Thomas C. Odderstol

West Point, 1951

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Jose Andres "Andy" Chacon on September 4, 2004:

Thomas Christian Odderstol, Jr. Born October 8, 1928 - Died August 22, 2001 Thomas Christian "Tom" Odderstol, Jr. was born in Maryland on 8 October 1928, however, he was appointed from the 2nd Congressional District in Louisiana. At West Point his classmates noted: "We hope that we have been to Tom what he has been to us these past four years. Undaunted by the system, Tom took things as they came and is emerging with the same sense of humor and friendly spirit that we have known in him all along. We shall run into him on some far post in the years to come distinguished from his fellows by a Delt song and an old pipe. May it be soon and often." At West Point Tom was on the Ski Club, on the Dialectic Society as President, and served as an Acolyte. On graduation Tom went in the Infantry and after completing the Basic Officers Course was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division until 1952. He was then assigned to the 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Division in Korea and served until 1953. On completion of this tour Tom was decorated with two Bronze Star Medals for valor for distinguished heroism or meritorious achievement in operation against an enemy or in support of such operations and the Combat Infantryman Badge. On return to stateside Tom went with Headquarters, 504th Airborne Infantry Regiment where he served from 1953 to 1955. In 1955 Tom resigned his commission and took a position in Marketing with Marubeni America Corporation and became Marketing Manager in 1972. In 1978 he went with Refac Electronics Corp. and was named Marketing Director in 1981. He then worked for Electronics Div. at Bulova as Director of Sales & Marketing. Also at Bulova he led the engineering effort which produced part of instrumentation used on NASA's Project COBE which won the National Science Foundation's "achievement of the year award. Also while with that companny he sat on IEEE 804 and American National Standards Institute X3T9.5 Committees which set standards for hi-speed computer LANS. ('84 - 88"). In 1989 he was named President of Business Services Morristown, Inc. and he retired from that position in 1992. Tom and his wife Barbara made their home in New Bern, North Carolina. Tom died on August 22, 2001. Cullum 34728 Thomas C. Odderstol, IX Class of 1977 is Tom's son. jac; 18367

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