Dr. Leonard was an inspiration and his wisdom helped set my career path...

As an undergrad he told me to look into "political risk analysis" and that Google search is how I found my internship while going to AU. 

His love for Latin America inspired me to go to grad school and take all the Latin American courses which opened the door to a job in the study of Latin American politics. 

One of my favorite quotes of his about Latin American politics was "the names and faces change but story stays the same..."

He will be missed...

'Dr Leonard' was my American History teacher at St Joseph's College in 1971-72. He was the one who expected you to do the reading assignment and come to class, ready to discuss whatever the chapter(s) covered. I didn't dare walk into the room unprepared.  He was a devoted teacher, and his love of History came through in each of his lectures. It was a special privilege to be a student in his class. It was only because of reflecting on my time at St Joe's all those years ago, that I came across the obituary. What a long life he enjoyed, and it makes me smile to see that his career and family  were the highlights of his life. 
Mary Hennigan Gasper
WV

I met Tom in the mid-2000s when I came to UNF. He was a good friend, and we shared good times at UNF and abroad. I want to highlight two memories with Tom, which speak volumes of who he was. First, before he had some health issues, we used to meet for lunch twice a semester. We always met at the restaurant buffet at the Ramada Inn in Mandarin. We spent hours talking about current issues in Latin America, political matters, and reviewing stories of his adventures in Guatemala, Cuba, and other countries in Latin America. He was a great storyteller, and conversation always flowed easily. Tom taught me to make stories exciting and draw new ideas by reviewing old ones. Sometimes, we were the last two people in the restaurant, and when leaving, we would be almost closer to dinner than to lunchtime. He knew how to take the time and enjoy a good conversation. And, as a scholar, he was always ready to learn something new and fresh. You could disagree with him, but he will entertain your idea. I always felt at ease talking with him.
A second anecdote happened in December 2009/January 2010. I took my family to Washington, DC, and we visited Gettysburg. Tom asked us to stop by the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and to visit St. Anthony's Chapel. We visited the Grotto and asked a groundskeeper to open the Chapel for us. We went to the Chapel, said a prayer, and then brought some pictures to Tom. He was so happy to see those pictures, they brought many memories to him, and you could tell that this was where he wanted to be.
I am going to miss him. God bless his family.


Hanging with his two grandsons - Cal & Michael

Playing basketball with his grandson Trey...

Quite frankly I did not realize that it had been August 25, 2022 since I last saw Tom until I went back and found this photo. I called Jeff Steagall in Utah so that Tom could talk trash to the two of us at once and I would not need to go back and recount to Jeff everything that Tom said. Although Jeff and Tom started a friendship that lasted over 30 years, Tom and I did not become close until we both received International leadership (Tom) service (me) awards from UNF in the same year (2007). I often thought that UNF must have had a dry year to recognize me in the same year as Mr. International, Tom Leonard. However, this got me closer to Tom and it gave me an 18-year friendship that changed my life.

Jeff Michelman, Tom & Alek Nowak, Warsaw University Rector in Warsaw Poland, October 2007.

Tom Leonard was a man for all seasons, and a man for all peoples.  He was a superb scholar, but more importantly, he was a loving husband and father.  We will always treasure the times we spent travelling with Tom and Yvonne to different conferences.  We loved the Big Guy and Yvonne.  They will live forever in our hearts.

Jose and Mimi Fernandez

Tom and Yvonne moved across the street from us 25 years ago and quickly became our favorite neighbors.  I could always tell when Tom was traveling because  Yvonne would immediately go into her renovation mode to do something in the house that Tom had told her she could not do.  She frequently knocked down walls that she no longer wanted in the floorplan.  Tom would always just  laugh and try not to look too surprised.  

We always enjoyed discussing and comparing our travels with Tom.  He always came home with a few good stories and even a few broken bones.   They both loved traveling and exploring the world together.

After Yvonne passed we often visited Tom and he would spend hours 
reminiscing  about their lives together.  His eyes would light up and he would look up and say "Yvonne, we are talking about you." Even as his health continued to decline we always enjoyed our long talks about the good old days.

They are finally together again holding hands and smiling.  Tom, you will be truly missed.

David & Diane Davies





I have so many awesome memories of Tom interwoven into my academic life over the last twenty-five years.   In 1999, Tom invited me to UNF to give a lecture on the 1973 coup in Chile.  After the lecture, Yvonne made a wonderful ham at home.  In 2005, Tom and Yvonne and I made a special day trip to see Trujillo's House of Mahogany mountain retreat while we were attending the ATWS conference in the Dominican Republic.  Que descanse en paz.

Not that he would always admit it, but Tom was always laughing with you and not at you [although sometimes the rest of us did not know we should be laughing].  In 2009, after the ATWS conference in Ghana, Tom and I took a week to explore the country.  During our adventures in Kumasi, we spent an afternoon in the central market.  After trying on a traditional kente cloth toga, I asked Tom if I looked like Akan royalty.  The lady who owned the shop insisted that Tom wear a head scarf [a gift if I was willing to purchase the toga].

Tom was an amazing person--fun, intelligent, creative, hard-working and loving. We met through our common love of all things international and bonded through dozens of research and service trips abroad. Tom was a fantastic mentor. He always had time for me and went out of his way to support the programs in our college as fully as he did those of the international studies program that he led. Of course, Tom's family was the center of his life and his passion. I'm honored to have been included in some of their get-togethers. I miss Tom's friendship and his witty remarks. I still have the engraved beer stein he gave me when I left UNF, promising to buy all of my alcoholic drinks on any trans-oceanic flights. What a guy! The world won't be the same without him. My deepest condolences to his many friends and family members. 

Compare this photo from the one of our father standing in front of the same house in 2014.  

My father told me stories of having the "Light Police" knocking on his parent's house at night while he was studying.  The lights from the city would allow German submarines to see the outline of ships leaving NYC harbor... so he would study from within his closet.

My father and brothers had dinner with Jim Phelan after the Mount beat Georgia Tech in the 1990's.  I asked coach "How good was my father"... he became quite serious and said "your father had finesse".  That meant a lot coming from him.

Our father very badly wanted a daughter, which is why he has so many sons.  So walking Stacy down the aisle was a special moment for him.

Stacy wanted to see where here father grew up in Elizabeth NJ.  This house was actually a quad-plex, with our father's family occupying the top-left section.

As department chair I hired Tom Leonard in the spring of 1973 to teach Latin American history. We worked together as historians at UNF until I retired in 2001. Tom enjoyed life, taught with enthusiasm and learned the system of grants, travels and professional opportunities well (a significant skill in itself). He was recognized on campus  and in the profession for his accomplishments.  With his wife and kids, he lived a full life. Laura joins me in sending condolences to his family.  

Tom was an accomplished, widely recognized scholar, one of the key forces behind the internationalization of UNF’s programs and a model administrator but, all that aside, he was one of the most unselfish people I have ever known, on campus or off.  His presence will always be around but personally will be so sadly missed.

Tom was chairperson of the Department of History and Philosophy when I first came to UNF in 1980.  His compassionate guidance eased my way back into an academic career, and for that I will be forever grateful.  His prolific scholarship was also an inspiration, as was his  down-to-earth wit.  May we all stand as tall as Tom! 

When I joined the Dept of History and Philosophy in 1987 as the new and only assistant professor of philosophy, Tom went out of his way to welcome me into the group and to advise me on all things UNF.  He was also kind enough to put me in contact with people in my field he knew elsewhere in the state.  Over the years we would discuss basketball, our shared experience as Fulbright recipients, and a common interest in the foreign culture program.  Perhaps most memorable of all, however, were the words he would characteristically utter almost every time we would run into one another: “Tell me something good.”

My sincere condolences to Tom’s family.   He loved you .  Tom was a great story teller and a very kind man.   I appreciated his advice though the years.  

My sincere condolences to Tom’s family.  Tom and I came to UNF at the same time, and quickly became friends.  He had an endless supply of entertaining adventures and stories, and a great sense of humor.  A dedicated, productive scholar, Tom’s extensive travels enhanced his understanding of the countries and people he studied.
Tom’s great passion was always his family.  Many of his stories focused on his late wife, Yvonne, and one or more of his children.  They were his great pride and joy.
Like many of his friends and colleagues, I will miss Tom very much, but will enjoy many happy memories of him.
Earle Traynham

Tom was a dear friend and mentor. I loved traveling with him and just being around him. Tom had a way of telling a story about almost anything but most had threads to either Latin America or sports. Occasionally he would find a way to link them together, like the time that Paul Hornung took him to Cuba. Most importantly Tom loved talking about Yvonne, his kids, and grandkids.  He love to talk about how proud he was of his family and the job the Yvonne did in raising them! Tom loved his family! Over the last several years our visits became less frequent, yet every time I left him I felt better about life after the time we shared together. I will miss you my friend. May the wind always be at your back.



Tom was a man of many gifts. The one Shelby and I most enjoyed was his skill as a raconteur. Tom could tell a story about ANYTHING, although the chances were pretty good that the conversation would eventually come around to basketball, another of his gifts and passions. 

Our sincerest condolences to the Leonard family, his greatest passion of all.
   

My deepest sympathy and condolences to the entire Leonard family.  I met Tom nearly forty years ago, and he always enjoyed having a good time and talking sports or history.  But mostly, he loved talking about his family.   Mourn his passing but celebrate his wonderful life, extensive travels, and never-ending stories.  Great scholar and teacher, he encouraged generations of students to think critically and ask questions.  He is now reunited with his beloved Yvonne.   Raise a glass.  Eternal memory.

OBITUARY

Thomas Michael Leonard

8 November, 1937 – 15 February, 2023

Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home

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