Thomas McComb

March 8, 1929- March 17, 2012

Thomas Malcolm McComb, Jr. of Marietta, Georgia died peacefully Saturday surrounded by his loving family. Mr. McComb was preceded in death by his wife of 42 years, Gladys Greer McComb. Mr. McComb leaves behind two sons, Thomas Malcolm McComb III (Malcolm) and James Marshall McComb II (Marshall). He also leaves behind a daughter- in-law, Lee Lowry McComb, and three grandchildren, Katherine Greer McComb, Laura Claire McComb, and Thomas Malcolm McComb, IV (Mac). Mr. McComb was born in Thomasville, Georgia, a setting for a childhood he called “marvelous” and a place from which he made lifetime friendships. His father, known as “Mr. Mac,” served as a beloved principal of Thomasville High School, while his mother was a respected teacher and champion of Thomasville cultural events. From his parents, Mr. McComb gained a lifelong love of learning and a passion for music, theater, and art. Mr. McComb left Thomasville for Baylor University and later graduated from the University of Georgia. He served as a lieutenant and navigator in the U.S. Air Force near the end of the Korean War. It was through Mr. McComb’s Baylor connections that he met his wife Gladys. Their courtship began in Texas and continued in England where Gladys spent a year teaching school and Mr. McComb flew frequent routes as a navigator. The two were married on August 24, 1957. At Emory University Mr. McComb earned a master’s degree in political science and then a master’s in business administration. He began his career as a political science professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville before careers in banking and real estate in Atlanta. His family remembers him as a person who was exceptionally kind, who loved to laugh, and who made connections with people from all walks of life. Mr. McComb particularly enjoyed discussing substantial issues and welcomed a range in points of view. He was intensely curious and a constant reader with passionate interests in history—European, Russian, Chinese, African, and Middle Eastern—as well as philosophy and religion. The family will have visitation at Sandy Springs Chapel at 136 Mt. Vernon Highway Monday, March 19, 2012 from 7:00-8:30pm. The funeral will be held at Northside Drive Baptist Church at 11:00 am on Tuesday, March 20, 2012. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorial gifts be made to Northside Drive Baptist Church.