Tribute to Tommy Mansfield, Class of 1964: by Phil Curtis

We received a lovely note from Phil Curtis, Class of 1963, with a poetic tribute to Tommy Mansfield from Phil, who passed away on February 27, 2012. Tommy Mansfield was a two-time State Tennis Champion while at UAHS.

Here is Phil's tribute to Tommy Mansfield:



Tommy Mansfield was a most wonderful guy,
Who could flat smack a tennis ball on the fly;
He loved his family and Sherry Sherman too,
To all his friends and teammates he was true.

At Upper Arlington sports were number one,
In that competitive setting he was a top gun;
Basketball and tennis were Tommys game,
But it was the latter that brought him fame.

Twice state champ for his high school team,
It was college where he lived out his dream;
With blue chippers on a Northwestern squad,
Tommy flourished on the courts and the quad.

He brought to his life a wink and a flair,
Sometimes augmented by a silent prayer;
Ventures varied from tennis courts to sales,
And his successes always outdid the fails.

Business like tennis was a challenging goal,
Being in the arena seemed to salve his soul;
All was accomplished with humor and class,
But always endeavored to finish first not last.

In retrospect, when its all said and done,
Tommy Mansfield lived a life full of fun;
True always to his wife, family and friends,
This Champion achieved all his lofty ends!

Philip K. Curtis
UAHS 1963 Classmate & Teammate