Thomas Randall Dupree

Thomas Randall Dupree, 72, was born on November 27, 1949, in Norfolk, Virginia and died at his home in New York City on February 7, 2022, from cardiorespiratory arrest. He is survived by his wife, Linda, his brothers John (Regina) Dupree from Dallas, Texas, and Rick (Diana) Dupree of Bloomington, Indiana along with numerous nieces and nephews. Tom was a professional newsman, advertising executive, critic, and editor. More importantly he was an adoring husband, steadfast friend, fierce intellect, and gregarious lover and patron of the creative spirit whether in music, theatre, cinema, or the written word.

Born in Virginia, his family moved to Jackson, Mississippi when he was only 12. To ease the transition into a new town and school, Tom’s mother purchased a saxophone and enrolled him in the marching band. It was a traumatic time for Tom, but during those years he made an enduring set of school friends who would remain important to him throughout his life. Later, to the immense relief of his family, he traded in his alto sax for the quieter craft of writing and editing, skills he honed as the editor of his high school newspaper.

During his university years at Millsaps College in Jackson, Tom acted and directed with the Millsaps Players and in community theatre. This sparked a love for live performance that never left him. While pursuing a graduate degree in journalism at the University of Georgia in the 1970’s he also began writing about music. He covered the hey-day of Southern rock as a freelance music reviewer for publications as diverse as Rolling Stone, Creem and Playboy, and many liner notes for southern rock albums of that time were written by Tom Dupree.

After finishing his degree Tom moved back to Jackson to build his career as an advertising copywriter and creative professional. He also fell in love with Linda Schrayer, the media director at a local ad agency. Though Jackson was home, Tom always had a fascination with New York City, to him the epicenter of all his commercial and creative interests, and the home of Broadway. When a job move took Linda to New York City, Tom’s passions swirled into one beautiful vortex that demanded he follow her. But how?

This led to the single most important advertising campaign of his life - selling the talents of a young copywriter from Jackson, Mississippi to the seasoned professionals of the New York agencies. He decided to exploit the then ubiquitous “I LOVE New York” posters seen throughout the city, by distributing to potential employers his own version entitled “I LOVE (a girl in) New York” full of all the heartfelt reasons why advertisers should hire him, including enabling him to complete his love story with Linda. It worked and he was hired. Tom loved to tell how on his first day in New York one of his new colleagues spoke for her co-workers, “We have to know” she asked, “is there really a girl?” Yes, there was.

Often reality fails to live up to our dreams. But not this time. Tom and Linda were happily together for over three decades. He got to live with the girl he adored in the city he had always wanted to call home. His professional career blossomed and ultimately drew him from advertising to publishing. From a humble start composing cover blurbs, he became Senior Editor at Bantam and later Executive Editor at HarperCollins. Tom worked across a wide spectrum: Louis L’Amour westerns, the Star Wars book series, fiction from Tom Robbins and Bill Fitzhugh, and wide-ranging pop culture books and memoirs, often featuring the very artists he so admired.

Tom and Linda remained avid theatre buffs and were patrons of several theatre groups. He was an outstanding audience member. Whether they knew it or not, comic actors throughout the city owe him a debt of gratitude. Often his low rumbling “heh, heh, heh” was the first encouraging laugh a grateful performer heard during a show. His only sustained complaint (which he blamed on tourists) was of the increasing ubiquity of standing ovations for every single performance. But after a truly outstanding production, no one was faster to his feet. In retirement he was pleased to use his editorial skills and love of theatre on behalf of The Players where he was Editor of the Club’s popular blog series on its history and members.

Tom Dupree lived life fully and happily. He filled up a room with personality and presence. He relished a fair argument and was never without a strong opinion even if he needed to construct one on the spot. Tom was curious, adventurous, and part of him always remained the wide-eyed boy, thrilled at magic, monsters, science fiction, and fantasy, and fascinated whenever artists reimagined the world with creative new sights, sounds and words.

But his own deepest magic was in a real life, wonderfully lived, with the woman he loved. He will be missed.

Donations in memory of Tom can be made to The Public Theater (https://publictheater.org/support-us/donate/public-gift/) or Irish Repertory Theatre (https://irishrep.org/donations/). A memorial celebration is planned for summer 2022.