public Justice since 1988, and he was selected by his peers to appear in the Best Lawyers in America (along with his brother Jim) in every edition of the publication since its inception in 1983 until his retirement.

In 1992, after witnessing the hopelessness surrounding the riots in Los Angeles, Tom founded and funded the creation of the St. Louis Internship Program that provided opportunities for inner city high school students to gain paid summer internships at local law firms and in other professional settings. The program was an immediate success and was soon replicated in over 37 cities across the country. Within the first two years, the interns enjoyed visits from a US Supreme Court Justice and the Vice President of the United States. Over the past 32 years, more than 98% of SLIP interns have graduated from high school and gone on to college or other post-secondary training programs, a stunning record of success of which Tom was so proud.

For his lifetime of selfless service to the legal profession, Tom was honored to receive many awards including the President's Award from the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis; the Saint Louis Lawyers Association Award of Honor and the Washington University School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award.

Tom was a lifelong student of the game of golf and upon his retirement in the late 1990's, he and his wife Catherine Hullverson moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he continued to play more than 3,000 additional rounds in his lifetime, "shooting his age" hundreds of times and well into his eighties. He loved practicing and hitting golf balls and was constantly striving to improve some aspect of his grip, swing or stance. On the last day of his life Tom spent an hour at the driving range with his son.

The deep friendships Tom and Cathie made at their golf club, Desert Highlands, meant everything to Tom and his gin games and "lunches with the boys" were a source of cherished entertainment and camaraderie. For many years Tom organized the weekly golf game, always creating new and interesting games to keep things fresh and fun. Tom's friends relished his warm humor, his encyclopedic knowledge of all things golf, his overall sense of fair play and his gentlemanly demeanor. To all those who called Tom a friend, your friendship meant more to him than you can imagine. In recent years, Tom and Cathie delighted in attending magnificent concerts at the Arizona Musicfest, an organization whose events brought Tom immeasurable joy and which he and Cathie were very proud to generously support.

Tom was preceded in death by his brothers Richard Hullverson and James Hullverson (Shirley) and sister Mary Hullverson Cupini. He is survived by his beloved wife of 40 years, Catherine Hullverson, his two children, John Hullverson and Julie Hullverson Barnato, his two stepdaughters Courtney McCarthy and Ciara McCarthy, grandchildren Olivia Cooper, Tristan Trudeau, Frances Barnato and Thomas "Harry" Barnato, numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews and many treasured friends.

Memorial services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Tom would be honored by donations to the St. Louis Internship Program and/or the Thomas C. Hullverson Golf Scholarship at Arizona State University.