Obituary of Thomas D. Kent

Thomas Kent, 86, died January 20th, from complications due to congestive heart failure. Husband of Ann Matthews, and son of Stephen Girard and Philena Marshall Kent, Tom was born and raised in Summit, New Jersey and graduated from Lawrenceville School in 1947 and Williams College in 1951. He lived at The Hill at Whitemarsh in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania. Following Navy service as a Communications officer and Navigator aboard the USS Chemung during the Korean conflict, he entered Columbia Law School in 1955. While still a student, he met his future wife whom he married in June 1957. They would have celebrated their 59th anniversary later this spring. Tom joined the law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City after graduating from Columbia Law School in 1958. In 1963 he accepted a position in the legal department of Allied Chemical Corporation (later Allied Signal), from which he retired as Staff VP and Associate General Counsel in 1989. A specialist in environmental law, Tom was a committee member for numerous professional / trade associations, testified before congress on several occasions, and lectured at Harvard Business School, Williams College, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the University of South Carolina. After his retirement, he and his wife moved to Seabrook Island, SC where he enjoyed competitive tennis and world wide travel. He had a long time association with Camp Susquehannock in northeastern Pennsylvania, starting as a tennis counselor while in college and, decades later, serving as Interim Director for two seasons. His sons attended as children and both rose to be members of senior staff. Tom's grandchildren have all been campers as well, with many of them also serving as counselors. Tom was a lifelong athlete, with a particular passion for racquet sports, regularly earning age-group national rankings in both Squash and Tennis until he retired from competition at the age of 84. In addition to his professional activities, Tom had a strong commitment to community service. In Summit he served as President of the PTO for Lincoln School, as President of The United Way of Summit and New Providence, and as a member of the City Council. On Seabrook Island, he was president of the property owners association, on the board of the Seabrook Island Club, and in Charleston served on the board of the Coastal Community Foundation. Of particular pride was his leadership role in the establishment of the first public tennis courts on Johns Island, SC. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughter Celia Marin Kent (John Abernethy) of Waltham, MA and their children Marin and Mackenzie Abernethy; son Thomas (Tim) Kent, jr (Maude) of Ardmore, PA and their children James and Mia; and son Robert Kent, of Rockville, MD. He is also survived by two step-grandsons Dr. Abraham Abernethy and Dr. Jacob Abernethy, as well as many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his older brothers Stephen Girard Kent and Dr. George Marshall Kent. Friends and relatives are invited to attend a memorial service at Chestnut Hill Friends meeting, 20 E Mermaid Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118, on Saturday, February 6th at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to Camp Susquehannock Inc. with a memo specifying the Scholarship Fund, and mailed to 2308 Tripp Lake Road, Brackney, PA 18812, or online via http://susquehannock.com/donate.php