On April 17, 2005, Manatt’s Inc., lost one of its great leaders and I, personally, along with my husband, Harry, lost a super friend in Tom Manatt.  Many of you know Tom’s abilities within the work arena so it’s probably not a surprise if I tell you he was just as talented in his personal attributes.

           Tom and Harry grew up together in Brooklyn and I’ve known them both for a large part of my life.  It was quite the experience to spend the night at Tom’s house with his sister, Ann, during our really young years.  Having three brothers of my own, I was a survivor; but I can imagine anyone else going there without those pre-requisites, was probably scared to death with the five Manatt boys under that roof.

Harry and I graduated together from BGM High School a year after Tom.  In fact, I would have never passed chemistry class without Tom and, believe it or not, I helped him with algebra!  There are many Tom and Harry stories from those days of which many shouldn’t be repeated.  Needless to say, they had fun!  They were always the best of friends and remained friends through the years even though Tom moved away from the Brooklyn area.

When we got married, Tom drove his motorcycle all the way from Colorado to be in our wedding.  When Tom and Linda got married, we didn’t get to meet her until afterwards when he brought her to Iowa.  She was pretty much just as we had her pictured; down-to-earth, loved to have fun, family-oriented, and she caught Tom’s attention like no other girl had been able to do.

Harry and Tom could always count on each other.  They would call on one another’s help whenever they were in a pinch.  Thank goodness in their adult years it’s been advice that kept them out of trouble instead of getting them into it.

Losing his Dad at a young age, Tom knew the value of a father-child relationship.  When Harry Sr., died in 2001, it was Tom’s words of comfort that made Harry realize how lucky he was to have had his Dad for so many years. 

As most people who are busy raising a family, you don’t get to spend as much time together as you would like, but when we were able to, we always had great fun and valued Tom and Linda’s friendship.  Although I miss working with Tom, it is no comparison to the way Harry and I miss him as a friend.  We have been blessed with the opportunity of knowing him and he will be truly missed.