Tom Hart has an unparalleled passion for library science and at 83, he continues to find new ways to share and express that passion with others. During his career as an instructor at the School of Library and Information Science at Florida State University, Tom taught in Singapore for a year. He says he “lived like a King” while there and after some time, found that the lavish lifestyle of having others wait on him gave him some extra time. That is when he took up watercolor painting. He claims his very first painting, which was done on a paper plate, is still his favorite.
Tom retired in 2005 and started to do more painting. He participates in Linda Pelc’s watercolor class and his love of collecting, preserving and cataloguing books led him to volunteer as the TSC Art Library librarian. Tom has developed a well-organized treasure of art books.
Tom also volunteers once a week at the Roddenbery Memorial Library in Cairo, Georgia, teaching others how to paint with watercolors using his unique technique. His involvement with this library began in the 1970’s and led to him helping design its renovation in the 1980’s. Tom has 30 donated paintings on display at the Roddenbery Memorial Library.
Tom says he has loved nearly every minute of his life. He stays active with his volunteer work, writing his life story, gardening, traveling to many countries and painting. Pursuing his passions, exploring new ideas and developing ways to share his knowledge, time and talents has surely contributed to every loved minute.
