J. Thomas “Tom” Brown
A Lifetime of Ingenuity, Leadership, and Community Spirit at Bermuda Village
If you spend any time walking around Bermuda Village, you’ve likely crossed paths with Tom Brown — a warm, steady presence known for his technical know‑how, servant leadership, and generosity with his time. But behind his kind demeanor is a remarkable life story filled with hard work, engineering innovation, global travel, and deep devotion to family.
Tom was born in Gainesville, Florida, and spent much of his childhood in the fishing village of St. Marys, Georgia. With the river at his doorstep, he spent countless hours fishing and camping in the nearby woods. His grandfather designed and built ice plants for the shrimping industry, and his father maintained and operated them. When floods forced the plant to move to Kingsland, Georgia, Tom was soon helping out — the beginning of a lifelong work ethic.
At age 12, Tom’s family relocated to Winston‑Salem, where he graduated from John W. Hanes High School before pursuing mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech. To afford his education, he alternated three months of school with three months of work at the Bahnson Company — graduating in 1958 with both a degree and two years of hands‑on experience.
Tom’s career spanned engineering design, manufacturing, and installation of air quality control systems that protected workers, prevented environmental hazards, and supported industries ranging from textiles and furniture to nuclear power. He eventually rose to President and General Manager at Bahnson Company, later serving as President and Managing Partner at Logan Heating & Air Conditioning.
His work took him across the world — to Canada, Mexico, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, France, South America, and Scandinavia — though he enjoyed traveling the United States most of all. One of his favorite professional achievements was leading the five‑year merger and acquisition program that helped a Swiss company enter the U.S. marketplace.
Tom’s greatest joys, however, have always come from family. He and his wife Carolyn raised three children: Sharon, a lifelong nurse; Gina, a vice‑president of a charter school; and Mark, a Presbyterian minister and hospice chaplain. All three graduated from UNC Chapel Hill. Summers were spent at Cherry Grove, South Carolina, where the family made memories for over 20 years before later buying a cherished getaway on Lake Hickory.
Tom has never shied away from hard work. As a child and teenager, he cleaned a Greyhound bus station before school, sold peanuts to travelers, delivered newspapers, worked in a drugstore as a soda jerk, and pumped gas at a service station on Saturdays. These experiences shaped his practicality, humility, and lifelong habit of helping others.
One piece of advice from his Uncle Clark made a lasting impression: when Tom repaid a loan after college, his uncle encouraged him to “use that money to help someone else.” Tom took that to heart — mentoring countless people in technology and engineering throughout his life.
Among his proudest career accomplishments is contributing to systems that reduced cotton dust in textile mills to protect workers from lung disease. He also helped develop radioactive dust cleanup systems for U.S. nuclear power plants — systems still operating reliably 50 years later.
Life at Bermuda Village has given Tom yet another opportunity to serve. He has:
• Served as a representative to the Resident Association Council for Phase 4
• Served five years as Resident Association Treasurer
• Contributed seven years to the Employee Christmas Fund Committee
• Organized a technical committee to improve village communications
• Helped residents with computers, televisions, the Portal, and home electronics
• Recorded and shared community events for residents who could not attend
Tom’s life reflects determination, service, family devotion, and a deep sense of community — all qualities that make him a cherished neighbor here at Bermuda Village.
Tom was born in Gainesville, Florida, and spent much of his childhood in the fishing village of St. Marys, Georgia. With the river at his doorstep, he spent countless hours fishing and camping in the nearby woods. His grandfather designed and built ice plants for the shrimping industry, and his father maintained and operated them. When floods forced the plant to move to Kingsland, Georgia, Tom was soon helping out — the beginning of a lifelong work ethic.
At age 12, Tom’s family relocated to Winston‑Salem, where he graduated from John W. Hanes High School before pursuing mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech. To afford his education, he alternated three months of school with three months of work at the Bahnson Company — graduating in 1958 with both a degree and two years of hands‑on experience.
Tom’s career spanned engineering design, manufacturing, and installation of air quality control systems that protected workers, prevented environmental hazards, and supported industries ranging from textiles and furniture to nuclear power. He eventually rose to President and General Manager at Bahnson Company, later serving as President and Managing Partner at Logan Heating & Air Conditioning.
His work took him across the world — to Canada, Mexico, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, France, South America, and Scandinavia — though he enjoyed traveling the United States most of all. One of his favorite professional achievements was leading the five‑year merger and acquisition program that helped a Swiss company enter the U.S. marketplace.
Tom’s greatest joys, however, have always come from family. He and his wife Carolyn raised three children: Sharon, a lifelong nurse; Gina, a vice‑president of a charter school; and Mark, a Presbyterian minister and hospice chaplain. All three graduated from UNC Chapel Hill. Summers were spent at Cherry Grove, South Carolina, where the family made memories for over 20 years before later buying a cherished getaway on Lake Hickory.
Tom has never shied away from hard work. As a child and teenager, he cleaned a Greyhound bus station before school, sold peanuts to travelers, delivered newspapers, worked in a drugstore as a soda jerk, and pumped gas at a service station on Saturdays. These experiences shaped his practicality, humility, and lifelong habit of helping others.
One piece of advice from his Uncle Clark made a lasting impression: when Tom repaid a loan after college, his uncle encouraged him to “use that money to help someone else.” Tom took that to heart — mentoring countless people in technology and engineering throughout his life.
Among his proudest career accomplishments is contributing to systems that reduced cotton dust in textile mills to protect workers from lung disease. He also helped develop radioactive dust cleanup systems for U.S. nuclear power plants — systems still operating reliably 50 years later.
Life at Bermuda Village has given Tom yet another opportunity to serve. He has:
• Served as a representative to the Resident Association Council for Phase 4
• Served five years as Resident Association Treasurer
• Contributed seven years to the Employee Christmas Fund Committee
• Organized a technical committee to improve village communications
• Helped residents with computers, televisions, the Portal, and home electronics
• Recorded and shared community events for residents who could not attend
Tom’s life reflects determination, service, family devotion, and a deep sense of community — all qualities that make him a cherished neighbor here at Bermuda Village.