We are sad to report alumnus Thomas Douglas Hoffman (PhD ’68, Cram group) passed away on February 23, 2022 at the age of 80.
Dr. Hoffman received his Ph.D. at UCLA under the direction of Nobel Laureate Professor Donald J. Cram.
From the Daily Record:
Obituary – Thomas Douglas Hoffman
A retired patent attorney from Morristown, Hoffman was finishing his vacation in Key West and passed away with his wife of 43 years, Louise Murray at his side.
He is remembered by his family and friends for his kindness and humor, as well as being a constant loving and supportive presence in their lives. He made sure all those around him felt respected, welcome, and were well-fed. His family held a private service for him in their home.
Thomas Hoffman was born in Little Neck Queens in 1941 to Charles Henry Hoffman, Sr. and Grayce Kiley Hoffman. Growing up he was a frequent visitor to Ebbets field where he got to watch his favorite player, Roy Campanella. He graduated from Brooklyn Preparatory School in 1958. Shortly before he was ready to go to college, his father died unexpectedly, so a scholarship to Saint Peter’s College in Jersey City (now Saint Peter’s University) was arranged for him within a week. He was always grateful for this generosity. He graduated from Saint Peter’s in 1962 and went on to obtain a PhD in organic chemistry from UCLA where he was advised by the Nobel laureate Donald J. Cram in 1968. He then moved back to New York, where he met Louise on St. Patrick’s day weekend in 1975.
Louise and Tom were married in 1978 and settled in Morristown. In 1981, he received his Law Degree from Seton Hall University a year after his first child Charles Hoffman, was born. The following year Louise and Tom welcomed the birth of their second son Neil Hoffman.
Together with his wife, Tom was engaged in a number civic activities: they were among the founders of Morristown T-ball and Tom was a coach for both his sons’ soccer and baseball teams. From 1987-92, he served as Vice President of the Morris United Soccer League. He also served on the board of the New Jersey Intellectual Property Association and was president of that organization from 2004-2005.
He retired from Schering-Plough (now Merck) in 2004 became a consultant for Novartis for ten years. In 2014, he began tutoring at Morristown High School. He also served as a tutor/mentor Students to Science until January 2020. He loved sharing knowledge and learning new things, so this work brought him special joy. He also was fulfilled by his work as a host for Nourish New Jersey, because he loved sharing a meal with anyone and everyone.
He is preceded in death by his mother, his father, and his brother Charles of Ambler, PA and is survived by his wife Louise Murray, his sister Christina Lucey of Corona Del Mar CA, his son Charles, his son Neil, his daughter-in-law Jennifer Eckel and Neil and Jen’s sons, Charles and Wesley. He also leaves several nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, his family has asked those who can to direct donations to St. Peter’s University in recognition of their decision to offer him a scholarship, which had such a profound impact on his life.
https://alumni.saintpeters.edu/Give
(Please use the Designation: “Thomas D. Hoffman, Esq. ’62 Scholarship Fund”)
Or donations can be sent to:
Office of Alumni Engagement
Saint Peter’s University
2641 John F Kennedy Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07306
(Please write: “In Memory of Thomas D Hoffman” in the memo of the check.)
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Penny Jennings, UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.
