In memoriam: A beloved AACRAO member, Tom passed on May 1, 2021 at the age of 86.
Over three decades, Tom was a contributing author to a number of updates to Academic Record and Transcript Guide , mainly on the topic of electronic data exchange (EDX). He was also a recipient of Honorary Membership, the APEX Award, and the Distinguished Service Award.
He was born on November 5, 1934 in West Palm Beach, Florida to John T. Stewart Sr. and Wilhelmina Brandenburg Stewart who preceded him in death. Tom graduated from Palm Beach High School in the class of 1952. He was an Eagle Scout, a member and president of DeMolay and ATO fraternity at University of Florida. He received a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida in 1956 and worked as a research engineer for three years for Dow Chemical Co. in Freeport, Texas before becoming an officer in the US Air Force, serving as a supply officer at Toul-Rosieres Air Base in France. He was released from active duty in 1964 as a First Lieutenant. He returned to the University of Florida where he received a Masters of Teaching Mathematics in 1965. He was a long-time resident of Coconut Grove in Miami, FL. After teaching math at Miami Dade College (MDC) for one year, he became the first campus registrar at the College’s South (now Kendall) Campus. He was instrumental in bringing technology to the admission and registration of students and modernizing the maintenance of student records. He was the prime mover in providing the opportunity for students to register for classes using the automated voice response (Star Service) telephone registration system. MDC was the third college in the nation to provide this service to its students. He was a leader in creating both state and national standards that allowed for academic records (transcripts) to be sent electronically over the internet to other colleges and universities. Tom was president of both Florida ACRAO and the Southern ACRAO (SACRAO). He was awarded honorary member to both SACRAO and AACRAO upon his retirement from Miami Dade College in 2003. After retirement, he remained actively involved in AACRAO and P2OW Education Standards Council (PESC) in Washington, DC, in their efforts to continue developing international standards for electronic exchange of high school and college student records.Tom is survived by his brother Ronald B. Stewart and sister-in-law Virginia Reynolds Stewart of Gainesville, FL and Franklin, NC, a niece Laura Stewart Monday and a nephew John Michael Stewart of Gainesville, FL. He was predeceased in 2013 by his life partner Arnulfo DeLeon.
Arrangements are entrusted with Crevasse’s Simple Cremation, Gainesville, Florida. Leave online condolences or fond memories in Tom's guestbook.
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