i know that susanna jones is here, his widow. thomas was born and grew up in new jersey. he came to california and became a committed resident of san francisco in the late 1970's. during the last 10 years of his life he and his wife actually lived in pacifica, close to the ocean that they loved so much. shortly after arriving in san francisco tom founded and built up the auto repair shop, making it a community institution in san francisco mission's district. it has been repairing and servicing the cars of many of san francisco's leading figures, husband cal performance, arts, politics, activist community and a variety of professions, truly a neighborhood institution. if it seems unusual that an auto repair business can be a part of the history of the city, the secret is tom himself. he called it a family. customers and friends from all walks of life because of his extraordinary generosity and kindness. his many abilities, including the ability to learn from those around him and to accumulate knowledge in many diverse areas. among tom's passions in addition to the pacific