Thomas Henry Herrington Jr.

At an early age, young Tom understood his goal. In the 7th grade at Albany Junior High, he began throwing The Albany Herald, from his bike. On his 16th birthday, he purchased an Indian motorcycle from his Herald earnings. This enabled him to grow his business, and at the end of his “career” he was throwing 275 papers, one of the largest routes ever assigned at the time. He had a steadfast vision for his future, and wanted a college education, and nothing but an education at Georgia Tech would suffice. He worked at the Herald until he graduated from Albany High School in the Class of1956, after saving enough money to pay for three quarters at Tech.

In the fall of 1956, Tom began to make his vision come true at Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA. He received a scholarship in the Georgia Tech Concert Band, where he played the French horn, which paid for his school books for two years. He also enrolled in the Co-operative Plan (a work-study alternating program) .… one quarter as a student, the next quarter working with Magnolia Petroleum Corp, a subsidiary of Mobile Oil.

While obtaining his Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree, he worked and lived (for the most part) on a boat as part of an oil exploration crew, performing geophysical exploration offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. On off weekends, he played the organ and directed the choir at a small Methodist Church. During those quarters back at Tech, he worked extra jobs as Table Manager at Beta Theta Pi, as Lab Technician, and sold books at Rich’s. His senior year he was named Captain of the Army ROTC’S Pershing Rifles, and then worked as a draftsman at Robert & Co. Engineers while earning his Master’s Degree.

He was not only able to pay his college debt to GA Tech in full; he purchased a graduation present for himself … a handsome red-over-black 1961 Austin Healey … right off the showroom floor!

In June of 1963, after Tom finished his Master's Degree at Georgia Tech, as a Registered Professional Engineer, he was assigned to Ft. Belvoir VA for Officers Orientation, and his next assignment was Ft. Benning, Columbus GA, where he went through Airborne Training (Paratroop School), after which he served as Executive Officer and Company Commander of the Headquarters Training Company of the School. He was deployed to Korea, where he served as an officer, paratrooper, and combat engineer in the First Calvary Division for 13 months. While in Korea, Tom, along with a friend, spent as much time as possible with young Korean orphans, helping to improve their living conditions.

After completing his tour of Active Duty he accepted a position with Armco Steel Corp in Atlanta Georgia. In 1985, Tom accepted the position of National Sales and Marketing Manager with a division of Sonoco Products, and moved to Waukesha, WI. He was promoted to President of Summit, where the company grew from the 14th to the 5th largest company in its industry. Later, when the company was purchased by a large holding company with goals different from those that had taken the company so far, Tom made the decision to retire from the business. His incredible wit would take him the rest of the way!

In 2003 he moved back to Georgia to be close to his aging parents. In Atlanta, he reconnected with an old schoolmate, Beverly Smith Zacharias, whom he had known, but never dated, back at Albany High School. He had sung in The AHS Troubadours, an AHS choral ensemble which Beverly founded and directed until her graduation from AHS in 1955. Tommy continued to sing his senior year and was elected president of that group. They discovered that both had been born in Jacksonville FL, and that their maternal grandmothers had beach homes in the same block in Neptune Beach, FL. Surely they walked the same path to the beach!!? After all those years … it was TIME … theirs was a wedding and a marriage for all seasons!

Tommy died of heart and kidney complications. He was predeceased by his mother and father, a brother, David Edward Herrington, and a daughter, Laura Baker Herrington, and his devoted rescue dog, Ashley Dahlyn.

He is survived by his wife, Beverly Smith Herrington, his sister, Andrea Kay Herrington Waters; his children, Katherine “Kitty” Elaine Herrington Price, and son-in-law Randal Price; his son, Thomas Dominy Herrington and daughter-in-law Peggy Anne Herrington and his grandchildren, Sean Thomas Herrington, Ryan Albert Herrington and Meghan Mary Herrington, and their mother and grandmother, Molly Dominy Herrington. Also his step children James McCoy Calhoun, Jr., Beverly Dianne Calhoun, and Chuck Calhoun, and nephews, Boyd, David and Andy Waters; and niece, Elizabeth Waters Davenport, plus several grand nephews and nieces.

A visitation will be held Saturday, December 16, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. A Time of Remembrance

will follow at 1:00 p.m. at Sandy Springs Chapel, 136 Mt. Vernon Highway. NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. Please, consider making a donation to The HERRINGTON MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND at First Methodist Church, 307 Flint Avenue, Albany GA 31701-2507