This week’s Rotarian spotlight is on a member who was born at Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey. This same hospital is where fellow Rotarian Mary Schwem was born, and fellow Rotarian Dr. John Babson had previously worked.
He was raised in Westfield, New Jersey, and he recalls his first job was mowing yards and shoveling snow in his neighborhood. He would later become a paperboy for the Suburban News and was once named the “Carrier of the Month” for that publication.
He attended Westfield high school, home of the Blue Devils, where he participated in football, wrestling, track and golf. His graduating class had about 700 students and, as a member of the football team, they won the State Championship his senior year, going undefeated.
After graduating from Ursinus College, just outside of Philadelphia, with an Economics/Business Admin. Degree, he went to work for PNC bank in New Jersey. He made a skiing trip to Colorado in his younger years and quickly fell in love with the Rocky Mountains. So, it was with great fortune that while working for PNC, he was contacted by a headhunter looking to fill a roll for Norwest Bank in Cheyenne. He still recalls his first meal in Wyoming at The Hitching Post, where he sunk his teeth into a bison burger! Tom Bass is currently president of Wyoming Bank & Trust and has been a banker for 44 years.
Tom met his wife, Chris, at a Ducks Unlimited gathering in Cheyenne. Incidentally, neither of them are hunters, however, they strongly support the work that organization does in our community. He and Chris have two children, Riley, and Erin. Erin was engaged in August of 2022. They will be married in September this year and, as luck should have it, he will be serving as the Officiant of the wedding.
Tom was sponsored into the Rotary Club of Cheyenne by his great friend Billie Addleman. He absolutely loves being a part of this group and is proud of all that this group does in the community. He has been involved in several committees including the Ice Barrel Challenge (the barrel is currently in his barn), the Business Sponsorship committee, and he enjoys being a greeter for our meetings.
One of Tom’s greatest accomplishments was being a part of the Honor Flight - Wyoming Board that he presented on a few months ago. He was so honored to join on two of the flights back to D.C. Tom was also quite honored to be part of the Rotary Adaptive Tricycle program and found that to be one of the most touching Rotary events he has had the pleasure of attending.
In his free time, Tom enjoys reading, bicycling, golfing, keeps his brain sharp with crossword puzzles, and, if the opportunity presented itself, he would always enjoy a nice, medium filet mignon with mashed potatoes and some broccoli. He and Chris love to spend time with family, travel and go on bicycling tours. They are looking forward to an upcoming biking tour in Maryland in April.
Fellow Rotarians, please stand and honor Rotarian of the Week, Mr. Tom Bass.
