December 1, 1930 - September 2, 2026
Resident of Snellville, GA with the Nalley family.
Tom was born in Columbia, Missouri, the Son of William Weston Carpenter and Doris Cotey Carpenter.
The Brother of William Weston Carpenter, Jr. (Col., USAF, Ret) and Barbara Carpenter Bloebaum. The Uncle to DJ, and Billy Carpenter; Billy, Ann, and Kathy Bloebaum; and great Uncle to Weston Flippo and Tammy Kilgore.
The Husband of Betty Jean Carpenter (d. 2003); father of Paul Carpenter (Heidi) and Melissa Carpenter Nalley (Matt). The Grandfather of John and Megan Nalley and Joy Carpenter.
He was a Graduate of the Tokyo-American High School of Japan Class of 1948. He served in the US Air Force (Airman First Class )1951-1955. He was stationed in Newfoundland where he worked for the armed forces radio network as a clerk and got the bug for radio work.
He was the devoted dancing partner and dear friend of Gladys Comey in his later years.
His professional career included stints as a Camera operator at Redstone Arsenal, and WHNT Channel 13, Huntsville, AL. In 1968 he became a Television Producer-Director at the National Medical Audio-Visual Center (NMAC) and later the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA.
A lifelong Jazz aficionado and record collector, he was the host of radio shows on local Atlanta AM stations WOMN, WQAK, and WYZE. He was a faithful supporter of the Atlanta music community as the Producer of “Atlanta Jazz and Blues,” a TV series on Dekalb Community Access Channel 25 and webcast on TV47 Atlanta for over 25 years. All 487 episodes are available on file in the Georgia State University Archives.
I want to thank my sister, Melissa, whose unwavering love and care for our father for over seven years, in the comfort of the Nalley home, brought us all peace.
In lieu of flowers, please go see some live music and tip the band.
