Tom McGrath

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Announcement in the Spring 2000 Bulletin issue:

Tom McGrath

It is with sadness that we report the passing of Tom McGrath, one of the legendary figures in the annals of this organization.

Tom died last fall at a nursing home in Albany, New York.

Like other military-related philatelic organizations, what was then called the War Cover Club faced great difficulty in keeping going in the years after World War II, when people were repelled by the horrors of war and yearned to retum to peacetime “normalcy.”

As the club faltered, Tom stepped in to salvage it and keep the spirit alive through the difficult years.

He served as secretary-treasurer and as editor of this Bulletin. Perhaps his most important contribution to the WCC was his development of the auctions, the meeting place for buyer and seller that has been such a widely used benefit for MPHS members.

About 20 years ago Tom suffered a serious stroke which left him partly paralyzed and barely able to talk. It forced him to retire from active participation in the Club’s management. Although a lesser man might have simply faded from the scene, and probably soon died, Tom instead kept going. He soon began running his own auctions, primarily in the USCS Log. He even sold material for other people, ranging from first day covers to baseball cards. It was no easy job — he laboriously typed the copy with his one good hand, and every task involved with the auctions was a chore. The good-natured delightful Irishman continued through it all.

It seems reasonable to claim that having a hobby may have added 20 years to Tom’s life.

As his health failed even more in the past few years, Tom discontinued the auctions and sold his remaining material — boxes and boxes of it — to a local dealer. Tom may be gone now, but the fact that this organization continues to thrive is a monument to him and his tenacity.

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To get just a small idea of his impact, you are encouraged to look through the back issues of the Bulletin in that time period. His energy and spirit made a huge impact on our Society.

Use the Bulletin search page and be sure to specify “mcgrath” in the search box.

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