Thomas James Beers

Tom will be remembered by many, but especially The Honorable Todd M. Harper, his life partner of 33 years, and his sister, Mary Anne Beers of Andover, Minn. Others mourning include close friends Mark Agrast and David Hollis of Washington, D.C., Dirk and Ulrike Petersen of Crozet, Va., Max Petersen of Denver, Colo., and Paula Petersen of Richmond, Va. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, James and Edna (nee Meyer) Beers of Lake Elmo, Minn.

Together, Tom and Todd shared the epitome of what love should be — a relationship built on respect, common ground, complementary differences, shared intellectual passions, and continual growth. Their adventures included travel, stimulating conversations, and memorable dinner parties. Over the years, they shared eight cats, including Heidegger, Updike, and Bartok, whom Tom named after his favorite philosopher, author, and composer, respectively.

During the past 10 years, Tom stoically fought prostate cancer. In recent months, however, he faced many escalating health challenges, ultimately succumbing to complications related to aggressive metastatic kidney cancer. He died peacefully with Todd at his side.

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Minnesota, Tom moved to Washington and worked at the former Olsson’s Books and Records where he specialized in classical and jazz music. He then earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1981.

Subsequently, Tom specialized in cellular phone spectrum applications while working for a series of law firms, ultimately landing at Jones Day Reavis and Pogue. In 1988, he joined the Federal Communications Commission where he worked for 27 years before retiring. Tom stood up and then led the policy division within the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau for more than a decade. For his accomplishments, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International recognized Tom with its 2016 Leadership in Regulatory Service Award.

Close friends will remember Tom as a true romantic, raconteur, and Renaissance man. He wrote poetry and spoke German and Italian fluently. Tom especially loved Italy. When once asked if he wanted to go to the Holy Land, Tom said: “No. I’ve already been to Rome.”

Unlike most people, Tom was equally at home on the gun range as he was at a Proust book club discussion. He especially loved strong coffee, good bourbon, and exotic teas. A long-time member of Augustana Lutheran Church, Tom had a deep interest in religion and an abiding faith in God. In fact, Tom smiled broadly as he partook in holy communion just hours before he died.

As a student, Tom led Vietnam War protesters at the University of Minnesota. He was also a fierce defender of free speech. He actively participated in the 1989 demonstrations after the Corcoran Gallery shut down the NEA-funded show featuring the works of Robert Mapplethorpe.

Tom, moreover, was an activist within the LGBTQ+ movement long before public opinion shifted. In March 1979, Tom proudly attended the first conference of Lesbian and Gay Law Students held at New York University Law School. This event evolved from growing momentum in the late 1970s for legal recognition and protection of gay rights and led to the establishment and growth of organizations like Lambda Legal and the National LGBT Bar Association.

After that event, Tom wrote a seminal paper on marriage equality for his constitutional law class at Georgetown Law School. The paper argued that same-sex couples had a fundamental right to marry, protected by the U.S. Constitution’s substantive due process clause. In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized marriage equality in Obergefell v. Hodges on those same legal grounds.

During the AIDS epidemic when he lost many friends, Tom marched in 1987 and 1993 to increase government funding for and public awareness of HIV prevention and cures as well as LGBTQ+ rights. When others scorned those suffering from the visible signs of AIDS, Tom demonstrated compassion, as a Christian should. He held their hands, willingly used the gym equipment they had touched, and looked them in their eyes directly instead of averting his gaze.

Lastly, Tom had an uncanny ability for the common man to interact with celebrities. At a concert of the Jerusalem Quartet in St. Barths, Tom struck up a conversation with the heirs to the Pillsbury and General Mills fortunes. In 1974, Sophia Loren taught Tom to perfect his Italian diction by holding his mouth to better pronounce vowels. Romano Mussolini, her brother-in-law at the time and the youngest son of the Duce, played jazz piano in the background.

Averell Harriman, the son of a railroad baron and American politician and diplomat, personally showed Tom his extensive art collection when both became bored at a political fundraiser. Barry Manilow once flirted with Tom in the Minneapolis airport. One holiday shopping season in Georgetown, Tom saw the woman in front of him drop her packages. When Tom helped her pick them up and looked into her violet eyes, he realized she was Elizabeth Taylor.

What’s more, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, the great German lyric opera soprano, once kissed Tom for speaking to her husband, Walter Legge, the legendary classical musical producer for EMI. That’s because everyone always recognized Elisabeth, but only Tom recognized Walter. And, after a concert at Blues Alley in D.C., Eartha Kitt French-kissed Tom for his compliment about her legs.

A celebration of life gathering for Tom will be held Friday, May 30, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Murphy Funeral Home, 4510 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22203. A classical musical prelude will occur Saturday, May 31, 2025, from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Augustana Lutheran Church, 2100 New Hampshire Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20009, followed by high mass at 11:00 AM. A catered reception at the church will follow. Church services will be livestreamed at https://www.augustanadc.org/worship.

Instead of flowers and food, please consider a donation to an organization close to Tom’s heart. During the last years of his life, Tom gave monthly to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, generously to the Indiana University Lilly Library of Rare Books, and annually to the District of Columbia Bar Association’s Pro Bono Center