Tom Summers has passed away. He was a leading member of the Twin Cities Citadel users group, an informal, yet tightly knit group that included his late brother, Joe, his daughters, and many of the Twin Cities computer geeks of the ’80s and ’90s. As an older member of the group, we were fortunate to have his example of maturity, quirky humor, and how to conduct a debate, and this benefited the group greatly as many of the members matured from teenagers into adulthood. His example to all of us was invaluable.
He also provided technical resources at a time when computers and phone lines, the lifeblood of bulletin boards like Citadel, were scarce and expensive. As an executive at retailer Schaak Electronics, he could and did dedicate a computer and phone line to running a Citadel bulletin board, a decision which led to a very popular system as his light handed guidance let users’ interests and creativity run rampant. Tralfamador, as he named the system, managed to achieve a unique termination when Schaak Electronics sank into bankruptcy. Tom left the system running when the doors were locked, and the usership began bidding it a sad farewell … and weeks later it was still operational. It finally stopped answering the phone when a creditor representative noticed the computer was plugged into a phone line and disconnected it.
As the Internet melted the Citadel group, I lost direct contact with Tom, but retained contact with one of his daughters, and so heard occasional news: a new career at Honeywell, a heart attack, followed by forced retirement, and gradually fading health. So this chapter comes to an end, although other chapters continue on in those of his friends and family.
I do not know, nor even have faith, in what comes after death. But I feel compelled to not say goodbye, but rather Bon Voyage, Tom, and enjoy your next adventure.
