Drummond, Thomas J.                                                                     

Bay City, Michigan

Thomas Drummond passed away Saturday February 20, 2010.  He was born on September 18, 1933, in Bay City.  He is survived by his wife of 53 years Nancy (Groulx) Drummond , their two sons and four grandchildren:   Dr. Timothy Drummond and daughters Haley and Nina; Dr. James Drummond and wife Dr. Martina Celerin and sons Thomas and Jacob.  He is also survived by several nephews and two nieces.  He was pre-deceased by his parents Fred and Edith Drummond, two brothers Fred and Robert and sister Lila Criswell. Mr. Drummond's professional and educational preparation began in early childhood as he was raised by science-minded parents.  His Father was a rural physician and his Mother a registered nurse.  He was encouraged to pursue a career in science and one which "did things" for people.  After completing an Associate in Science degree from Bay City Junior College in 1952, he finished his undergraduate preparation with a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University in 1954.  He began his teaching career in the fall of 1954 at Central High School in Bay City.  After a year in the classroom, he served in the U. S. Army Medical Corps as a medical lab specialist.  He then returned to the Bay City school system and taught at Central High School until 1973 when he transferred to the new Western High School where he taught until his retirement in 1995.  He taught chemistry, physics, and lab investigations.  During this time he also taught chemistry as an area professional, first at Bay City Junior College and then at Delta College.  In 1961 a master's degree in teaching from Michigan State was added to his credentials.  His graduate studies included work at Kenyan College, Ohio, where he received recurrent training in chemistry.  In addition, he pursued flight training leading to certification as an instrument rated Commercial Pilot and FAA Certified Flight Instructor.  This FAA curriculum led to his licensing as a Certified Advanced Ground Instructor and Instrument Ground Instructor.  He trained a number of local pilots for FAA certification.  Mr. Drummond was a member of the Michigan Education Association and its national and local affiliates.  He was a member of the Division of Chemical Education and the American Chemical Society.  Throughout his career he volunteered service on committees and task forces in support of better learning experiences for students that included Bay County Science Fairs, a Task Force on Teacher Education, a Task Force on Student Assessment, the Michigan Department of Education Task Force on reviewing and revising Common Goals of Michigan Education.  He was a voice for his classroom colleagues with the Bay City Education Association where he advocated and authored contract provisions between teachers and the school district.  He also served on numerous school district curriculum and improvement committees.  In 1980 he received the Bay City Board of Education's Distinguished Service Award.  In 1980 he was the recipient of the prestigious Chemical Manufacturer's Association "Catalyst" Award for excellence in chemistry teaching.  In 1983 he received the Midland Section Award of the American Chemical Society for outstanding achievement in the teaching of high school chemistry.  He was involved in many community and school district projects including serving as an architect's consultant in the construction of school facilities, particularly in the construction of Western High School.  He was involved with groups to establish and proliferate science fairs.  He served on local and state-level study and action groups, such as state task forces, community curriculum study groups and community curriculum study groups.  Over his career, Tom motivated a tremendous number of students in many ways.  He coordinated work experience programs with Dow, Dow Corning and local pharmacies, and he informed, screened and nominated students for summer science programs at places such as Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University and Kalamazoo College.  He took tremendous pride in the number of students who went on to earn advanced degrees in the sciences and health-related disciplines, but his universal influence on young people was profound.  For his teaching models, Mr. Drummond named two heroes.  The first was Dr. Linus Pauling, an eminent scientist of his day who received two Nobel prizes, one for Chemistry and the second for Peace.  Dr. Pauling chose to teach freshman chemistry and did it extremely well, suggesting that he respected learning above knowing.  His second hero was Dr. William Glasser for his "Schools Without Failure" concept.  Mr. Drummond believed that a student could "fail but not be a failure; that failure does not motivate anyone; that teaching should not be simply providing opportunities to fail.”  Mr. Drummond's instruction was designed for the success of each student in his charge regardless of the talents brought to his classroom.  

Funeral Services will be held Saturday February 27, 2010 at 11 am from the Rivertown Funeral Chapel with Mr. Benjamin Gibson presiding with burial in Heavenly Rest Cemetery.  Friends may call at the funeral home on Friday from 4 to 8p.m.  On Saturday Tom will lie in state from 10 am until time of service.  To honor the legacy of Tom Drummond’s generosity, mentorship and service to the educational community, his family requests that, in lieu of flowers or other gifts, donations be made to the Bay Area Community Foundation, 1000 Adams, Suite 200, Bay City MI, 48708, to establish a scholarship in his name. 

Notification Published by Rivertown Funeral Chapel

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