Tom Farrell and the Future Leaders of Maine Fund

We are heartbroken by the recent passing of our father, Tom Farrell, on March 17, 2024. His positivity, generosity, sense of humor, jubilance, tenacity, kindness, and love for life was simply unparalleled.

As many of you know, Tom devoted his life to youth. He spent over 50 years in education; first as a high school teacher and coach in Maine, and then as an administrator and Superintendent of schools in Maine, Colorado, and Taiwan. He wrote, “Teachers are very important people in the lives of children. That is why I love our profession and what I do. We can play a role in the well-being of every student and even help save some.” He was also a national leader in drug prevention education and consulted for many years with the FBI, DEA, and Major League Baseball International, as well as the US Dept of Education, and the US State Department. He derived true happiness from helping others: "I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."

To continue Tom's legacy of giving, the Farrell family has decided to create the Future Leaders of Maine Fund: a student scholarship program designed to support high school seniors in Maine who demonstrate positive leadership skills, a commitment to serving their communities and treating others with compassion and respect, and who excel in extra-curricular activities (regardless of academic achievements). We hope this fund will serve as a lasting tribute to his memory.

Separately, Tom wrote a memoir over the last few years of his life, and presented it to our family (Debbie, Thomas, Luke and Nick) just days before he passed. We consider it the most incredible gift. Consisting of well over 100,000 words, the book, entitled "What You Give Away, You Keep Forever", tracks his life as a sports-obsessed and mischievous kid growing up in the "Brick Park" section of Rumford; to his days as a Division 1 basketball and baseball player at the University of Maine; and finally to the evolution and development of (and philosophical takeaways from) his more than 50 years spent in education, drug prevention, and leadership. We are in the process of preparing the manuscript for publication. Our goal is to print 500 copies and hand them out to family and friends at Tom's celebration of life event held on May 25th, 2024 in Portland, Maine. Hence a small portion of the funds raised here will go toward those printing costs--sharing his wonderful words with the world will also help ensure his memory lives on.

Thank you for all your kind notes and messages during this very difficult time for our family. Please also find more details about all of this, including Tom's Celebration of Life to be held in May, at https://www.drtomfarrell.com