Thomas Edward Eccleston

West Point, 1975

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Mark Girolammo on February 18, 2021:

All of Company I-4 is deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend and classmate, Tom Eccleston. To say the very least, Ecc made four years at Our Rockbound Highland Home tolerable and maybe even enjoyable at times. He was a gregarious presence in the barracks with a laugh you could hear a mile away. Tom was a Prep Schooler and was affectionately known as "Spec Ecc" by his Prepster friends. He hailed from "The Land of Lincoln" and God help anyone who mispronounced his home state. "There's no 'noise' in Illinois" he would cheerfully admonish anyone who added that extra "s" to the name. Tom was proud of his Scottish roots, often saying that he was not "cheap", but "thrifty." He ran a clandestine finance operation known as "The Bank of Ecc" which would happily balance your checkbook or front you funds for something like a Playboy subscription if your checks were unavailable (right, Greg?). He was a big fan of bagpipe music -- driving his roommates both crazy and deaf with the sounds of the 3rd Battalion Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders. He also loved musical theatre, with one particular favorite being the 1972 film made from the Broadway show "1776." He knew every song, chapter and verse. Speaking as a former roommate, if I heard the song "Sit Down, John!" one more time I would have imploded. But it was all in good fun for Tom. The place where Ecc made his mark was in intramurals, but not as a player. He was the consummate basketball official. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the rules and a flair for controlling a game that was unparalleled. People would actually come to see intramural games when Ecc was refereeing, especially anticipating the emphatic way he administered technical fouls to deserving coaches or players. He loved that spotlight. This love of officiating would become a second career for Tom after his Army retirement. After graduation, Ecc went to Ft. Sill for FAOBC, then an assignment at Ft. Polk in cannon artillery. The Army subsequently sent him to Monterey to learn Greek and that resulted in several posts in nuclear weapons operations. In his last Army posting, Tom was assigned to Ft. Leavenworth as an instructor in CGSC. He settled in Lansing, KS, right outside the post. During his Army days, Tom continued his officiating of sports, but when he retired it kicked into high gear. Not only did he continue with basketball, but added HS and college football, girls' sports such as volleyball and softball and probably more we don't even know about. If there was a game of something going on, Etc would figure out how to referee it. I was told by a classmate that Ecc refereed a NAIA College National Division 2 Championship game during his career on the field. Tom Eccleston was a unique character. That said, he embodied the character and motivation to which any West Pointer aspires. I think I speak for my classmates in Company I-4 in saying the world is an emptier place without him. Strangely, on the news of his passing, I felt the urge to find the movie "1776" on Amazon. I struggled to hold back the tears as the strains of "Sit Down, John!" came through the speakers. Be thou at Peace, my friend. Mark Girolamo '75 I-4

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