Joseph Thomas "Tommy" Miceli

"Joseph Thomas "Tommy" Miceli was born on December 7, 1945, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is preceded in death by his father, Sam Miceli, and his mother, Bena Salemi Miceli. He is survived by: his wife, Willa Rhea Miceli, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; his son, David Miceli, and his wife Sarah and their children, Greer, Camille, and Faye Miceli, of Birmingham, Alabama; his daughter, Lisa Johnson and her husband, Jeff Johnson, of Versailles, Kentucky, and their children, Mallory Johnson Santiago, of Raleigh, North Carolina, Bethany Johnson Giles of Gainesville, Florida, and Emily Johnson of Washington, D.C.; sister, Kay Ewing and her husband Tim, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and sister Marla Reeves, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Tommy graduated from Sacred Heart School, Catholic High School, and the 1970 Class of LSU School of Medicine "“ New Orleans. His medical career included stops in St. Francisville, Louisiana, Johnson City, Tennessee, and Salem, Oregon before returning to Baton Rouge in 1980. He became a Staff Emergency Physician at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and served as the Chief of Emergency Services from 1983 to 2006. Dr. Miceli made significant contributions to the Baton Rouge medical community during his career. Notable among these were: The creation, implementation and continued success of the East Baton Rouge Emergency Medical Services (EBREMS). Beginning in 1980, Dr. Miceli lobbied for the need for pre-hospital care in EBR parish. Working with City-Parish government and the Parish Medical Society, Dr. Miceli provided the medical leadership necessary to ensure the clinical competency of the program. He served as Medical Director of EMS from 1982 until his retirement in 2006. EBREMS twice received the "Best in Nation" award in 1996 and again in 1999 under Dr. Miceli's leadership. He was also the originator and director of the OLOL Scribe Program which provided opportunities for promising pre-medicine students to work in a clinical setting in the busiest emergency room in the state. Almost every graduate of the Scribe program was successfully admitted to medical school. Dr. Miceli served as a member or officer in several professional organizations including: American College of Physician Executives, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP); Louisiana State Chapter of the ACEP (Board Member "“ 2 terms); Louisiana State Medical Society (Council on Legislation "“ 2 terms); East Baton Rouge Parish Medical Society (All Offices "“ President, 2001); Dr. Miceli also was a frequent volunteer at the aide station in the State Capitol during legislative sessions. Tommy's life was changed forever when he became a musician in 1961. Under the guidance of well-known guitarist, Kenny Gill, Tommy spent many hours learning to play electric guitar. He played lead guitar on the Billboard #1 hit, I'm Leaving It Up To You, by Dale and Grace, and played on all of their records. He went on to play in several local and regional bands including Floyd Brown and the Crystals, the Dixie Crystals, and the legendary band, the Greek Fountains. In later years, Tommy played with his life-long friend and Louisiana blues legend, Luther Kent. The following musicians and song writers had a substantial influence on his musical career: Kenny Gill, Joe Miceli, Pete Verbois, Tubby Zeigler, Don Capron, Floyd Brown, Dave Galloway, Mike Verbois, Harold Cowart, Dan and Van McCurley, Duke Bardwell, Don Chesson, Cyril Vetter, Danny Cohen, Jeff Johnson, Robert Hubbard, John Fred Gourrier, Luther Kent, Jay Griggs, Bruce Eisohnsson, Billy Tam, Chris Belleau, Chuck Yost and Lynn Ourso. A visitation will be held on Thursday, September 5, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 11000 Florida Boulevard. Visitation will continue at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church on Friday September 6, from 12:30 pm until the Mass of Christian Burial to begin at 2:30 pm. Burial will follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Parkinson Disease Association, 135 Parkinson Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10305 or to , P.O. Box 5014 Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014.