Childhood
Tom Conlon, a native of St. Paul, Minnesota’s Macalester-Groveland neighborhood, was born May 7, 1960 at the former Midway Hospital and attended Groveland Park Elementary through third grade.
“I walked to and from grade school each day, and those were the days when kids still went home for lunch,” he said. “But as I was a mile away and both of my parents were working to make ends meet -- dad was also a college student – I brown-bagged it and watched “Lunch With Casey” (former children’s TV show until the early 1970s) in the lunchroom for the non-walkers. I loved the neighborhood school and despite several moves later in life, I now live three blocks from the school of my roots.”
Beginning in late Fall 1968, Tom and his family moved overseas as part of his father’s studies (based in Ludwigsburg, West Germany). He spent the remaining half of 3rd grade at two boarding schools in St. Gallen and Saanan, Switzerland (which offered English instruction). Due to his father’s career moves, Tom and his mother spent a half year back in St. Paul and attended part of 4th grade at Sheridan Elementary on St. Paul’s East Side. With his family reunited, Tom spent the next 6 years in Frankfurt am Main (West Germany) from 1970-76, where his father was a music teacher and contracting officer for the U.S. Dept. of Defense Schools.
“The military dependent schools reflected the diversity of our country in many ways, and I met classmates and local natives that I stay in touch with today,” Tom said. “ Living overseas forced me to learn German and new customs. I also developed many of my longtime hobbies – photography, railroading (originally riding the street cars and buses throughout all of Frankfurt, then rail lines in the country), classical music performances, cross-country and track, traveling --to name a few. I also got involved with Key Club and paper drive in 9th and 10th grades, which is where I came to enjoy doing service to the school community.”
As many families have experienced, budget cuts hit the military schools, and his father was laid off as a music teacher. Upon his family’s return to St. Paul, Tom attended Harding High School (11th grade) while staying with relatives. When his late-grandmother’s home in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood became available, the family returned to his childhood neighborhood with Tom attending (and graduating from in 1978) Highland Park Sr. H.S.
“Through our family’s hardships upon return home, I learned the value of sacrifices and using money wisely,” Tom said. “I also came to appreciate the charitable nature of my aunt who housed us during the transition time. Difficulties build character, and I think that shaped my conservative views of handling money as well as my views of service.”
He continued his photography work for school yearbook, ran cross-country and track and worked as a houseman at the St. Paul Hotel in downtown St. Paul on weekends. He also student-managed the boys’ basketball team, where he learned to keep game statistics. This led to his future side career of keeping sports statistics and public address announcing, which he’ s done for Highland Park and now St. Paul Central High School’s track and basketball games.
