Thomas Harrison Hooper, III
November 29, 1952 – December 8, 2020

Thomas Harrison Hooper, III was born on November 29, 1952 in Winston-Salem, NC to the late Johnnye Hooper, a public health nurse, and the late Thomas H. Hooper Jr., a funeral home owner/director. His parents were extremely involved in the community, instilled in Tom the importance of serving his community, and were active members of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.

Tom attended Winston-Salem public schools through seventh grade but became intrigued with the idea of boarding school through conversations with older student mentors in his church who attended boarding schools. With his parents' blessing, he researched schools and ultimately chose St. Andrew's School, an Episcopal boarding school, in Middletown, DE.

He attended St. Andrews from grades 8 through 12, graduating in 1971. St. Andrew's had a profound effect on Tom where he thrived academically, athletically, and as a student leader. His connection to St. Andrew's was a lasting one. He made lifelong friends and as an alumnae was an active volunteer, frequently returning to speak to students of color, identifying potential future candidates for the school, serving on the Board of Trustees for many years, and ultimately being named a Trustee Emeritus in 2014.

After graduating from St. Andrew's, Tom attended Amherst College in Amherst, MA and graduated with a BA in Economics in 1975. Tom worked the next year at Morgan Guaranty Trust Company in their Corporate Contributions area before attending Harvard Business School where he earned an MBA in 1978.

During college, he met his future wife, Diane Boykins, a student at nearby Smith College. They married a month after Tom's graduation from Business School and settled in Hackensack, NJ. By the 1980s, their family would grow as they welcomed their daughter, Lauren, in 1982 and son, Phillip, in 1985.

In the seventies, Tom occasionally accompanied his father to the local Winston-Salem radio station and increasingly became interested in broadcasting.
Following his graduation from Business School, Tom embarked on a nearly twenty-year career in broadcasting. Tom was extremely personable and had a strong ability to connect with people, natural skills that complemented his initial jobs in radio sales at ABC Radio Network and later WPAT Radio in NJ.

Possessing an entrepreneurial spirit very much like his father, Tom always had an interest in radio station operation. In 1982, Tom moved into radio station ownership, becoming Co-Owner with his wife and General Manager of an AM daytime R&B Station called WHYZ Radio in Greenville, SC. Those were especially rewarding years for Tom as the station's listenership rapidly grew and Tom could contribute to Greenville's Black community in numerous ways such as supporting voter registration drives. After six years, Tom and Diane sold the radio station and returned to NJ where Tom continued working in broadcasting as a radio consultant.

In 1996, Tom learned of a recently opened K-8 Episcopal school called St. Philip's Academy (now Philip's Academy Charter School). Excited at the interest in helping children, Tom joined St. Philips as its first Director of Development where his entrepreneurial and marketing skills proved pivotal in the development of the school in its early stages of operation. At the time of his retirement in 2013, he had advanced to Chief Advancement Officer and had experienced huge success and personal fulfillment.

In 1992, after the passing of his father, Tom would take over the ownership of the family business, Hooper Funeral Home in Winston-Salem, and serve as President until his death.

In his free time, and before his illness began to progress, he enjoyed taking long car drives as a form of relaxation and had come to enjoy kayaking, especially in Hilton Head, SC.

Tom is survived by his wife Diane, daughter Lauren (Daren) Rogers, son Phillip (Carla) Hooper, grandchildren Winston Rogers and Harmony Hooper, brother Robert (Mercile) Johnson, mother-in-law Henrietta Boykins, sister-in-law Annette (Maarten) Terry, nephew and niece Christopher and Alexandra Terry, cousins Percy (Yolanda) Hooper, Joy Carter, Deborah Head, Leatrice (Linda) Cotton Head, Warren Head, William (Cheryl) Head, Robert Head, Mary Elizabeth Peek, Elaine McCone, Cathy Peek, and a host of cousins and loved ones.



In lieu of flowers, donations may be made


in honor of Thomas Harrison Hooper to:

Alzheimer's New Jersey
425 Eagle Rock Ave, Ste. 203
Roseland, NJ 07068
www.alznj.org

and


The Thomas H. Hooper III Endowed Diversity Initiative at:
St. Andrew's School
350 Noxontown Road
Middletown, DE 19709
www.standrews-de.org