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Thomas H. Paprocki '54

No. 1969015 July 1932 - 26 March 2005

Died: Pomona, NJ

Interred in Laurel Memorial Park Cemetery, Pomona, NJ

Thomas Holl Paprocki was born in New York City, NY on 15 Jul 1932 to Thomas P. and Blanche H. Paprocki. He attended school in New York City and spent his summers on the beach in Atlantic City, NJ. While there, he became well known to the lifeguards. By the time he was ten he was a beach patrol mascot and by 15 a full-fledged lifeguard. While summering in New Jersey, he acquired a Jeep at the age of 14. He took great joy in barreling around his family’s property until he received his operator's license and was able to drive back and forth to the beach. His love for military vehicles continued all his life, and as an adult he spent many weekends fully restoring a World War II Army Jeep.

 

Tom’s interest in the military began as a young boy in New York during World War II. His play time often included playing “war” with his friends. Tom graduated from Xavier Military High School in New York City, where he was a member of the school rifle team. Due to his life long interest in the military, it was only natural for him to want to attend the United States Military Academy.

 

Like most of his classmates, Tom arrived at West Point in 1950 with a feeling of excitement and some apprehension. He knew that he would be tested, but he never doubted his deep-seated determination. He would meet all trials and triumph in the end. This quality would be what his classmates would always remember about Tom. Finish what you start; never give up!

 

Unlike many of his classmates, Tom had little difficulty with academics. Guns continued to be his great love. Because of this we wondered whether he would choose artillery as his branch of choice. As usual, Tom surprised us and chose Armor and Paratroop School after graduation.

 

Before long, young LT Paprocki was a troop commander with the Armored Cavalry. Unfortunately, his Army career was cut short because he had to leave the active Army disabled three years after graduation. As was typical of Tom Paprocki, he shrugged off this set back, enrolled at MIT, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1959.

 

Tom worked for RCA in the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System in Greenland and Alaska from 1959 until 1962. In 1962 he joined the Federal Aviation Administration and was stationed at the National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center, Atlantic City, NJ. Tom’s FAA career took him to Israel from 1963 to 1965 after accepting the position of Chief Advisor to the Israeli Government on Aviation in Tel Aviv during the modernization of the Lod Airport, now known as the Ben Gurion International Airport.

 

Tom came home from Israel in 1965 with two grand prizes. One was an oil wick lamp that once had been used as lighting at the old Lod runway. It was presented to him by the Israelis in recognition of his hard work in modernizing Lod Airport. The other, a far more personal prize, was his wife. June was a State Department employee working at the U.S. Embassy during this period. Tom’s classmates had no doubt which prize he valued more when we saw how his eyes lit up when he looked at June. They married in December of 1964 at the Church of Scotland in Tel Aviv.

 

After his work in Israel, Tom’s career took the Paprocki family to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1966 to 1967 as he advised the government on planning and building airports. As Tom’s growing expertise in airport development became widely known, he was called to Saudi Arabia from 1974 to 1975. While there, he helped plan a new International Airport at Jeddah and was a government inspector for airport construction throughout the Kingdom.

 

In time, Tom was recognized internationally as an airport lighting expert. His accomplishments included the design of

the helipad lighting atop the American embassy in Viet Nam to facilitate the American evacuation at the end of the Viet Nam conflict. He was also instrumental in the development of the lighting for the night landings of the space shuttle at Cape Canaveral, FL. Later in his career, a main focus for Tom was setting standards for airport and runway lighting with the International Civil Aviation Organization.

 

Tom was highly respected for his expertise and received numerous awards and accolades. They included two FAA Special Achievement Awards and numerous letters of commendation from foreign governments. Tom published more than 40 reports detailing FAA projects. He also presented formal papers at national and international aviation conferences and seminars.

 

To further enhance his expertise in the aviation community, Tom held a commercial pilot license with instrument, multi-engine, fixed wing and helicopter ratings. He also held a flight instructor certificate.

 

Tom is survived by his wife of 40 years, June; two daughters Janice P. Johnston (LTC Robert J. ’87) and Jill P. Teixeira (Ronald J.); and four grandchildren: Kelly, Dan and Amy Johnston and Joseph Teixeira. His daughter Janice is also a West Point graduate, Class of 1988.

 

Tom Paprocki was a dear friend of his classmates and will be missed. We will grip hands at our next reunion in his memory. But, even more, he leaves a huge gap in the hearts of his wife, children and grandchildren.

 

—James D. Chandler ’54,

Company F-2 classmate,

& June Paprocki, wife

 

 
 
 
 
 

Originally published in ASSEMBLY, May/June 2008

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