Tom (better known as “Swanee”)  was born and raised in Jamestown New York in snow belt country. He graduated from Cornell University in 1977 with a degree in Mechanical/Aerospace engineering and was commissioned through the USAF ROTC program. After a very short stint as a real “engineer”, he went to USAF undergraduate pilot training and subsequently was a “full timer” in the Air National Guard for 27 years, serving in operations related positions and accumulating 2800 tactical fighter hours as a command pilot in the A-37, A-10, and 7 different models of the F-16. In between his time at the 174th Fighter Wing in Syracuse NY, and in various AF jobs at Ft Drum NY, he did tours at the Air National Guard Readiness Center (the ANG headquarters) at Andrews AFB, MD and as part of the USAF/ANG Integrated Staff at Headquarters Air Combat Command at Langley AFB, VA.

Swanee is a graduate of Squadron Officers School, Air Command and Staff College, Air War College, and the USAF Fighter Weapons School. He accumulated 21 ½ years of “active duty” and retired from the USAF in Aug 2004. He spent 12 years as a government contractor with US Joint Forces Command and The Joint Staff as the Air Operations Director for the Bold Quest series of military utility assessment operational demonstrations involving all 5 US services and 19 different NATO/coalition nations. Tom and Marci (Myers) have been married for almost 43 years and have 3 boys (two USAF pilots and a fire service officer/paramedic), 3 daughters in law, and one grandson (so far). Marci is an English/literary arts/public communications teacher and is the recently retired director of the York County School of the Arts magnate program. We are looking forward to lots of travel, seeing lots of live theater/music, enjoying great food and drink, golf, and perfecting Tom’s hobby of flying airplanes without engines.